Chris Terry has accumulated 252 goals and 595 points in his American Hockey League career. But the only figure he is focused on right now is 18, the number of games left in the Bridgeport Islanders’ regular season as they push to qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

A staple of the Bridgeport Islanders defense for the last two seasons, Grant Hutton is one of a small number of Indiana natives to reach the NHL.

Bakersfield’s Seth Griffith, Utica’s Alexander Holtz and Bridgeport’s Jakub Skarek have been selected as the league’s award winners for January.

Head coach Brent Thompson continues to rely heavily on 22-year-old goaltender Jakub Skarek, who has blossomed with a heavy workload this season in Bridgeport.

The American Hockey League’s reputation for churning out National Hockey League players is a well-established one. So with NHL clubs dealing with COVID-19 issues that have also reached into the broadcast booth, they turned to the place they always look for talent ― the AHL.

After such a topsy-turvy, unusual, and abbreviated 2020-21 season, stability was perhaps the most welcoming concept to the Bridgeport Islanders. That meant icing an experienced team, with continuity on the back end.

Plenty of today’s New York Islanders got their start playing in Bridgeport. For many of the longest tenured Islanders – like Anders Lee, Matt Martin, Brock Nelson and Casey Cizikas – Bridgeport was their first taste of pro hockey and introduction to the organization. 

After a concert this week, Webster Bank Arena hosts three New York Islanders preseason games, the first open-to-the-public sporting events at the barn since the world shut down on March 11, 2020.

Cory Schneider did not log a minute last season for the Islanders and, if all goes according to plan, he’ll remain the organization’s third goalie option while playing in Bridgeport. But Schneider wants to prove he can still contribute in the NHL. 

The New York Islanders have agreed to terms on contracts with Andy Andreoff, Cole Bardreau, Otto Koivula, Paul LaDue and Dmytro Timashov.