The American Hockey League Board of Governors has unanimously approved the Bridgeport Islanders’ relocation to Hamilton, the league said in a news release Tuesday.

That means come fall, the team will play at TD Coliseum, marking pro hockey’s return to the Hammer. 

The AHL Islanders are owned by NHL team the New York Islanders, who announced the relocation on March 19, pending board approval. 

Each NHL team has an affiliate — or farm team — that serves as a development source for player prospects. The AHL says nearly 90 per cent of NHL players came up through the AHL.

The Bridgeport Islanders have been based in Bridgeport, Conn., since 2001. In a post on social media Tuesday afternoon, the organization thanked the city and its fans for “an incredible 25 years.”

A banner on the TD Coliseum website touts the return of AHL hockey to Hamilton, which last had an AHL team in 2015, when the Hamilton Bulldogs were the Montreal Canadiens farm team. The Ontario Hockey League team, also called the Bulldogs, played in Hamilton from 2015-2023 before moving to Brantford, Ont., after the Hamilton arena began renovations.

The arena is advertising that it will start taking deposits for private suites and “premium” seats on April 6. It’s also advertising season seat memberships.

“The name and logo are coming — this is just the beginning,” the venue website says. 

When asked, a spokesperson for TD Coliseum declined to share when specifically there will be a new name.