Former New York Islanders prospect Matthew Maggio is heading overseas to keep his career moving.
The 23-year-old forward has signed with Salavat Yulaev of the KHL after spending more than three seasons with the Bridgeport Islanders in the American Hockey League. His move comes after the Islanders declined to tender him a qualifying offer, which left him as an unrestricted free agent.
Maggio was a fifth-round pick by the Islanders in the 2022 NHL Draft and became a familiar face in Bridgeport during a tough run for the club’s AHL affiliate. In 187 games there, he put up 35 goals and 46 assists for 81 points.
His most productive pro season came in 2025-26, when he finished with 12 goals and 21 assists in 63 games. The offense was respectable, but it never quite reached the level the Islanders had hoped for when they drafted him.
Before turning pro, Maggio had a huge run to close out his junior career and built his reputation there. After going undrafted in his first year of eligibility, he broke through with the Windsor Spitfires with 38 goals and 85 points, then took another leap the following season.
He capped that final OHL campaign with 54 goals and 111 points in 66 games, a stretch that earned him the Red Tilson Trophy as the league’s Most Outstanding Player. That surge made him one of the more intriguing late-round names in the Islanders’ 2022 draft class.
Now he’ll try to recapture that scoring touch in the KHL and show that his offense can translate at the professional level.
I’m told that former #Isles F Matthew Maggio has signed a one-year deal with KHL’s Salavat Yulaev.
- Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) August 24, 2026
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