Perfect Bridgeport Head Coaching Candidate Becomes Available

While much of the attention surrounding the New York Islanders continues to focus on trade rumors, the franchise focuses on its hockey operations department.

General Manager Mathieu Darche formally hired Ryan Bowness as an assistant general manager and director of player personnel yesterday. Last week, Darche hired multiple NHL assistant coaches. It’s been reported that both Steve Pellegrini and Chris Lamoriello will remain in place. This late in the cycle, it would be shocking if they didn’t.

That means the biggest hole to fill now would be the entirety of Bridgeport’s coaching staff. Though nothing is confirmed, a very strong candidate just emerged.

The Candidate:

This afternoon, the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears announced that their head coach and general manager would be leaving the organization “immediately” to pursue a coaching role in the AHL.

That man is Matt Carkner. Carkner, 44, played 75 games over two seasons for the New York Islanders from 2012-2014. He also played 60 games for Bridgeport in the ensuing two seasons, wearing an ‘A’ for both.

During those seasons as a player, he led a team that, at times, featured defensemen Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, along with Anders Lee at forward.

After he retired in 2016, Bridgeport hired him as an assistant coach. He served as an assistant for five seasons, lasting from 2016 until 2021.

When he left Bridgeport, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s (Darche’s former employer) ECHL Affiliate Orlando Solar Bears, hired him to be their head coach and general manager.

From Orlando’s press release today:

“The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced today Head Coach and General Manager Matt Carkner will be leaving his position immediately to pursue a coaching role in the American Hockey League. He led the Solar Bears to two playoff appearances in his three seasons at the helm.
In each of their playoff appearances under Carkner, the Solar Bears knocked off the first-place team in the South Division, including the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs, when Orlando upset the Brabham Cup champion South Carolina Stingrays in seven games.”

Why Carkner Could Be a Perfect Fit:

Carkner shapes up to be an intriguing fit. He’s put in his time and has the credentials to make the jump to AHL Head Coach. His familiarity with Bridgeport is a massive plus, as knowing an area and its fans helps. Factor in that Darche would be intimately familiar with his work, it becomes very clear there’s a fit here.

There are other openings around the AHL, so it’s far from a certainty that Bridgeport is where Carkner’s landing, but it’s the likeliest outcome out there.

As an assistant with Bridgeport, he continued to coach Pelech and Mayfield ahead of their final and permanent call-ups in 2017. He also fostered Devon Toews, Sebastian Aho, and Grant Hutton as they worked their way through the system.

His official duties with Bridgeport included the team’s defensive zone schemes and penalty-killing unit, in addition to handling individual player skill development, video pre-scouting, and analytics.

Add in his team running Orlando to consecutive playoff series wins over better teams, it sure seems like he could be a home-run hire for Bridgeport.

Let’s see where it goes.