The New York Islanders announced Monday that Rocky Thompson has been named head coach of the Bridgeport Islanders becoming the 10th head coach in team history.
He replaces Rick Kowalsky, who served as head coach from 2023 until he was relieved of his duties on May 29, 2025.
Thompson, 47, joins the Islanders following three seasons as assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers. Thompson’s head coaching resume includes a Memorial Cup Championship with the Windsor Spitfires (Ontario Hockey League) in 2017, and an appearance in the Calder Cup Finals with the Chicago Wolves (American Hockey League) in 2019.
Before his time with the Flyers coaching staff, Thompson spent the 2020-21 season as an associate coach with the San Jose Sharks under Head Coach Bob Boughner, the newly named New York Islanders assistant coach.
Thompson was head coach in Chicago, the Vegas Golden Knights’ AHL club, for three seasons (2017-20). He compiled a 113-71-29 record in 213 regular season games with the Wolves, including a 44-22-10 record in 2018-19 en route to the club’s Calder Cup Finals run. Thompson was head coach in Windsor for two seasons 2015-17 before the club’s championship, going 81-40-15 over 136 games. Previously, he’d spent five seasons as an assistant coach in the Edmonton Oilers’ organization, serving as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons (2010-14), before moving up to the Oilers as an assistant coach in 2014-15.
Thompson’s professional playing career spanned 10 seasons and included 25 NHL games between his hometown Calgary Flames (1997-99) and the Florida Panthers (2000-02). Most of his career was spent in the AHL, where he recorded 69 points (17 goals, 52 assists) and 1,919 penalty minutes in 566 games with the Saint John Flames, Louisville Panthers, Hershey Bears, San Antonio Rampage, Toronto Roadrunners, Edmonton Roadrunners, and Peoria Rivermen.
Thompson was selected by Calgary in the third round (72nd overall) of the 1995 NHL Draft.
