Cunniff and Kolarik Named Assistant Coaches
Jul 2, 2025
The Bridgeport Islanders, American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, have named David Cunniff and Chad Kolarik as Assistant Coaches.
Cunniff, 54, spent each of the last two seasons as Assistant Coach with the Utica Comets (AHL). He also spent three seasons as Head Coach and General Manager of the Islanders’ ECHL affiliate, the Worcester Railers, from 2020-23.
A native of South Boston, MA, Cunniff has been behind an AHL bench since he joined the Cleveland Barons as an Assistant Coach in 2002-03. He spent four seasons with the Barons and six seasons as an Assistant Coach with the Worcester Sharks before he was promoted to Sharks’ Associate Coach for two seasons (2012-14). Cunniff has also worked as an Assistant Coach with the Albany Devils, Iowa Wild, and Hartford Wolf Pack.
Prior to his coaching career, Cunniff played five professional seasons as a forward. He combined for 25 points (five goals and 20 assists) in 120 career AHL games with the Albany River Rats (1997-00), and 57 points (33 goals and 24 assists) in 148 career ECHL games with the Jacksonville Lizard Kings, Raleigh IceCaps, Louisiana IceGators, and Richmond Renegades.
Kolarik, 39, joins the Islanders organization following three seasons as an Assistant Coach with the United States National Development Program. Prior to joining the USNTDP, he began his coaching career with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL) as an Assistant Coach for the 2021-22 campaign.
Kolarik played 12 seasons of professional hockey in the United States and Europe. He suited up for the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers in addition to 277 career AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Connecticut Whale, Springfield Falcons, Syracuse Crunch, and San Antonio Rampage. Kolarik finished his playing career with seven seasons in Europe throughout Sweden, France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. He skated collegiately at the University of Michigan, where he produced 174 points (78 goals and 96 assists) in 163 games for the Wolverines.
The Abington, PA native has extensive international experience representing the United States, most recently as a member of the 2018 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team that competed in PyeongChang, South Korea. In addition, Kolarik skated in two Deutschland Cups as a member of the U.S. Men's Select Team, helping Team USA earn a first-place finish in 2013, and was a member of the 2004 U.S. Under-18 Men’s World Championship team, winning a silver medal.
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