The New York Islanders are putting their next third jersey in the hands of the fans.
On Tuesday, the team announced an eight-design bracket that will decide the club’s future look, turning the process into a first-of-its-kind event in the NHL. It’s the first time a team has asked fans to choose what it wears on the ice.
The response was massive from the start. The Islanders received 80,490 submissions for jersey concepts before a committee made up of players and hockey operations staff trimmed the field to eight finalists.
A few themes keep popping up in the bracket. Several of the designs nod to earlier chapters of Islanders history, and the matchups are split evenly between two lighthouse-logo jerseys, two fisherman-logo jerseys, two with the NY logo and two wordmark styles built around ISLES and Islanders across the front.
Kelly Cheeseman, the Islanders’ president of business operations and UBS Arena, said the fan turnout made a clear impression.
“Islanders fans have once again blown us away with their incredible creativity and the sheer volume of participation,” said Kelly Cheeseman, president of business operations for the Islanders and UBS Arena.
“Both the passion of our fans and their overwhelming support throughout this contest have been extraordinary. From over 80,000 submissions down to our final bracket of eight, every step of this journey proves just how deeply invested Isles Nation is in the identity of this franchise.”
Cheeseman also told the New York Post that he “would love to see an orange,” calling it a strong fit for the brand. He added that cream and white jerseys were eliminated because they would have been too difficult to use on home ice.
The vote itself will unfold in stages. Round one runs from Aug. 12 to Aug. 14, followed by the second round from Aug. 15 to Aug.
- The final round is set for Aug. 18 to Aug.
The winning design won’t show up until the 2027-28 season. The Islanders said the selected jersey won’t be ready for 2026-27, and once the winner is chosen, the team will begin building out the rest of the uniform - socks, pants, gloves and helmets - for that 2027-28 debut.
In Other News...
Sheldon Keefe Enters A Devils Season That Could Turn Fast
Sheldon Keefe is heading into a Devils season that already feels like it could swing one way or the other in a hurry. After arriving at the start of the 2024-25 campaign, he has seen mixed results, while general manager Sunny Mehta spent the offseason making changes behind the bench and tweaking the roster to try to get the group pointed in a steadier direction.
The pressure point now is consistency, because this is the kind of team that needs a clean start more than a long wait for answers. If the Devils stumble early, the conversation around Keefe will not stay quiet for long, especially with Mehta showing a willingness to adjust the setup around him and the expectation that the season should look better sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Guerins Devils Past Suddenly Feels Relevant Again
Bill Guerins name has circled back into Devils conversation for reasons that go well beyond nostalgia. Drafted fifth overall by New Jersey in 1989, he spent seven seasons with the organization and was part of the 1995 Stanley Cup team, a reminder of how much history still ties the current league landscape back to the franchises earlier eras.
Now the connection feels even more relevant because Guerin is running the Minnesota Wild while navigating the kind of personnel decisions that can ripple across the NHL. With star defenseman Quinn Hughes in the picture and his family ties pointing back to New Jersey, the Devils suddenly sit near the center of a storyline that blends old bonds, front-office leverage and the sort of future possibilities that always get fans talking. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Mantha Could Change The Devils Top Six In A Hurry
Anthony Manthas arrival gives the Devils another big swing in a summer that already leaned toward adding more finishing touch around Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. New Jersey signed the winger to a two-year, $9 million deal after he scored 33 goals last season, and the fit is obvious on paper: a proven goal scorer dropped into a top six that already has two of the leagues most dynamic playmakers.
The intrigue now is whether Mantha can bring that production to New Jersey in a way that actually sticks. The Devils are betting he can keep scoring at a strong pace while handling the demands of a bigger role, even with the lingering questions that have followed him about durability and whether last season was the kind of peak he can sustain. If he clicks quickly, the ripple effect on the offense could be immediate. [Read more 🡒]