Thompson Established Relationships, Taught On-Ice Skills at Isles Development Camp

New York Islanders Development Camp was Rocky Thompson’s first major assignment as Bridgeport Islanders new Head Coach. He spent the action-packed week helping the organizations' prospects sharpen their on-ice skills and built rapport among the rookies.

“Relationships are important to me,” Thompson said. “When the players start to trust you – that takes time – then you can start to teach them, that’s what I’m trying to do here. I’m trying to meet everybody, learn faces and names. I thought the camp was run so well.”

The mix of players enter Islanders Development Camp from the Canadian juniors, European leagues, NCAA and the USHL. They come into camp with various levels of experience and comfortability, but they were able to learn a lot from Thompson and the coaching staff in a short span. His goal wasn’t to evaluate players, but rather to introduce skillsets they might not have had before.

“Rocky’s been great this week, he’s very vocal,” Cole Eiserman said. “It’s awesome, Rocky and the rest of the staff have helped us so much. They care about our game and tell us what we can be better at, that’s what we need.”

One of the drills Thompson emphasized was a passing exercise, requiring players to call out the number of the player they’re saucing the puck to. The idea behind calling the numbers is to have players keep their heads up and be alert on the ice.

“That’s a detail for me that’s so overlooked with young hockey players,” Thompson said. “They’re all fast, they can shoot the puck 100 miles an hour, but not all of them play with their head up. That’s where hockey sense comes from. It’s really valuable and it’s a habit that can be taught.”

Thompson is an effective coach when it comes to development. His coaching resume includes a Memorial Cup Championship with the Windsor Spitfires in 2017 and an appearance in the Calder Cup Finals with the Chicago Wolves in 2019. He served the past three seasons as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Thompson has picked up a lot and developed his coaching style along the way, which he’ll bring to Bridgeport. He describes himself as a demanding coach who wants his players – from rookies to veterans – to earn opportunities.

"He's going to be hard on us and he's going to hold us accountable,” said Matt Maggio, who spent the past two seasons in Bridgeport. “But he's fair. I think he wants us to develop, learn the habits, and get us ready so that and if we do get the chance to come up to the NHL, that we're ready, and not only fit in, but contribute."

Thompson became the 10^th head coach in Bridgeport’s history on June 23^rd and he had some background on the organization prior to accepting the job. His longtime friend and mentor in Brent Thompson, who is the franchise’s longest-tenured coach, holding the position for 10 seasons (2011-12, 2014-2023).

They also crossed paths in their pro playing daysand Brent coached Rocky on the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen for two seasons from 2005-07. Flash forward to when Rocky entered the Bridgeport bench boss position, Brent gave Rocky a lot to look forward to.

“Brent and I are really close, we’re like brothers, and I remember for all those years Tommer had nothing but great things to say about the time he spent in Bridgeport,” Thompson said. “The opportunity to be a part of this organization and to experience it myself with the Islanders down there and with how the community is, it’s a blessing and I’m looking forward to getting involved.”

Thompson got to see that passion first-hand, when Islanders fans packed Northwell Health Ice Center to watch the prospects practice and even face-off in a scrimmage on Wednesday night. It served as Thompson’s warm welcome from Isles Nation.

“They’re outstanding,” Thompson said. “From what I saw out there last night, they’re a very passionate fanbase. I’m excited about being part of this organization moving forward.”