Matthew Maggio of the Bridgeport Islanders skates in an American Hockey League game against the Belleville Senators at CAA Arena in Belleville, ON in March, 2024. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images
Matthew Maggio’s rise through the hockey ranks has never been a straight line. After scoring 54 goals and 111 points with the Windsor Spitfires in 2022–23 — a season that earned him the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player — Maggio jumped to the pro game with the New York Islanders organization. By March 2024, when this feature was first reported, Maggio was in his second full season with the Bridgeport Islanders, showing flashes of his junior brilliance while adapting to the grind of the AHL.
Now, with last season behind him — a year where his production dipped to 19 points in 60 games — Maggio enters 2025–26 at a crossroads. The Islanders know what he can do offensively. The question this season is whether he can round out his game enough to push for NHL ice time.
Matthew Maggio of the Bridgeport Islanders skates in an American Hockey League game against the Belleville Senators at CAA Arena in Belleville, ON in March, 2024. Photo by Aaron Bell/Hockey Docs
Matthew Maggio: The Road from OHL Stardom to AHL Reality
By Aaron Bell( March, 2024)
From the high of dominating the Ontario Hockey League to facing the stark realities of professional play in the American Hockey League, Matthew Maggio is quickly finding out that the road from junior hockey star to NHL regular is paved with big adjustments, both on and off the ice.
After his 111-point Red Tilson season in Windsor, Maggio joined the Islanders organization and has since played two full years in Bridgeport. He’s totaled 35 points across his first 121 AHL games, showing flashes of his junior scoring touch while adjusting to the pace and physical demands of the pro game. The 21-year-old Windsor native enjoyed an exceptional 2022-23 season after being traded to his hometown Windsor Spitfires. Maggio led all OHL scorers with 54 goals and 111 points in 66 games. He won the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player and the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy as Overage Player of the Year.
As an AHL rookie, Maggio has scored 13 goals and added eight assists for 21 points in 50 games. Three of those goals have been game-winners for the Islanders, who are eighth in the AHL’s Atlantic Division heading into the final weeks of the season.
His stats highlight Maggio’s clutch performance in critical moments. This transition period, while marking a decrease in production typical for rookies adjusting to the AHL’s rigors, underscores Maggio’s ongoing development and his knack for rising to the occasion.
While his production has, understandably, dropped in his first pro season, Maggio is making a good transition to the pro game.
His speed, skill, and hockey intelligence have been crucial in adapting to playing against more experienced and physically imposing opponents.
“Obviously, it’s a pretty big adjustment going from junior to pro,” Maggio said. “But, I think it’s been a good transition. It kind of took me a bit to get my feet under me and get comfortable in this league and kind of just learn all the new systems and adjust to the pro game.
“But I think in the second half, I have really kind of caught on and I’m starting to feel like myself.”
Maggio was the New York Islanders’ fifth round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He is hoping that a good showing in the AHL this year will prove that he is ready for the jump to the NHL next fall.
“Everyone says that it’s the biggest transition that you’re going to make in all of hockey,” Maggio said. “The jump from Junior to the NHL is a tough one. The AHL kind of makes it so that it’s a little easier of a jump from the AHL to the NHL.”
Despite being the youngest player on his team – and the youngest on the ice in most of the games he plays, Maggio is holding his own with the Islanders. His 13 goals this season is tied for second on the team. He scored those goals on 119 shots and is second on his team with a 10.9 shooting percentage.
At 5-11, 187 pounds, Maggio doesn’t physically dominate games. His speed, skill, and hockey intelligence have been crucial in adapting to playing against more experienced and physically imposing opponents.
Matthew Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.
“I think it was a big adjustment for him,” said Bridgeport coach Rick Kowalksy, who played four seasons with the Soo Greyhounds in the early 1990’s. “Obviously, you know, you’re playing against men, you’re playing against first round picks, you’re playing against veteran guys that have eight, nine years in the league.”
Maggio scored four goals and eight points in 23 games through December. But he picked up the pace in the New Year, scoring six goals and 10 points in 19 games in January and February. He started March by scoring a goal in each of the first three games of the month.
“So I think the pace, the strength and then just systematically for him, everything was kind of overwhelming so I think it took him a while to adjust and get comfortable” Kowalksy said, “But guys like that with natural talent and hockey sense start to figure things out.”
Kowalsky believes that Maggio’s game is well suited to the Islanders strategy of detail and structure.
“Defensively, obviously, is a huge thing, which he’s gotten a lot better with his attention to detail,” Kowalsky said. “And the good thing about him is he wants to learn, he’s a sponge that way and he works hard. So that’s all you can ask as a coach. You know guys like that are going to get better.”
“I think I really kind of have to hone in and learn the defensive systems of things and really buy into that and kind of just really acclimate myself with new systems,” Maggio said. There’s so much to learn and there are so many guys on this team, especially those that played NHL games. I mean, if you look at our roster, almost half have played NHL games. So those guys know what it takes to get to that next level.
When he does get his NHL shot, Maggio is hoping to stick around for the long haul. He is using his time in the minors to get as ready as possible in every aspect of the game.
“I want to try to take everything in and learn as much as I can while I’m here,” Maggio said. “And I think it’s helped me so far. Kind of just trying to pick other guy’s minds and kind of learn from that.”
Off the ice, Maggio’s adjustments have been just as significant. Moving away from the comforts of home in Windsor, where everything was taken care of, to taking on daily responsibilities, has been a part of his growth.
“I actually got to live at home, which was pretty lucky,” said Maggio, whose father Rob was a long-time strength and conditioning coach for the Spitfires and Oshawa Generals.
“But obviously you’re living at home and spoiled a little bit and your parents are going to take the best care of you. I didn’t really have to do any laundry or to kind of really care about it. Now I’m pretty much living on my own. It’s kind of hard to do everything yourself, but yeah, I think there’s a ton that goes to it. Just figuring out how to do the little things like laundry and how to cook meals and stuff like that.”
Maggio is also learning as much as he can about nutrition and how to make sure his body is prepared for life in pro hockey. That has been a big focus for him since Christmas.
“I have really wanted to make strides,” Maggio said. “So I work really closely with our trainer here in Bridgeport, and I send him a picture of every meal that I get, including snacks, and if I want a little dessert, just to be transparent with him and know that he’s helping me. So I think they’ve got a great system of help here to help guys get to the next level and really be committed.”
“He kind of helps give me steps and some tricks on what to do with my meal and just trying to get it stronger and faster.”
Maggio’s biggest adjustment has been in playing the game at a faster pace.
“I’m just trying to see the play, make the play quicker, faster and so on to a level and understand I don’t have as much time,” Maggio said. “So I think last year I kind of would handle the puck, take it and buy myself a lot of time. I’ve just learned to distribute it quicker to open areas.”
“He’s starting to realize the time and space thing and how to do things a little quicker,” Kowalksy said “So you’re starting to see that getting comfortable, getting confident, and then that natural skill as to why we drafted him and why he scored 56 goals is starting to come up.
“Well, I think that’s with all guys, they come out, I mean, these guys all probably kill penalties and play on the power play and you come here and like I said, you got experienced guys, you get veteran guys, you get higher picks, you get other guys that have a couple of years of experience under their belt that are a little higher up in the lineup.”
“And the good thing about him is he wants to learn,” Kowalksy said. “He’s a sponge that way and he works hard. So that’s all you can ask as a coach. You know guys like that are going to get better.”
As Matthew Maggio continues on his journey from OHL stardom to carving out a place in the AHL, and eventually, the NHL, his story is one of relentless pursuit, a testament to the hard work and perseverance required to turn professional hockey dreams into reality.
Since that sophomore season, Maggio has experienced the ups and downs that define many young pros. His 2024–25 season in Bridgeport tested his consistency, with fewer goals and assists than the year before. But at just 22, time is still on his side. The Islanders continue to see him as a player with the skill, speed, and hockey IQ to contribute at the next level.
For Belleville fans, Maggio’s visits to CAA Arena with the Bridgeport Islanders have offered a glimpse of one of the OHL’s most electric scorers learning to carve out his place in the pros. The next chapter will be about turning those lessons into momentum — and proving he’s ready to take the jump from AHL reality to NHL opportunity.