WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester Railers will enter next season looking for a new NHL partner after the team announced Wednesday that its affiliation with the New York Islanders has ended.
“The Worcester Railers and New York Islanders affiliation, which had been ongoing since our inaugural 2017-18 season, has come to a conclusion,” the Railers said in an announcement on Wednesday. The team said it was grateful to the Islanders “for their partnership and guidance” over the last nine years and eight ECHL seasons in Worcester.
The Railers said more information about their affiliate for the 2026-27 season will be announced later. The team did not give a reason for the split.
The Railers first announced an affiliation agreement with the Islanders in 2017, according to the team. The Railers and Islanders later extended that agreement through the 2025-26 season, according to a 2023 team announcement.
The Islanders also announced Wednesday that they have reached an ECHL affiliation agreement with the Trenton Ironhawks for the 2026-27 season, according to the NHL club. In that announcement, the Islanders said Trenton will join Hamilton, Ontario, as the organization’s primary minor league affiliate.
The Islanders announced in March that they planned to relocate their American Hockey League affiliate from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Hamilton for the start of the 2026-27 season, according to the team.
This comes after the team recently shook up its leadership. The Railers announced a new President and Senior Director of Marketing in April, Joey Goldstein and David Aitken, respectively.
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