Islanders Reveal Finalists, Head-to-Head Bracket for 3rd Jersey Design Contest in Photo

It's not March Madness, but the New York Islanders are having some bracket mania of their own during the NHL's offseason as they settle on a third-jersey design ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

New York released the eight finalists from its fan-submitted jersey contest on Tuesday. The next step is a head-to-head bracket where a vote will determine the winner.

The Islanders also revealed there were more than 80,000 designs submitted, some of which drew noteworthy reactions:

The team announced it was the first fan-driven design contest in NHL history and will continue with the first round of voting from Aug. 12 at 12 p.m. ET through Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. ET.

From there, the second round will run from Aug. 15 through Aug. 17 before the final round of voting runs from Aug. 18 to Aug. 20. That last round will determine the winning design and the next third jersey the team will wear on the ice.

A committee of players and hockey operations members was tasked with narrowing the extensive list of submissions into a bracket of eight.

The final eight consists of a variety of designs with a lighthouse, a fisherman, the NY logo and ISLES wording all advancing to the bracket. It gives fans different looks and color designs even with the familiar orange, blue and white present on all of them.

New York will open the season on Sept. 30 at the Toronto Maple Leafs before its home opener on Oct. 3 against the New Jersey Devils.

It would be something of a surprise if it wore a third jersey for the home opener, but it will generate plenty of attention when it does take the ice in the fan-designed concept that wins the bracket.