“When you’re a kid, you dream”: Marshal Warren lives his childhood dream in his first NHL home game with New York Islanders

New York Islanders defenseman Marshal Warren experienced a milestone in his professional NHL career, as he played his first regular-season home game for the Islanders on Tuesday. In the match, the team led with a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils at UBS Arena. As per reports, it has been a long wait for the New York native to play on home ice in the NHL.

During the match, Warren logged 14:24 of ice time, registering three shots on goal, two hits, and a blocked shot with his good defensive play in front of the home crowd, leading the team to win the match.

As per his background, he was the 166th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild. Earlier, he went on to play four years of college hockey with Boston College before transferring to the University of Michigan for his final year of eligibility in 2023-24.

Warren never came to terms with the Wild and signed an entry-level contract with the Islanders after his college career ended.

Marshal Warren expresses his childhood dream after playing his debut NHL game with the Islanders

It was a big day for Marshal Warren, as he got the opportunity to play in front of his home crowd on Tuesday, in his first home game against the New Jersey Devils. He showcased his brilliant defensive capabilities, logging 14:24 of ice time. Due to the combined efforts of Warren and his teammates, they won the match by 2-1 at the UBS Arena.

Expressing his feelings, Warren opened up and stated, “When you’re a kid, you dream about this. So for me, that was awesome. And we got the win too. So that was really cool,” Warren told Islanders beat reporter for NHL.com and The Hockey News.

It was a surreal feeling for the home boy as Warren grew up in Laurel Hollow on Long Island, just a half-hour drive from UBS Arena, where the Islanders play their home games.


Regarding his background, the blue liner played two games in 2023-24 at the AHL level with the Bridgeport Islanders, and then spent 53 games with the AHL squad in 2024-25.

Warren made his NHL debut earlier this season, playing 11:20 in a 4-3 shootout loss on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 25th. He recorded two assists in the game for his first NHL points. The former Wolverine played in one more contest with the NHL club before returning to the AHL.

He got the call-up again, though, playing with the team in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on the road on December 20th.

Interestingly, Warren will get another chance to play in front of the home crowd when the Isles return to the ice on Saturday after the holiday break, hosting the New York Rangers.

Also read: NHL Update: Are Maple Leafs planning to remove Craig Berube and Brad Treliving after Marc Savard’s departure? | NHL News - The Times of India


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