Wahlstrom in talks for PTO, potential return to Islanders organization

Oliver Wahlstrom’s camp has been exploring a PTO route for Islanders training camp, a path that could put the former first-round pick back in the organization and, eventually, in line for a role with the club’s AHL affiliate in Hamilton. The appeal is clear: Wahlstrom just posted 24 goals in 62 games with the San Jose Barracuda, production that makes him more than a camp body and keeps alive the idea of a meaningful return to the Islanders’ wing depth chart.

That comparison matters because it is the same kind of stopgap ladder Wahlstrom climbed a year ago. He signed a professional tryout with the San Jose Sharks, then landed an AHL contract with the Barracuda and turned it into one of his strongest pro seasons. Stefen Rosner has pointed to that sequence as the template for a possible reunion with the Islanders, and it would give Wahlstrom another chance to convert strong minor-league scoring into NHL leverage.

The Islanders already showed they were willing to keep the door open. On July 25, 2024, the club signed Wahlstrom to a one-year contract after extending him a qualifying offer, and the team said at the time that he had six points, two goals and four assists, in 32 games the previous season. Earlier team injury updates added that a knee injury ended his season in December and that he was expected to be ready for training camp after recovery.

That history is what gives the current talks their weight. Wahlstrom is not just trying to win a PTO; he is trying to reset the arc of a career that has already included injuries, waiver exposure and repeated movement between NHL and AHL opportunities. For the Islanders, who have spent recent seasons sorting through their forward depth, a productive camp showing from a 2018 first-round pick would at least create another option on the wing.

The organizational backdrop also makes the potential landing spot more interesting. The Hockey News reported the Islanders intended to move their AHL affiliate from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Hamilton, Ontario, and a Hamilton team news page in June 2026 showed the club announcing AHL and NHL-related signings. If Wahlstrom lands that AHL deal, it would not just be another transaction. It would be another test of whether his scoring touch can still translate into an NHL role inside the Islanders’ system.