Jackson Cates signs tryout contract with New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have signed forward Jackson Cates to a professional tryout offer ahead of training camp.

Jackson is the younger brother of Noah Cates, who is coming off of a career-best 38-point season with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Jackson Cates, 26, has 20 NHL games to his credit, scoring one goal and one assist with Philadelphia. He failed to register a point in five outings last year, but did finish with a career-best 11 goals and 23 points in 65 AHL games with Lehigh Valley.

The 25-year-old turned pro in 2021 after a three-year run with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. An undrafted free agent signing, Coates made noise after helping the school win the national title in 2018-19. The hard-working forward was never a standout offensively, but showed potential as a AAAA player that could play a fourth-line role in the NHL while spending most of the year in the AHL.

Cates’ father, Jay Cates, was captain of the University Of Minnesota’s men’s hockey team in 1987-88.

Cates is the lone player on tryout with the Islanders so far, and the 29th to sign a deal around the league, according to CapFriendly. The Islanders are currently $486,625 over the cap, but have 14 forwards signed to the main club for 2023-24 right now.

While making the NHL team seems unlikely, Cates could be used as a potential depth piece in Bridgeport, a team looking to get the most out of young prospects Matthew Maggio, William Dufour and Daylan Kuefler, among others.