LOS ANGELES — New Bridgeport coach Rocky Thompson has a mandate and a promise for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate.

“Where Bridgeport has been in the past, we’re looking to make a change,” Thompson said during his introductory Zoom teleconference on Thursday. “We’re not going to be the punching bags anymore of this league.”

Islanders general manager/executive vice president Mathieu Darche hired Thompson, 47, a Flyers assistant coach under John Tortorella the previous three seasons, on Monday to replace the fired Rick Kowalsky, who went 40-88-16 without a playoff appearance in his two seasons.

Bridgeport’s last reached the postseason in 2022.

Thompson compiled a 113-71-29 record in three seasons with Vegas’ AHL affiliate in Chicago from 2017-20, leading the team to the Calder Cup Finals in 2019. He was the associate coach under Bob Boughner — hired this month as an Islanders’ assistant — with the Sharks in 2020-21 and he went 81-40-15 coaching Windsor in the junior Ontario Hockey League from 2015-17, leading the Spitfires to the Memorial Cup in 2017.

“His communication and people skills are extremely strong, which I think is a huge asset in the AHL because you’re coaching young men that want to play in the NHL and it’s a process,” Darche said. “I want to develop a winning environment.”

Thompson also applied for NHL assistant jobs after being let go from the Flyers — Tortorella was fired on March 27 — but realized he wanted to be a head coach again.

He called himself a different kind of coach than the fiery Tortorella but said he learned a lot from his former boss the past three seasons as they grew close.

“I think you’re always growing as a coach,” Thompson said. “Working with Torts for the last three years, there was no identity here in Philly when we got here. Torts created an identity with this hockey team. He’s very demanding and he’s very passionate and he’s very caring. I was able to see how players can respond to his style of coaching. They know he cares about them. It’s not for everybody.

“Torts and I are very similar in a lot of ways. I wouldn’t say my relationships with the players are similar to Torts, I’m a different type of a coach. But very demanding, very intense. I’m not an emotional coach. Torts is very intense and I’m very intense as well to get the most out of your players and I think we do it in a different way.”

Thompson said he expects the rest of his coaching staff to be announced shortly.

For now, Chris Lamoriello, the son of former Islanders president/GM Lou Lamoriello, remains the Bridgeport GM though Darche has yet to make a decision on whether to retain him for next season.