Quinnipiac’s Wyttenbach Reflects On Island Roots During His Soaring Hobey Baker Campaign
Long Island native Ethan Wyttenbach shares how growing up an Islanders fan shaped his passion for hockey and fueled his dream of reaching the NHL.
Ethan Wyttenbach, drafted in the fifth round by the Calgary Flames, has been tearing things up at the collegiate level for Quinnipiac University in his freshman season.
The 19-year-old native of Roslyn, Long Island, has 51 points (21 goals, 32 assists) and, for sure, will be part of the Hobey Baker conversation when the 2025-26 regular season comes to a close.
His first steps to becoming a professional ice hockey player began with the Long Island Gulls organization. However, his passion came from one place and one team: Nassau Coliseum and the New York Islanders.
Stefen Rosner: How much did watching the Islanders at a young age fuel your desire to take hockey to the next step?
Ethan Wyttenbach: “So my dad and his family, they had a really good relationship with Butch Goring. They were neighbors my dad’s whole childhood. And so he was around Butch a ton with Butch’s two daughters. So they’re really close. I still talk to them whenever they reach out. So, having that relationship with Butch’s family has been amazing and then, obviously, seeing what he accomplished. My father has pictures of the Stanley Cup from when they won four in a row. So having that in the back of my head and having that relationship and seeing what he did played a huge role as I grew up. My dad was a huge Islanders fan because of it.”
“As a kid, you always follow what your dad is. So my dad is an Islander fan, and then growing up around Tavares, Okposo, and Frans Nielsen, just a bunch of those guys, you become such a huge fan. For me, obviously, I’m a part of a different NHL organization, but being an Islander fan will always be in my heart and has been ever since I was a little kid.”
Stefen Rosner: Do you remember the first Islanders game you went to?
Ethan Wyttenbach: “I don’t remember my first one. My dad took me when I was pretty young. But I do remember the 2021 Conference Final run. I went to, I think, seven playoff games that year. So I definitely took advantage of the Coliseum. It being the last season, I would tell my parents that I had to be at the last game, and then they kept winning. So I definitely got pretty lucky with that playoff run. But it’s always fun to go back to games. When I’m home, I go to a ton of games. I went to a game when I was home for Christmas. They played the Canucks. I went to that game. So just getting back and going to games is always fun.”
Rosner: Take me through your Islanders fandom. You missed the early-to-mid-2000s era.
Wyttenbach: “When Tavares was here, they were always in the mix, but never made it too far. And then they had those two conference final runs that were definitely cool to be a part of, but they couldn’t get over the hump. But I think they’re back up on that uprise a little bit. I mean, obviously, they’re doing really well this year, and they should make the playoffs. So I think, especially as a kid who is always an Islanders fan, it’s good to see that they’re back and doing well.”
Rosner: What was it like growing up and playing hockey on Long Island?
Wyttenbach: “It was awesome. I was pretty fortunate to play for the Long Island Gulls, a great program. I played there for 10 years. Having that in my backyard was always convenient and accessible for me. You see a lot of people who have to move around and go the billet route, and just little things like that. I was fortunate enough not to have to do that. As I got older and had to take the next steps, I was in Sioux Falls last year and am now at Quinnipiac. But being able to grow up on the island and have that accessible to me was super special.”
Rosner: Marshall Warren — he’s a Long Island guy in the Islanders’ prospect pool. He got some games at the NHL level this year. Just talk to me about your relationship with him.
Wyttenbach: “Yeah, he jumps in our summer skates a bunch. Obviously, this past summer, he skated with the Islanders a ton, so I didn’t skate with him much, but we used to work out in the same gym. He’s always around. At the game I went to over Christmas, he wasn’t playing, but we tried to coordinate seeing him and didn’t get the chance to say what’s up. He’s an unbelievable guy. Went to the same high school as him. And just seeing what he’s doing is awesome. Obviously, I think he’s back in the A now, but when he got called up and was coming in, he played really well and had a couple of assists. Getting that first taste of what the next level is like is awesome. And obviously, hoping he can get back to the Islanders in a couple of weeks or whenever the Olympic break is over.”
Rosner: You obviously talked to probably a handful of teams before the Flames picked you. Did you talk to the Islanders? And again, even though they didn’t pick you, was that just a surreal experience for you to just get to talk with them?
Wyttenbach: “Yeah, so I did talk to the Islanders, and I know that there were some conversations with my agent about maybe they were going to take me just to have that Long Island connection and try to add some Long Islanders to the squad. But in the draft, a lot of things can happen. Trades happen, and you see the Dobson trade and little things like that, where it’s really unknown. I spoke with several teams, but I didn’t have much of an idea of where I was headed. Getting drafted by Calgary is awesome — the atmosphere, the fans, where they’re located. While I was at Development Camp, it was beautiful to see downtown and the new rink coming in. I couldn’t be happier. I’m super excited to get down there again this summer for Dev Camp and learn a little bit more about where I’m headed in a couple of years.”
Rosner: You have another Long Island native who is playing very well with Calgary, Greenlawn’s Matthew Coronato. He’s someone you are pretty close to, so what’s that like having him in your corner on Long Island and now with the organization you hope to be a part of?
Wyttenbach: “The relationship with Matt Coronado is special. He’s somewhere that I’m planning to be. Seeing what he’s doing — I know this summer I’m going to be picking his brain a ton on that environment and understanding the atmosphere and having that mindset even before I get there, to where maybe when I do get there, it gives me the advantage.”
Rosner: After you got drafted, how quickly did you talk with Coronato?
Wyttenbach: “It was quick. I don’t think he called me right away. He sent me a text. He wanted to let me enjoy it. But I saw him maybe a week later, talking to him and hearing all the cool stories he had to share with me. It was after I went to dev camp. I got to see where he goes and where they practice. Now it adds that second layer where he’s there right now, having a good year, and I’m going to get to see him this summer, which I’m looking forward to, and hear some more from him.”
Rosner: Does it feel even more special seeing friends get that taste, a taste you are waiting for?
Wyttenbach: “Of course. Marshall’s a little bit older than me, so someone that I look at like an older brother in a sense. But the relationship with Coronato, especially, is somewhere that I’m planning to be. Seeing what he’s doing — I know this summer I’m going to be picking his brain a ton on that environment and understanding the atmosphere and having that mindset even before I get there, to where maybe when I do get there, it gives me the advantage.”
