New York Islanders Launch Fan Contest for 2027-28 Third Jersey Using Approved Template

The New York Islanders announced Wednesday a contest allowing fans to design the team's new third jersey for the 2027-28 NHL season, ESPN reported. The team called it the first time an NHL club has invited fans to design an official jersey, though entries must use an NHL- and Fanatics-approved template. Nearly 12,000 entries arrived within the first five hours after the announcement.

Fans have until July 24 to submit designs through a creator tool on the Islanders' website. The tool lets users apply historic logos, official team fonts, and color options to an NHL- and Fanatics-approved template, along with a notes section for unique details. An Islanders committee of executives, players, equipment managers and others will select five finalists after the deadline.

A public fan vote in early August will choose the winner. The creator of the winning design receives a team-autographed jersey and tickets to the game in which the Islanders first wear it. Kelly Cheeseman, president of business operations for the Islanders and UBS Arena, drove the contest.

Cheeseman led a similar fan-design campaign about a decade ago as an executive with the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer. "Islanders fans are among the most passionate in all of sports, and their emotional investment is the heartbeat of this franchise," Cheeseman said.

"With this contest, we are breaking down traditional boundaries and inviting Isles Nation directly into the design room to do something that has never been done before in our league.

The Islanders' last third jersey was a blue sweater worn from 2018 to 2024 that featured the "NY" from the primary logo as the crest.