Marshall Warren grew up in Laurel Hollow, and at the age of 24, he got the opportunity to play in the National Hockey League for his favorite team.
“I was driving here and I was like I was a little kid at Iceworks [in Syosset], skating in that little Islanders program. Who would have thought I’d be here in this position?” Warren said a day before his first NHL game. “It’s really surreal.”
Warren made his debut on Saturday, Oct. 25, when the New York Islanders selected him from their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Warren’s first game came against the Philadelphia Flyers, and six minutes into the second period, he passed the puck in front of the net to Anthony Duclair, who shot it into the back of the net, giving the Islanders a 2-0 lead and giving Warren his first career point in the league.
The Flyers would later tie the game, but Warren once again played a pivotal role in the third period, sending a shot toward the net that his teammate tipped in to give the Islanders back the lead.
The Islanders lost in overtime, and although Warren said postgame that a win during his first game would have been nice, the excitement of making it to the NHL was a great experience.
“I was pretty emotional. A lot of hard work. Would have loved to have gotten the win there, but it was a really cool experience and one I’ll remember for a lifetime,” he told reporters in the locker room.
The defenseman once again suited up for the Islanders in their game against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Warren did not register a point in the 5-2 loss and was sent back to the AHL before the team’s next game.
Warren’s journey to the NHL began at a young age. An article from The Michigan Daily said that he began skating when he was three years old. He grew up playing for multiple regional travel teams as well as at the Portledge School in Locust Valley, from 2015 to 2017.
Warren spent two seasons with the United States Team National Development Program from 2017-19, winning a bronze medal at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 World Junior Championships.
The Minnesota Wild selected Warren in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Warren would go on to play at Boston College, notching 11 points in 34 games as a freshman.
During the 2020-21 season, he had the same point total in eight fewer games, and then as a junior, he recorded 21 points in a career-high 37 games. In 2022-23, he had 14 points in 36 games, serving as the Golden Eagles’ captain.
The Wild decided not to sign Warren to his entry-level contract, losing his draft rights, and leading to the defenseman transferring to the University of Michigan for the 2023-24 season. He had four goals and 14 assists in 41 games, and after the season, he was named to the NCAA Midwest All-Region Team.
Warren then joined Bridgeport on an amateur tryout agreement before being signed to a two-year, entry-level deal with the Islanders in April 2024.
Warren was invited to play with the Islanders during the 2025 preseason, recording one goal in two games, averaging just under 17 minutes of ice time per game.
Only two other players in the Islanders’ 54-year history have been from Long Island.
Chris Ferraro, a Port Jefferson native, was a fourth-round pick in the 1992 NHL Draft by the other New York team, the Rangers. He appeared in 14 games for the Rangers over two years, and later on, he found himself wearing an Islanders jersey for 11 games during the 1999-2000 season. Ferraro scored one goal and had three assists while on the team.
Kyle Palmeiri is the other Long Island native to play for the franchise. Originally hailing from Smithtown, he began his career playing for the Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils before being traded to the Islanders during the 2020-21 season.
Palmeiri, who is still on the team, has played in over 300 games and has over 180 points since the trade.
Despite the Laurel Hollow native not having the opportunity to play an NHL game on Long Island, Warren leads the Sound Tigers with 6 points as of Tuesday, Nov. 4, meaning his hot start to the season could propel him back to the Islanders roster down the road.
