AHL's Hamilton Hammers introduce Jay McKee as head coach, unveil jerseys

Jay McKee, head coach of the Hamilton Hammers, speaks during an event unveiling the AHL team's inaugural season jerseys at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

HAMILTON — It’s familiar ground for Jay McKee. And he wants to rekindle fond memories for Hamilton fans with his new team’s playing style.

McKee was introduced as the head coach of the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Hammers on Tuesday, in addition to the team’s jerseys being unveiled. The 48-year-old former NHLer had been the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Bulldogs — which moved from Hamilton to Brantford, Ont., in 2023-24 — for the last five seasons.

“Excited to be here. This arena holds some special memories, some core memories, just a few years back and this area has been an area that I’ve called home now for the better part of five years,” McKee said, seated next to New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche.

“We want to have a brand of hockey that the Hamilton fans saw when we’re here just a few years back. A relentless team with a high work ethic, 12 forwards that played a 200-foot game and a creative offensive team.”

The AHL’s board of governors unanimously approved the relocation of the Islanders’ affiliate from Bridgeport, Conn., to Hamilton, beginning with the 2026-27 season, on March 31.

The Hammers’ team name and logo were announced on May 21.

“The fact that it’s the Hamilton Hammers now is kind of perfect. Back when we won a (OHL) championship (in 2021-22), we used to hammer in some big nails as a little gimmick for the fans after the games,” McKee said. “We had videos of guys with sledgehammers breaking through TV’s and old cars and things like that.”

The team jerseys are almost identical to the look of the Islanders’ jerseys.

Hamilton previously hosted AHL teams. The Hamilton Canucks served as the Vancouver Canucks’ affiliate from 1992 through 1994, while the Hamilton Bulldogs were first the Edmonton Oilers’ then the Montreal Canadiens’ top farm team from 1996 until 2015.

Darche — a former NHLer himself, who also played for the Bulldogs in 2009-10 — recounted some fond memories of his own, including his meeting with Tampa Bay general manager Julien Brisebois which kick-started his management career.

However, Darche was pointed in his expectations of his farm team having success. The Islanders’ affiliate took a step last season, making the Calder Cup playoffs but losing in the opening round to Hershey.

“We’ve accumulated good prospects, very strong prospects the last few years,” he said. “So this coming season you should expect to see a lot of exciting prospects that we hope that soon they’ll be playing for the Islanders, too. Again, I believe that it’s one thing to develop the abilities and how to play but winning is a habit also.

“And one of the reasons we selected Jay when we had an opening for that coaching job, you look at his track record developing young players, you look at his track record winning, and ironically, and nothing to do with the decision, but he did win in Hamilton, which is just an extra layer to his resume.”

The team will play at the 18,000-seat TD Coliseum, which recently underwent a $300-million upgrade, and will compete in the AHL’s North Division, which also includes Canadian teams in Laval, Que., Toronto and Belleville, Ont.

“We had 12,000 fans in this arena. It wasn’t as pretty as it is now, but they’ve done a fantastic job with the arena,” McKee said. “The players will be really excited. But to go through those experiences and be living within this area or 30 minutes up the road for the past five years, I’ve got a good grasp on what the fans here are like, their knowledge of the game.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2026.

Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press