Long Island’s Marshall Warren To Make NHL & Islanders Debut
Long Island native Marshall Warren — who once skated in the Islanders’ junior program at IceWorks — will make his NHL debut for his hometown team against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
Happy Free Friday!
EAST MEADOW, NY — Every hockey player dreams of playing in the NHL, donning the jersey for the team they grew up idolizing. Marshall Warren, of Laurel Hollow, Long Island, will get that chance on Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers when he and the New York Islanders head to Wells Fargo Center.
He’ll skate alongside Tony DeAngelo and become the third Islander born on Long Island to play in a game for the franchise, courtesy of statistician Eric Hornick:
“Warren will become the 3rd player born on Long Island to play for the team (and the first from Nassau County). Chris Ferraro and Kyle Palmieri are the others. The widely-regarded first Isles from Long Island, Richie Hansen, grew up on the Isle but was born in The Bronx.”
Before we get to Warren’s quotes — and thoughts from a few teammates and head coach Patrick Roy — there’s something special about where this first game is happening.
Last year, Warren didn’t play in a preseason game but was brought to Philadelphia, taking warmups as Roy encouraged him to earn his spot the following year.
That’s exactly what he did. After a strong training camp and preseason, Warren went down to Bridgeport and earned AHL Player of the Week honors. He has five points (two goals, three assists) through four AHL games this season.
Warren Post-Practice
Q: You went right from the Bridgeport practice rink to UBS — pretty quick turnaround. How did that moment feel when you got the call?
Warren: “Yeah, obviously, really cool, really special. It was cool — Rocky told me, and then Darche called me after. It was just a really cool experience. They said I’ve had a really good camp, been playing really well, and that this was a good opportunity for me. Just a special moment — I’m trying to take everything in and hopefully do my thing when I get in there.”
Q: Was there a part of you that went down there saying, “All right, I’m doing everything I can to get back as quickly as I can”?
Warren: “Yeah, I think your first year you’re kind of learning everything, and then your second year, everything slows down a little bit. That’s something that really helped me — learning the league, getting comfortable. You just try to take everything from the veterans and go day by day. People don’t realize how the game can slow down for guys. If you have a good hockey IQ, things open up that you didn’t even see the year before. So, yeah, it’s been really special — pretty emotional too.”
Q: To be able to get to live out that dream and play with your childhood team, how does it feel?
Warren: “Yeah, it’s pretty hard to describe. I was literally thinking about that driving here — like, I was a little kid at Iceworks, skating in that little Islanders program. Who would have thought I’d be in this position? It’s surreal. I don’t really have words for it. My parents were pumped, my sister too. It really takes a village, and without that, I wouldn’t be anywhere.”
Q: You dreamed of this since you were seven or eight. Have you let yourself imagine what that rookie lap might feel like?
Warren: “It’s going to be pretty emotional, yeah. Really cool. Something really special. A lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice — some people don’t even know the sacrifices you make just to get here. So it’ll be pretty surreal. Inside, I’ll be like a little kid, but when it’s time to go, it’s game face.”
Q: You’ve spent time around this group before — did that make things easier?
Warren: “For sure. I’m pretty fortunate because I skated here over the summer, so I know most of the guys. They’re all great to me, super nice. That makes the transition easy — just a great group of guys. I’m really thankful everyone’s been so welcoming.”
Q: You were named AHL Player of the Week earlier this year. How did that feel?
Warren: “It was cool. Sometimes you just have those games where you feel it. Honestly, I didn’t think too much of it because the boys were just chirping me for it (laughs). But it’s still a cool honor, especially in the first week of the year. I just wanted to build off a good training camp, keep the confidence, keep the flow going.”
Teammates & Roy’s Reaction
Bo Horvat: “I’m super happy for him. He had a great camp. He contributed to some goals and played well in the preseason. And a kid being from Long Island and being able to come up and be with us right now, it’s great for him. It’s great for his family, and if he gets the lineup, he’ll fit in just great. I couldn’t imagine, you know, playing for a hometown team, especially growing up watching, you know, certain teams. And no, he does. He has a smile on his face every single day. I think he’s just super happy to be here. He works hard every single day on the ice in the gym, so we’re happy to have him up.”
Kyle MacLean: “It’s gotta be special. I’m very happy for him, and it’s great to see. He had a great camp. He worked his butt off to get here. So good for him. It’s great to see. We’re happy for him.”
Patrick Roy: “Yeah, he was really good in the training camp. I thought he played really well, and he was named Player of the Week in Bridgeport. Seeing him today, it was nice to see him be rewarded for what he’s been doing. And playing tomorrow, his first game will be even more of a great moment for him.”
Interesting take by Stefen on the organizational message the firing of the Goaltender Coach may have had. This team played the best game in years against the Red Wings. Of course it’s not all based on this change, but it sends a message. Darche isn’t married to anyone on this team, and is assessing as we go. The Game the other night was pure joy to watch!!!!!!!!! It was tangibly different, there was no hope involved in that one just determination.
"I don't think Noah Dobson is a defenseman who doesn't know how to defend," explained Darche. "He's an excellent hockey player. It's just that I had a certain price, that's all." - Mathieu Darche
This statement is spot on Dobson doesn’t defend the net front, and he is devoid of physicality. Opponents are very comfortable around him. Darche tried to deflect, but the narrative that Dobson is a bad defender is totally accurate.