Ian Laperriere A Coaching Candidate For Islanders’ New AHL Affiliate

The New York Islanders will begin yet another head coach search after promoting AHL head coach Rocky Thompson into an NHL assistant coach role. Their best option to helm the newly-named Hamilton Hammers could already be within the organization. Former Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere moved into a pro scout role with the Islanders last season and could be a candidate to earn the AHL head coach gig per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner in his newsletter.

Laperriere is a veteran of 1,083 NHL games as a player – spanning 16 seasons, including nine with the Los Angeles Kings and four with the Colorado Avalanche. Formerly a seventh-round pick by the St. Louis Blues, he built a career as a bruiser, racking up 1,956 penalty minutes through his NHL career. Laperriere retired with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and joined the club as an assistant coach in 2013. He spent eight years on the club’s NHL bench before moving into the AHL head coaching role. Laperriere led the Phantoms to three postseason appearances in four seasons – but wasn’t able to push the club into the second round.

Now, Laperriere could represent a chance for New York to replace one career-enforcer for another as they look to keep their AHL club above water. The Bridgeport Islanders have missed the last four Calder Cup Playoffs – and rotated through three head coaches in that span. The Islanders agreed to move their affiliate from Bridgeport, Connecticut to Hamilton, Ontario to occupy the renovated TD Coliseum, once home to the AHL’s Hamilton Canucks, then the Hamilton Bulldogs, for 22 years.

The Bulldogs were a successful affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens through 20 seasons in the AHL – though their history also ended with four consecutive, missed postseasons. The first head coach of the newly-minted Hamilton Hammers will be looking to break that four-year spell for both the city, and the Islanders’ AHL affiliate. Leaning on the expertise of a playoff veteran at every level, like Laperriere, could be a strong first step towards that goal.