The Islanders are promoting from within.
After a strong first season behind the bench of the Isles’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, Rocky Thompson earned a place with the varsity club as an assistant coach, the team announced on Tuesday.
Thompson, 48, led Bridgeport back to the playoffs this year for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Posting a 34-30-8 record, Bridgeport tied its franchise record in wins and points (76) under Thompson’s direction.
Bridgeport was ultimately eliminated from the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs on April 23, after the team was swept in the first round by the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
Their encouraging 2025-26 season marked the end of the franchise’s 25-year tenure in Bridgeport. The team is set to relocate to Hamilton, Ontario starting next season.
After breaking into the NHL as an assistant for the Oilers in 2014-15, Thompson spent a couple seasons as head coach of the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL before serving three seasons at the helm of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves from 2017-20.
He even won a Memorial Cup Championship with the Spitfires in 2017.
Thompson will reunite with current Isles assistant coach Bob Boughner, who brought the Calgary native on as an associate coach for a couple of seasons when he was the bench boss in San Jose from 2020-22.
Most recently, Thompson was an assistant coach for the Flyers for three years before joining the team in Bridgeport.
A right wing drafted 72nd overall by the Flames in 1995, Thompson went on to enjoy a 10-year professional playing career that included 25 NHL games between the Flames (1997-99) and Panthers (2000-02). A majority of his career was spent in the AHL, where he finished with 69 points and 1,919 penalty minutes in 566 career games.
