The 25-minute episode features Darche talking about joining the Islanders and breaking down the draft.
“When the Islanders called, I was really excited because, first of all, we love the area. My wife and I always loved the New York area,” Darche said in the episode. “I’ve seen the last few years, you see the new building and you read about ownership. It’s a great stable ownership, so all the ingredients are here to have success…
“I was happy they believed in my plan and the way I wanted to structure hockey operations. The way I see building a team. Now, that’s my job to execute on it.”
Islanders director of amateur scouting Trent Klatt also appears in the episode to discuss landing Schaefer and forward Victor Eklund at pick No. 16 and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson at pick No. 17.
“It’s always exciting because this [NHL Draft] is like our Super Bowl for a scout,” Klatt said during the episode. “You get to pick the players that you’ve watched for 364 days. I can tell you all our guys are absolutely ecstatic right now to go through this in a couple of days.”
Footage from inside the war room shows the moment each first-round pick was drafted.
The Islanders will continue to give fans a firsthand look at the organization throughout the 2025-26 season.
