
The New York Islanders have made their first trade of the 2023-24 season.
After the New York Islanders acquired defenseman Mike Reilly off waivers from the Florida Panthers, the team made another move on Sunday. The team acquired forward Tyce Thompson from the New Jersey Devils on Sunday in exchange for forward Arnaud Durandeau.
The deal is one-for-one.
Thompson, 24, has 11 games of NHL experience under his belt, tallying one assist total. With New Jersey’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, he has 50 points in 98 games: 15 goals and 35 assists. Thompson boasts five assists in 15 games so far this season
In college, Thompson took the ice for Providence College, the alma mater of general manager Lou Lamoriello. In three seasons, he tallied 38 goals and 56 assists for 94 points in 101 games.
Durandeau, traded to New Jersey, scored 49 goals and 63 assists in 179 games with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. The 24-year-old tallied 24 goals and 31 assists with the Bridgeport Islanders last season in 68 games. He played four games with the big club last season, but did not record a point. This season, in 12 games, he has one goal and three assists to his name.
Thompson also has several ties to the Islanders’ organization in his career. He is an Oyster Bay native and came up through the Junior Islanders youth hockey program, per the team’s release on the deal. He is also the son of former Bridgeport head coach Brent Thompson and the brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson.
Bridgeport will be in action today at 3:00 p.m. against the Belleville Senators at Total Mortgage Arena. Utica visited the Springfield Thunderbirds last night, so it’s possible Thompson could make his debut today.