Isles Hire New, Well-Accomplished Assistant GM

The New York Islanders kick off a second straight week with a management move. This week, the club announced that they’ve hired Ryan Bowness as Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel.

It’s the first major front office hire for General Manager Mathieu Darche, and he knocked it out of the park. Bowness has been seen by many in the industry as a future general manager, already with an elite résumé at just 41 years of age.

From the Islanders’ Press Release:

“Bowness joins the Islanders after three seasons with the Ottawa Senators. He served as Assistant General Manager with the Senators from 2022-23 through 2023-24 and Ottawa’s Associate General Manager in 2024-25. The Halifax, NS native spent six seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2016-17 through 2021-22, as the Director of Pro Scouting and a Pro Scout. He won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2017. Prior to his time in Pittsburgh, Bowness spent seven seasons as a member of the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers Hockey Operations Department, serving in a wide variety of capacities including Pro Scout, Manager of Hockey Operations, and Manager of Player Development.”

Bowness is also the son of legendary and one-time Islanders’ Head Coach Rick Bowness, currently serving as a part-time member of TNT’s NHL panel.

AHL Implications:

Bowness served as the Belleville Senators’ General Manager for the last three seasons. Those Senators posted 30+ wins in all three seasons, despite only making the playoffs once. This past season, they went 34-27-11, but barely missed out on a playoff spot.

While for now, it continues to appear that Chris Lamoriello retains his title as Bridgeport Islanders General Manager. That decision, if it holds, will not be popular among the fanbase. Many want to see a big-time change in Bridgeport, but the team has yet to announce anything definitive, aside from sweeping coaching changes.

It’s believed Bowness will have some oversight, thanks to his elevated Director of Player Personnel title, but how much he will even do with Bridgeport remains unclear.

Bowness is an excellent hire by all accounts, one that immediately upgrades the Islanders’ Front Office with an elite, younger mind.