Are the Bridgeport Islanders Ready for the Calder Cup Playoffs? Rocky Thompson has them Prepared

The Bridgeport Islanders are playing their best hockey at the right time. They’ve won 10 of their last 12 games, including 10 home wins in a row to clinch a playoff spot. The Islanders look like one of the best teams in the American Hockey League and have the ideal mix of veterans and prospects on the rise to make a playoff run.

Moreover, the Islanders have bought into Rocky Thompson’s system. They’ve played a fast pased high pressure style that gives opponents fits. It took time for the players to buy in but once they did, they became a great team and one of the best turnaround stories in hockey.

Thompson’s System is Demanding But Tough to Stop

Every team that faced the Islanders this season noted how they love to generate pressure and are a high-volume team. They push the pace, generate plenty of shots on the net, and look to overwhelm teams with their pace and surplus of looks.

“It’s a simple game, it’s a high-pressure game, and it’s a possession game,” Thompson noted in a conversation with The Hockey News. It’s a contrast to the way the rest of the league plays, as most teams value quality shots and possession over volume. For Thompson, it’s about controlling the puck but then putting it on the net and being around for the rebound and second chance. “Our possession leads to shot volume, so we get a lot of scoring chances,” he added.

When this style works, it’s tough to stop. The case in point is how the Charlotte Checkers looked in the Calder Cup Playoffs last season. They had no problem putting 40 or 50 shots on the net, and it allowed them to steamroll the rest of the Eastern Conference. “It’s what we believe in with how the game should be played. It’s different but we’ve had success,” Kinnear noted earlier in the season.

It’s a tough way to play. It’s exhausting and often results in scoring chances the other way. That said, the Islanders have proven why they play this way because it not only works but it also unlocks their star players. “If you want to win, you've got to attack. You have to attack with the puck, you have to attack without the puck, you just have to be conditioned, and our guys are conditioned,” Thompson added. The Islanders have bought in, and the results show it.

Bridgeport Brought Along The Prospects at the Right Time

The Islanders have gotten the most from their prospects, specifically, the late-season adds who are first round selections and taking the team to another level. Victor Eklund already looks like a star with three goals and seven assists in eight games and plenty of skill on full display. His ability to drive play from the wing and make the skaters around him better gives the plenty of hope that he’ll be a high-impact player by the time next season begins. Cole Eiserman is the other late-season add who is still developing and learning the AHL but it turning himself into a reliable scoring threat with seven points in 10 games.