The Bridgeport Sound Tigers joined the American Hockey
League as an expansion franchise for the 2001-02 season. In their first year,
the Sound Tigers reached the Calder Cup finals before losing to the Chicago Wolves.
They have not won a playoff series since 2002-03. Bridgeport is affiliated with
the New York Islanders of the NHL. The single season individual offensive
records of the Sound Tigers are quite modest.
Jeff Hamilton – Most Goals
Jeff Hamilton
holds the team record for most goals in a single season with 43 in 2003-04. The
number led the offensively challenged AHL and Hamilton was honoured with the
Willie Marshall Award. In 2003-04, Jeff also played one game with the
Islanders, his first game in the National Hockey League.
Hamilton has appeared in 157 regular season NHL games to
date with the Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto
Maple Leafs. He also played at the elite level in Finland, Russia and
Switzerland, retiring after the 2010-11 season which he spent with HIFK in
Finland’s SM-Liiga.
Rob Collins – Most Assists
Rob Collins set
the mark for assists in a single season with 48 in 2005-06. The total was not
high enough to place him in the AHL’s top ten. 2005-06 was Rob’s third of three
years with the Sound Tigers. He also played eight games with the Islanders that
season, his only NHL action to date. Collins has been playing in Germany’s
Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) since 2006-07, the last two with the Hamburg
Freezers.
Jeff Tambellini – Most Points
Jeff Tambellini
holds the team record for points in a single season with 76 in 2007-08.
Tambellini set the mark while playing only 57 games. The total was good for
seventh in the AHL that season and he finished second with 38 goals. Jeff also
played in 31 games with the Islanders in 2007-08 for a total of 88 games
combined.
Tambellini has played in 242 regular season NHL games to
date with the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks.
2012-13 was his second year with ZSC of Switzerland’s National League A. He has
signed with MODO in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for the 2013-14 season.
In 2012-13, there was no threat of any of these records
being broken. The Sound Tigers were led in the goals department by Nino
Niederreiter with 28. Matt Donovan led Bridgeport with 34 assists. Brock Nelson
led the team in points with just 52 over 66 regular season games. Bridgeport
did not qualify for the Calder Cup
playoffs.
