The improvement of the Bridgeport Islanders is a big win for Mathieu Darche

The first season of the Mathieu Darche era on Long Island has gone pretty well. Through 48 games this season, the Islanders are 26-17-5 and are in second in the Metro Division. He also made arguably the best pick in the 2025 draft, as Matthew Schaffer has been the most impactful rookie and is the current favorite to win the Calder Trophy. It looks like good things are ahead for the Islanders with Darche at the helm.

However, the most impressive accomplishment may be the performance of their AHL team, the Bridgeport Islanders. They are currently in the middle of a five-game winning streak and have a record of 17-17-2. Their 17 wins are two more than they had all of last season, and they still have 35 games to play. It's clear that the new regime has put an emphasis on Bridgeport's success. But why is this good for the organization, and what does it mean for the future of the team?

A successful team in Bridgeport will do wonders for the Islanders

Over the past few seasons, Bridgeport had been one of the biggest jokes in the AHL. They have failed to make the playoffs in the past three seasons and have routinely been among the bottom teams in the Atlantic Division. However, last season saw the team reach new lows. They had a record of 15-50-4 and looked non-competitive in most games. They also had only 4 home wins, the fewest in AHL history.

With how much they were losing, the atmosphere around the club was pretty negative. This can be a significant detriment to any player's development. How is a player supposed to get better if they are consistently losing? Why are they going to play hard and work to get better when they know it will not change the team's record? This put the Islanders at a disadvantage because they had no depth. This was also not a place they could send their top prospect, as they would likely get ruined.

So far this season, things are different. While a .500 record is not overly impressive, it's a giant step up from where this team was last year. This has done wonders for several player developments. Guys like Matt Maggio, Marshall Warren, Cam Thiesing, and Alex Jefferies are all playing better than last season. This can be attributed to the player development set up by Darche and the hiring of head coach Rocky Thompson. While it's a small sample, it's clear something is working well and should help foster a new culture.

Bridgeport can feed the Islanders with their lineup's depth. While none of the players mentioned above are big prospects, they can still play a crucial role in the team's future. They can be solid depth pieces and help fill out the bottom six and lower pairings. Having these players on cheaper deals will allow Darche to redirect cap space to the star players and key contributors. Bridgeport can also be a place the Islanders send their top prospects to make the transition to the NHL easier.

Although it's not Darche's main focus, what he has done in Bridgeport needs to be celebrated. It's the first step towards long term sustain success.