New NY Islanders AHL affiliate adds trusted coaches ahead of inaugural season

The Hamilton Hammers continue to fill out their first coaching staff, and not surprisingly, there's another familiar face following Jay McKee to town.

The club announced that Vince Laise will serve as an assistant coach while Kain Tisi joins the organization as goaltending coach ahead of Hamilton's inaugural season.

Laise spent the last two seasons with the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs, including serving as Associate Head Coach this past season under McKee. When a head coach gets a chance to build his own staff, one of the first things he usually does is bring along people he trusts. That's clearly what's happening here.

The 43-year-old also has ties to Hamilton from his previous stint with the Bulldogs organization, helping the club win an OHL championship in 2018. This will be his first opportunity coaching at the professional level.

As for Tisi, the 41-year-old arrives after spending the last several seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, where he worked in both player development and as a goaltending coach with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Given how important goalie development can be at the AHL level, especially for an organization trying to build a pipeline, having someone with that background feels like a smart move.

And let's be honest, that's really what all of this is about.

The Hammers aren't just trying to win hockey games. They're trying to develop the next wave of Islanders players.

With McKee already in place, the addition of trusted staff members gives Hamilton a little more stability heading into Year One. It's a new city, a new building, a new logo and a new team name.

Now the coaching staff is starting to take shape too.

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