inside the islanders What I learned from going to watch top Islanders prospects in the AHL playoffs By Ethan Sears Published April 23, 2026, 6:40 a.m. ET Victor Eklund skates during the Islanders' game against the Hurricanes on April 14, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The value of the Islanders sending so many of their prospects to Bridgeport for the AHL playoffs is, primarily, going to hinge on how long of a run they can pull together.
So, after losing Game 1 of their best-of-three series against Hershey by an empty-net-aided 2-0 on Tuesday night, there is a pretty real chance this could be over before it properly begins, with the season on the line Thursday night in Pennsylvania.
That is a bit of a problem for an otherwise neat narrative, in which Cole Eiserman, Victor Eklund, Cal Ritchie and Isaiah George have all joined the Islanders’ minor league club either late in the season or just in time for the playoffs, as part of a developmental push.
(Quinn Finley and Daniil Prokhorov were set to do the same, but Finley underwent season-ending shoulder surgery and Prokhorov was out of Tuesday’s lineup because of an undisclosed injury).
