New Islanders docuseries takes you behind the scenes like never before

It remains to be seen what the Islanders’ new era will look like on the ice, where general manager Mathieu Darche’s team makes its regular-season debut in Pittsburgh on Oct. 9.

But we are getting a sense of what it looks like off the ice, and “new” is an understatement.

Take “On the Island,” a six-part docuseries that premiered last month on the Islanders’ YouTube channel and offers behind-the-scenes, “Hard Knocks”-style access.

Getting a look inside Darche’s “war room” on draft day was stark evidence that these are not Lou Lamoriello’s Islanders anymore.

The former team president was known for his cautious approach to sharing information and access. The Islanders are making a push under the new regime to be more open.

“On the Island” is similar to series produced by other NHL teams, including the Lightning, where Darche previously worked. He was on board with the idea, and off it went.

“The goal for these six episodes, which will all run around the 25-minute mark, is to follow this entire season and really tell the story of the team and bring the fans closer,” said Alex Leafer, senior director of content, production and technology innovation for the Islanders. The inaugural episode focused largely on the draft, which ended up being even more compelling than the producers could have imagined.

First, the Islanders won the No. 1 overall pick in the lottery. Then they used it on a player in Matthew Schaefer who is comfortable and compelling on camera.

Then there was the drama of Darche exploring trades later in the first round before settling on two more picks in Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson at Nos. 16 and 17.

Darche is shown looking disappointed when the Bruins opt to select Hauppauge’s James Hagens No. 7 overall rather than make a trade with the Islanders. Then we see Trent Klatt, the director of amateur scouting, get more and more excited about the notion of getting Eklund and Aitcheson instead.

“We walk out with both of those guys, I’m doing freaking cartwheels,” Klatt tells Darche.

When that in fact happens, Klatt is ecstatic. “Yes, we got ‘em both,” he says. “Oh, my gosh.”

The second episode, due out in the next couple of weeks, will focus on the development camp that followed the draft. So expect more Schaefer in coming shows.

“Matthew is great on camera and he’s open and very willing and that definitely helped make our jobs a little bit easier during the second episode,” Leafer said.

The third episode will cover training camp and the fourth show and beyond will cover the season itself.

“The exciting thing is giving our fans the opportunity to learn about the current players and to learn about the team and the inner workings of the team,” Leafer said, “but also expose them to the entire organization.”

A good example of that is Klatt, a personality fans otherwise would have known little about.

“This is what [fans] have been asking for, and we’re excited that we are finally able to give them this,” Leafer said. “The reaction we see from them is even more exciting, because it is what they were looking for, and we think we’ve nailed it.”