The Trenton Ironhawks will begin their inaugural ECHL season as an affiliate of the New York Islanders.
The team announced May 20 that it has reached a National Hockey League affiliation agreement with the Islanders as the franchise prepares for its first season at CURE Insurance Arena.
The Ironhawks will serve as the Islanders’ ECHL affiliate, while the organization’s American Hockey League affiliate will be based in Hamilton, Ontario.
The announcement was made during an event in Trenton featuring Team President Bob Ohrablo, Mercer County Executive Dan Benson and Fran Rodowicz, general manager of CURE Insurance Arena.
The affiliation will give Islanders prospects a place to continue developing in the ECHL while giving the Ironhawks a connection to an established NHL organization as professional hockey returns to Trenton.
“We are excited to partner with Trenton as our new ECHL affiliate and bring professional hockey back to New Jersey’s capital city,” Islanders General Manager and Executive Vice President Mathieu Darche said.
He added: “Trenton has a great organization, led by Bob Ohrablo, and has set a platform for our prospects to develop both on and off the ice. We’ve had several members of the current and past Islanders teams play games in the ECHL and look forward to continuing that trend in Trenton.”
Ohrablo said the team is proud to welcome the Islanders and Hamilton into the Ironhawks organization.
“Judging by the early support for the Ironhawks, Islanders prospects will develop in an electric atmosphere and a community that loves cheering them on,” Ohrablo said.
The Ironhawks will play their inaugural home opener at CURE Insurance Arena on Saturday, Oct. 24, against Adirondack. The puck drops at 6 p.m.
The affiliation also gives the Ironhawks a direct connection to a franchise with recent ECHL development experience.
Several Islanders prospects spent time in the ECHL last season, including forwards Cam Berg, Jesse Nurmi and Gleb Veremyev, defensemen Calle Odelius and Jesse Pulkkinen, and goaltenders Tristan Lennox and Henrik Tikkanen.
Team officials said the Ironhawks have already started working with area community groups as part of what the franchise calls its “Hat Trick” mission: winning, helping develop the arena district and becoming an active member of the region.
Benson said anticipation is building across Mercer County as the team prepares for its opening season. “We’re thrilled that Trenton will be affiliated with the Islanders, and we’re excited to welcome Islanders fans to take a short trip down the Turnpike to watch their next generation of talent developing right here at the CURE Arena,” Benson said.
Rodowicz said Oak View Group, which manages CURE Insurance Arena, has a strong relationship with the Islanders through its work with UBS Arena and TD Coliseum.
“We look forward to tapping into our successes at these properties, as well as our other Oak View Group hockey properties across North America to create the ultimate game-day experience for the IRONHAWKS players, their fans and partners here at CURE Insurance Arena,” Rodowicz said.
The Ironhawks have continued building momentum ahead of their inaugural season. Team officials have said the franchise is approaching 1,500 season membership deposits and has released a family-oriented schedule featuring most games on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Additional announcements are expected in the coming weeks, including the unveiling of the team’s first head coach, player signings, theme nights and promotional activities. The team also plans to debut its mascot in early June.
The Ironhawks name and branding were unveiled in January following a public name-the-team contest that generated more than 2,000 entries. Team officials said the hawk symbolizes strength and spirit, while the “iron” identity reflects Trenton’s industrial history and workforce tradition.
Trenton previously was home to the Trenton Titans from 1999 to 2006, the Trenton Devils from 2007 to 2011 and the Trenton Titans again from 2011 to 2013.
Those teams had affiliation agreements over 14 seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, Islanders and Los Angeles Kings.
Inaugural season memberships, corporate partnerships and Trenton Ironhawks apparel are available at trentonironhawks.com.
Trenton Ironhawks, trentonironhawks.com
