NY Islanders hire Jay McKee wants to bring championship hockey back to Hamilton

New Hamilton Hammers head coach Jay McKee hopes to bring back the style of hockey that helped make the city one of the Ontario Hockey League's premier markets just a few years ago.

Introduced Tuesday as the first head coach of the American Hockey League franchise following its relocation from Bridgeport, Conn., McKee said he wants his team to play the same relentless, hard-working style that led the Hamilton Bulldogs to an OHL championship in 2022.

"We want to have a brand of hockey that the Hamilton fans saw when we were here just a few years back," McKee said at the press conference. "A relentless team with a high work ethic, 12 forwards that played a 200-foot game and a creative offensive team."

McKee coached the Bulldogs for five seasons before the franchise relocated to Brantford in 2023. His familiarity with both the city and its fan base made him an attractive choice for New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche, who was looking for a coach capable of developing the organization's growing group of prospects while establishing a winning culture.

"The reason we selected Jay when we had an opening for that coaching job, you look at his track record developing young players, you look at his track record winning," Darche said. "Ironically, and nothing to do with the decision, but he did win in Hamilton, which is just an extra layer to his résumé."

The Islanders' affiliate qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs last season before being eliminated in the opening round, and Darche believes the organization is positioned to take another step with a prospect pool headlined by recent first-round selections.

"We've accumulated good prospects, very strong prospects the last few years," Darche said. "You should expect to see a lot of exciting prospects that we hope soon will be playing for the Islanders. Winning is a habit also."

McKee also noted the significance of returning to Hamilton, where the newly renovated TD Coliseum will serve as the Hammers' home.

"We had 12,000 fans in this arena," McKee said. "They've done a fantastic job with the arena. The players will be really excited. I've got a good grasp on what the fans here are like and their knowledge of the game."

The Hammers will begin play in the AHL's North Division for the 2026-27 season.

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