A Mother’s Lap Around The Rink: The Warrens’ Journey To Marshall’s NHL Dream

For Lisa Warren, watching her son Marshall skate his first NHL lap will be more than a dream — it’s the story of love, support and the power of a community.

From the first moment Marshall Warren laced up the skates at just three years old, there was only one dream: play in the NHL for the New York Islanders.

It was a dream that defined the Laurel Hollow native, but it wasn’t one he carried alone. His mother, Lisa, father, Lewis, and sister, Arielle, were the key cogs in turning that dream into reality.

“He stepped on the ice at three years old, and he wanted a hockey stick so bad, but I wouldn’t let him have one until he was four,” Lisa said. “I told him, ‘You’re going to learn how to skate first.’”

Little did Lisa know that was Marshall’s first stride toward everything that followed.

When Lisa’s phone rang Thursday night and she saw her son’s name light up the screen, she didn’t know what to expect. She always held out hope that every call could be that call — the one where the dream became real.

This time, it was.

“This is what these little kids dream of. This is how they go to bed at night,” Lisa told The Elmonters. “Marshall used to sleep with his Islanders’ bed sheets. I think it was Pottery Barn that did all the different teams. That’s what he slept with until they wore out. Just the idea — it’s always been a dream.”

Something Marshall mentioned at Northwell Ice Center was that “it takes a village.” Lisa echoed that phrase more than once during our chat.

The village wasn’t just the Warren family. It extended to the coaches, staff, and community who believed in Marshall from the very beginning.

That support started at IceWorks in Syosset, where a group of employees treated a four-year-old kid like a pro.

“The guys who worked there treated him like a pro when he was four or five, six, seven, eight,” Lisa said. “They’d say, ‘Marshall, let’s sharpen your skates. Let’s do that.’ Those boys gave him this belief that, ‘You can do this, Marshall, because you’re great.’ They were so encouraging.”

She still remembers each face, each small moment of kindness.

“I have pictures of these guys — there was a group of six of them. And Marshall would walk in and they’d ask, ‘You need your skates sharpened? Need tape? You need this?’ They were just so amazing. Tim Murray, who manages the Islanders’ pro shop at UBS Arena, was one of them. Val Murray and Corinne, who gave him his first ice skating lessons.

“These people were instrumental in his development and in making him feel like anything’s possible. And the coaches — Coach Wroblewski at the United States National Development Team, Coach York, and then Coach Greg Brown at BC, Coach Naruto and the coaching staff at Michigan, Coach Smith and Coach Lotitto, his U16 coaches, and Coach Noel, his U14 coach, Mike Lang and Mike Quigley at IceWorks and his trainer, Jon DeFlorio — there are so many coaches who have been influential in Marshall’s life. I know I’ve forgotten many.”

Lisa wants every coach who ever made a difference in Marshall’s life to know that she loves them dearly.

She also wants to thank Marshall’s agents, Jordan Neumann and George Bazos of Edge Sports Agency, who have been incredibly important role in guiding him through the professional hockey world.

“When Marshall made the development team, I sat down and went through the entire list,” she said. “I made a list of every person who ever did anything nice for Marshall, and I sent them emails. I thanked them. Because it takes a village — it takes a village to make all of this happen. And we don’t know where it’s going or what’s going to happen, but just to get on the ice tomorrow and take a lap — his first NHL rookie lap — is incredible.”

Lisa knows what it means to be uplifted by a community, which is why giving back has become an incredibly important part of her family’s story.

For the last four years, Marshall has been heavily involved in Ice Hockey in Harlem, where he mentors kids who are just discovering the game and works at camps. On his own, he invited those passionate kids to first Boston College, then Michigan, to give them a glimpse that their dreams could become a reality, too.

Lisa is on the Ice Hockey in Harlem board.

“I miss having hockey players around,” she said with a laugh. “So being involved with the kids and the camps, it keeps me close to the game — to that feeling of community that helped Marshall so much.”

Marshall’s older sister, Arrielle — a two-time national figure skating champion at Boston University — serves on the junior board of Figure Skating in Harlem.

Despite the collegiate rivalries, Arielle always rooted for her brother first — and vice versa.

When Lisa realized how deep Marshall’s passion ran, she became the quintessential hockey mom. Practices, tournaments, late nights, early drives — they became a way of life for Lisa and Lewis.

“Basically, you know what you’re doing every weekend from September through the summer,” Lisa said. “Because there are all the summer tournaments and stuff. It’s a way of life. You stop getting asked to parties because people know you’re not around.”

It’s not always easy. But what makes the grind worthwhile is the bond — the brotherhood — that forms along the way.

“It’s been a beautiful journey,” Lisa said. “I have some of my dearest friends that I made because of hockey — because of our sons playing together. I’ve traveled all over the country and world with girlfriends whose kids played in youth hockey, 17U, 18U

Most of Marshall’s national team — almost every one of those guys — is in the NHL now. Those boys — that’s a special bond.”

One of those bonds is with Danny Weight, son of former Islanders captain and head coach Doug Weight, who played travel hockey alongside Marshall.

For the Warrens, the game isn’t just a sport — it’s a family heirloom built from love, sacrifice, and shared belief.

I’m not a parent yet, but it’s hard to imagine a greater joy than watching your child live out their dream.

That’s exactly what Lisa, Lewis, Arielle, and so many family and friends — especially Mallory, Adrian, and their neighbor Ms. Wilma, who used to let Marshall fire mini-stick pucks at her for hours in the Warrens’ basement — will feel when Marshall Warren pulls on that New York Islanders No. 41 jersey for a real game.

It’s the culmination of years of work, sacrifice, and unwavering support.

Because dreams like this don’t happen alone. They happen when a village believes right alongside you.

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