Matt Carkner - Assistant Coach
Matt Carkner is in his fourth season as an assistant coach after spending the previous 15 years as a defenseman in the AHL and NHL, including four seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and New York Islanders. He was named assistant coach on July 7, 2016.
A native of Winchester, ON, Carkner played more than 800 games during his professional career, including NHL contests between the Islanders, San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators. He amassed 40 goals, 139 assists, 179 points and 2,312 penalty minutes as a pro, including a career-high 335 penalty minutes in his first year with the Cleveland Barons in 2001-02. During his lengthy AHL career, he posted 152 points (36g, 116a) and 1,756 penalty minutes in 587 games and finished his career with 14 points (4g, 10a) in 60 games as a Sound Tiger.
A second-round pick (58th overall) of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1999 NHL Draft, Carkner was never shy to help his teammates on the ice, or the community off of it. He was named the Sound Tigers recipient of the 2015-16 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year Award for his outstanding contributions to the Bridgeport community - the sixth time he earned the award. In addition, Carkner won the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2006-07.