New York Islanders · UBS Arena · Elmont
A new cornerstone, and a building made for hockey. Matthew Schaefer just rewrote the rookie record book.
The Islanders won the 2025 draft lottery and took Matthew Schaefer first overall — and he delivered, tying the NHL record for goals by a rookie defenseman with 23. Around him: Mathew Barzal (72 points), Bo Horvat, and Ilya Sorokin, who led the league with seven shutouts. After a roster reset (Noah Dobson and Brock Nelson moved on) the team missed the playoffs in 2025-26, but the foundation — a generational young defenseman and elite goaltending in the only purpose-built hockey arena in metro New York — is set. We handle pricing, multi-marketplace listing, delivery, and buyer issues — you get paid Friday. First regular-season sale is commission-free for new season ticket holders.
The Islanders ticket market in 2026-27
UBS Arena demand is a Long Island recovery story that just gained a foundation piece. The Barclays Center years (2015-2020) compressed Islanders inventory with a bad-building reputation and a Brooklyn commute, and the 2021 move to Belmont Park re-anchored the fanbase. In 2025-26 the team reset its roster (Dobson and Nelson moved on) and missed the playoffs after a late fade, but rookie Matthew Schaefer’s record-tying season, Sorokin’s league-leading goaltending, and Barzal’s playmaking are the new core. Pricing the marquee dates to that foundation — not last season’s standings — is where season ticket holders capture the upside.
The premium windows we watch for Islanders consignors in the 2026-27 regular season:
vs. Rangers — the Battle of New York. MSG to UBS Arena is a 45-minute LIRR ride to Elmont, and Rangers fans travel in large numbers. Lower-bowl pricing on Rangers Saturdays runs 50-70% above midweek.
vs. Devils — the tri-state rivalry. Prudential Center to UBS Arena is an hour-plus drive or a two-seat transit trip, and Devils fans travel reliably.
vs. Flyers — the I-95 visitors. Philadelphia fans travel well to NYC-area games, lifting weekend lower-bowl demand.
vs. Panthers — back-to-back Cup champions in 2024 and 2025. Any home date against Florida’s recent back-to-back winners trades at a premium on the strength of the visitor.
Playoff games. UBS Arena has only the 2022-23 and 2023-24 first-round series behind it — the first deep playoff run in the new building will price at a significant premium when it comes.
UBS Arena’s lower-bowl center-ice sideline (sections 111-115 and 132-136), the Scotia Club premium tier, and the corporate suites form the premium market. The 300s upper bowl is volume inventory, and Long Island’s financial-services and Manhattan-commuter corporate base absorbs the premium tiers on a steady calendar.
Inside UBS Arena
UBS Arena opened November 20, 2021, as the Islanders’ permanent home after nearly 50 years at Nassau Coliseum (1972-2015) and five transitional years split with Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Capacity is 17,250 for hockey. The building sits at Belmont Park — home of the Belmont Stakes — on the Queens-Nassau border, and is the only arena in metro New York built specifically for hockey, operated by Oak View Group.
Purpose-built hockey design
UBS Arena was designed from the ice out — every seat has an unobstructed hockey sightline, and the bowl is tighter to the rink than any other NHL building built in the 2010s-2020s, an intimate 17,250-seat configuration rather than a basketball-primary 19,000-plus dual-use bowl. Wide concourses, integrated premium tiers, and a food program tailored to Long Island hockey culture round it out. The purpose-built design is a conversion lever older arenas can’t match when listing.
The Scotia Club and the sections Long Islanders chase
The Scotia Club is the lower-bowl premium with private entry, in-seat service, and a dedicated lounge. Sections 111-115 and 132-136 are the center-ice sideline hardcore-fan tier, where the multi-generational season-ticket base sits. The Oak View Lounge is the upper-level club concept (open bar, buffet, private seating), corporate suites ring the 200 level, and the Upper Bowl 300s are volume.
Getting there on game day
UBS Arena has a dedicated LIRR station (Elmont-UBS Arena), direct from Penn Station in 45 minutes and from Jamaica (with the JFK AirTrain changeover) — which solved the transit problem that was old Nassau Coliseum’s biggest constraint. On-site parking runs $35-50 by opponent. LIRR is the fastest path for MSG-side Rangers fans, and Suffolk County Islanders fans still drive.
History that still drives Islanders ticket demand
The New York Islanders were founded in 1972 and became a dynasty within a decade — four straight Stanley Cups (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983) under Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Bill Smith, and Al Arbour. Bossy’s 573 career goals, Potvin’s Norris-level defense, and Smith’s goaltending anchored the run before the 1984 Cup Final loss to the Oilers ended it.
The 1984-2015 Nassau Coliseum era grew difficult — ownership churn, building decay, playoff droughts — and the 2015-2020 Barclays Center move created its own problems in a basketball-first building. The 2021 UBS Arena opening reset the franchise’s operational foundation. The on-ice foundation followed in 2025: the Islanders won the draft lottery, took Matthew Schaefer first overall, and watched him tie the NHL rookie-defenseman goals record with 23. Around him, Mathew Barzal (72 points), Bo Horvat, and a league-leading Ilya Sorokin (seven shutouts) carry the core after a roster reset that moved on from Dobson and Nelson. A late-season fade kept 2025-26 out of the playoffs, but the building blocks are in place.
Beyond hockey: UBS Arena concert history
UBS Arena has hosted Harry Styles, Billy Joel (the Long Island hometown hero), Drake, Bad Bunny, Madonna, and major tours since opening. The acoustic treatment is state-of-the-art — better than most older NHL arenas by design — and the LIRR integration makes it accessible across metro New York, with concert demand running on the same Long Island corporate base as hockey plus the Manhattan spillover avoiding MSG premium pricing.
Why consign your Islanders tickets with us
We know which Islanders games move and when. Rangers on a Saturday is not the same listing problem as a Tuesday against Chicago. The Battle-of-New-York and tri-state dates are where UBS Arena holders leave the most money on the table — and where pricing discipline returns multiples on what we charge.
You don’t manage buyers, transfers, or delivery issues. We handle the full transaction: multi-marketplace listing, delivery, customer support, dispute handling, and replacement tickets if the primary marketplace cancels a transfer the night of the game. You don’t get a text from a stranger at 6:45 PM on game night.
You get paid Friday after the event. One Friday payout for every game from the prior Sunday through Saturday. No marketplace payout delays, no held funds, no surprise chargebacks.
First regular-season sale is commission-free for new season ticket holders. If this is your first game with us and you’re an Islanders season ticket holder, we take zero commission on your first regular-season listing. The goal is to show you the difference in net payout — then you decide.
Holding Islanders season seats or Rangers / Devils dates at UBS Arena?
A new cornerstone and elite goaltending in a building made for hockey — the marquee dates are where the upside is. Send your dates and sections.
Full-service consignment vs. listing Islanders tickets yourself
Selling Islanders tickets in the UBS Arena era is a meaningfully better market than the Barclays years — the demand structure is stable, and the new foundation keeps the marquee dates strong. Here’s an honest comparison:
| List yourself | Consign with us | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing decisions per home game | ~5-15 adjustments you make | We handle all of it |
| Multi-marketplace listing | One at a time, manually | Every major resale marketplace, plus wholesale broker channels and our private buyer list |
| Last-minute transfer issues | You handle buyer calls at puck drop | We handle it, including replacements |
| Payout timing | 7-30 days, varies by marketplace | Friday after the event, PayPal or wire |
| Pricing for Rangers, Devils, Flyers, and playoff dates | Based on what you see on the marketplace | Based on nearly 20 years of premium-date data |
| Commission | 10-25% marketplace fees (variable by platform and event) | 20% standard (first regular-season sale free for new STHs) |
In the playoff hunt?
Playoff hockey happens in the smallest buildings in championship sport, and the fixed bracket lets you plan your team’s path in advance. Here is how each round prices. NHL playoff seller guide →
FAQs about selling Islanders tickets
How does my section affect what my Islanders tickets sell for?
UBS Arena has five main hockey tiers. The Scotia Club and corporate suites are the top tier, often $400-900 per seat on Rangers or Panthers dates. Lower Bowl 111-115 and 132-136 (sideline center ice) is the hardcore-fan premium. Lower Bowl ends are mid-premium. The Oak View Lounge is the upper-level club tier, and Upper Bowl 300s are volume. The Battle-of-New-York dates carry the widest spreads.
The Islanders missed the playoffs — does the Schaefer arrival matter for my tickets?
Yes. A first-overall pick who tied the NHL rookie-defenseman goals record is the kind of foundation that pulls demand forward — buyers want to see a generational young defenseman early, and around him Sorokin’s elite goaltending and Barzal’s playmaking keep the marquee dates strong even in a transition year. We price those dates to the foundation and the visiting team, which is where the new-cornerstone premium actually lives.
Should I wait until closer to game day to list my Islanders tickets?
For Rangers, Devils, and Flyers dates, list early — 60-90 days out captures tri-state travel demand. For standard weeknight games, 7-14 days out is optimal. Playoff inventory should be listed within 48 hours of a matchup being set. We handle per-game timing.
Related pages
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Start selling on STF — list your tickets with us · How consignment works — our process end to end
Ready to list your Islanders tickets?
Send us your Islanders inventory — season package, partial plan, suite, or single premium-date seats. We’ll tell you within 24 hours what we think each date is actually worth, walk you through how we’d list it, and handle every moving part from there. First regular-season sale is commission-free for new season ticket holders.
Get Started →20% standard · First regular-season sale commission-free for new STHs · Nearly 20 years in the ticket market · Paid every Friday