NY Islanders business operations boss says fanbase must get younger, more diverse

This isn't a conversation New York Islanders fans want to have, especially in the middle of a surprisingly good season, but it’s one the business side of the franchise can't ignore: if this team wants to grow, the fan base has to grow with it.

Younger. More diverse. More reflective of the market it actually sits in.

That's the take of new President of Hockey Operations Kelly Cheeseman, and he isn’t wrong. And honestly, it’s refreshing to hear someone in charge say it out loud.

Six weeks into his job as president of business operations, Cheeseman, who spoke to Andrew Gross of Newsday via Zoom on Tuesday, looked at the Islanders’ footprint and didn’t see a niche. He saw eight million people, stretching from Queens and Brooklyn to Montauk. Right now, the Islanders are strong east of UBS Arena. West of it? That’s the opportunity. And opportunity only gets unlocked if the Islanders stop pretending the fan base of yesterday is enough for tomorrow.

The numbers don’t lie. Compared to the rest of the NHL, the Islanders skew older and less diverse. That’s not an insult to the loyal diehards who carried this franchise through decades of chaos. It’s a reality check. The league is getting younger. More female. More multicultural. If the Islanders don’t move in that direction, they risk becoming a regional nostalgia act instead of a modern NHL brand.

Here’s the good news: this roster is finally giving them a chance.

Matthew Schaefer is marketable in ways this team hasn’t had in a long time. Mathew Barzal still pulls people in. Winning helps. A lot. So does letting players actually be visible in the community again. Under Mathieu Darche, players aren’t hidden behind closed doors. That matters when you’re trying to connect with fans who didn’t grow up idolizing dynasty teams.

Attendance hasn’t fully caught up yet, but the trends are there. Sellouts are happening. Engagement is exploding. App downloads, social media interaction, TV ratings, jersey sales—all up significantly. That’s not accidental. That’s younger fans finding the Islanders in new ways.

Even the building feels different. More personality. More fun. Now the joint goal of the team on the ice and the team off of it is to turn what hopes to be a sustainable winner into a fanbase that can grow in the way a team in its market can with the proper focus and attention.