Sound Tigers Announce Season-Opening Roster
Published on October 5, 2018 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - The Bridgeport Sound Tigers, proud American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, announced today the team's season-opening roster for its 18th AHL campaign. The roster is comprised of 16 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders as Bridgeport opens the season Saturday night against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center in Allentown, Penn.
Of the 26 players on the initial roster, 19 have previously worn the Sound Tigers sweater in at least one regular season game. The roster also includes 16 players on an NHL contract with the New York Islanders, including four former first-round draft picks: Steve Bernier (2003, San Jose), Michael Dal Colle (2014), Josh Ho-Sang (2014) and Kieffer Bellows (2016).
Among the seven AHL rookies, forward Otto Koivula, 20, is the youngest player on the squad (Sept. 1, 1998). Bellows, Matt Gaudreau, Ryan Hitchcock, Koivula, Jeff Kubiak, Yannick Rathgeb and Yanick Turcotte make up the other first-year players. The Sound Tigers season-opening roster also contains six veterans: Bernier, Chris Bourque, Ryan Bourque, Chris Casto, Ben Holmstrom and Seth Helgeson.
Furthermore, the roster features 4,470 games of AHL experience and 883 games of NHL experience (12 players). Twelve players were born in the United States, 10 are from Canada, one is from Sweden (Sebastian Aho), one is from Switzerland (Rathgeb) and two are from Finland (Koivula and Christopher Gibson).
Bridgeport's season-opening roster is listed below, numerically by position.
Forwards (16)
7 Chris Bourque
10 Ryan Bourque
12 Otto Koivula*
15 Kieffer Bellows*
16 Mike Sislo*
17 Michael Dal Colle*
20 Scott Eansor*
21 Ben Holmstrom
24 Travis St. Denis*
26 Josh Ho-Sang*
29 Connor Jones
34 Ryan Hitchcock
36 Jeff Kubiak
37 Steve Bernier*
38 Yanick Turcotte
40 Matt Gaudreau
Defensemen (8)
2 Seth Helgeson*
3 Chris Casto
4 Mitch Vande Sompel*
6 Yannick Rathgeb*
8 Kyle Burroughs*
25 Devon Toews*
27 Parker Wotherspoon*
28 Sebastian Aho*
Goaltenders (2)
33 Christopher Gibson*
35 Jeremy Smith
* = Denotes players on an NHL contract
Bring on the Phantoms: The Sound Tigers open their 18th AHL season tomorrow night with a road matchup against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center in Allentown, Penn. Fans can follow all of the live action via the Sound Tigers Radio Network and AHLTV , beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. Bridgeport's home opener is set for Saturday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. against the Rochester Americans.
Packed Promotional Lineup: The Sound Tigers will boast one of their most extensive and wide-ranging promotional schedules ever for the 2018-19 season. The fan-friendly calendar includes the return of popular themes like Hockey and Hops (Nov. 23 and Mar. 17), Military Appreciation (Jan. 12), Star Wars Night (Jan. 19) and Princess Night (Mar. 30). Regional hockey fans will be elated for the addition of Hockey Weekend in Connecticut (Feb. 23-24), while other new headliners include Holiday Gift Weekend (Dec. 15-16) and a revamped Teddy Bear Toss (Nov. 23). View the full 2017-18 promotional schedule.
For additional details or to reserve a group outing for any giveaway or theme night, please call the Sound Tigers' front office at (203) 345-2300 ext 7.
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