Laurel Hollow’s Marshall Warren will make his NHL debut when the Islanders open a four-game road trip in Philadelphia on Saturday, coach Patrick Roy announced following Friday’s practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.
The 24-year-old defenseman, in his second full season in the Islanders’ organization, was recalled from their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport prior to Thursday night’s 7-2 win over the Red Wings at UBS Arena. Warren was a healthy scratch for that match.
But he will take Adam Boqvist’s spot in the lineup against the Flyers paired with Tony DeAngelo.
“It’s really surreal,” said Warren, who grew up an Islanders fan and skated at Iceworks in Syosset, their former practice facility. “I don’t really have any words for it. It’s kind of emotional. My mon is pumped. My dad is pumped. My sister is pumped. It takes a village, really. Without them, I wouldn’t be anywhere.”
Warren was a sixth-round pick of the Wild in 2019 and then played four seasons of NCAA hockey at Boston College and one more at Michigan.
He had a particularly strong training camp with the Islanders and has two goals and three assists in four games for Bridgeport after notching four goals and 13 assists in 53 games last season. He was named the AHL player of the week on Oct. 13.
“He was really good in the training camp,” Roy said. “I thought he played really well and he was the player of the week in Bridgeport. Seeing him today, it was nice to see him be rewarded for what he’s been doing. His first game will be even more of a great moment for him.”
In addition to being emotional while thinking about the help he’s received from his family and friends, Warren also was emotional imagining taking his rookie lap on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
“Yeah, really cool,” Warren said. “A lot of hard work. There’s some days in sports you don’t know if you’re ever going to have a chance. When you’re that close, it’s pretty special.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.