Last week, over 300 kids hit the ice at the New York Islanders practice facility for Matt Martin's Camp. Our Stefen Rosner has more from ice level.

It may be summer, but the ice sheets were filled at the New York Islanders practice facility in East Meadow this past week as Matt Martin held his annual hockey camp.

Martin became a fan favorite early on when he debuted with New York in 2010, and throughout his 14-year career, he's felt the love and support from the fan base.

The camp debuted in 2015 and was his way of passing the love right back. 

"It's been amazing," Martin told The Hockey News regarding the camp's growth. "I've always felt the support from the fans, and to be able to give back and do something like this has always been important to me."

Each one of Martin's campers not only got five-day instruction from the NHL veteran and the best coaches Long Island has to offer but also the opportunity to meet and learn from Martin's Islander teammates.

[gallery ids="5186,5187,5188,5189,5190,5191,5192,5193,5194,5195,5196,5197,5198,5199,5200,5201,5202,5203,5204,5205,5206,5207,5208,5209,5210,5211,5212,5213,5214"]

Casey Cizikas, Josh Bailey, and Semyon Varlamov, who also have kids in the camp, along with Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ryan Pulock, Ilya Sorokin, and Alexander Romanov made appearances. 

"I texted him last night that he was a saint for doing this," teammate Cal Clutterbuck told The Hockey News. 

"It's a lot of kids. It's a big responsibility. But you can see that clearly, the kids love it. And I think in the last 10 years, there's been a real surge and interest in playing hockey [on the island], and I think part of it is because of Matt and what he's been able to do here and because the team's done well and guys really immerse themselves in the community."

Clutterbuck's son River, 5, attended the camp, and that's been a really cool experience for Cal. 

"It's cool. It's something when you start having kids, you hope that one day they end up on the ice, and you hope you get a chance to go out there with them," Clutterbuck said. "My son being five, he's loved it for a while, but he's gonna get to the point now where he's skating all right and stick handling and doing those things.

"So it's it's fun to watch them grow."

The support from Martin's teammates shows the kind of people, not just players, the Islanders have on their roster.

"The guys are incredible," camp director Max Feinberg told The Hockey News. "And I think the most endearing part of it every single year is how much the guys that come in, especially Matt, genuinely care about the kids and care about the program.

"They're all coming, volunteering on their own time to come and work with the kids, and it's been -- I think we run a great camp curriculum-wise -- but that's been what's connected so well with the community, is what they really put into it."

And being around the Islanders had these kids grinning from ear to ear.

"He's in absolute heaven," Julie Frendo, mother of nine-year-old Dominic, told The Hockey News. "It's like a dream come true when he's skating with these guys."

Frendo relates the current Islanders and their willingness to give back to a franchise legend who did the same.

"It reminds me of Clark Gillies and all the amazing things that he did for the kids, so it's nice to see Matt Martin and the next generation following in his footsteps and doing things for the kids," Frendo said. 

Over these past eight years, the camp has grown exponentially as it's become an annual affair for many families.

"We started with 90 kids," Feinberg told The Hockey News. "We're up to about 330."

For the coaches, like Jonny Lazarus, getting to be around NHLers never gets old.

"It’s always a cool experience when you’re on the ice with an NHL player, whether your 27 or 7 years old," Lazarus said. "It’s something that humanizes them. It’s clear how much Matt means to the organization and Long Island as a whole. The kids love him and he’s so good with all of them. It’s a week I look forward to every summer." 

On the final day of the camp, Martin and Feinberg gave out awards to the best players in each age group, with gifts like autographed jerseys from the players who stopped by to sign sticks and pucks. 

[gallery ids="5216,5217,5218,5219,5220,5221,5222,5223,5224,5225,5226,5227,5228,5229,5230,5231,5232,5233,5234,5235,5236,5237,5238,5239,5240,5241,5242,5243,5244,5245,5246"]

The Matt Martin Camp is about having fun, learning the game, and making memories that will last a lifetime. 

If you are interested in renewing your enrollment or signing your child up for the first time, the link for Matt Martin's 2024 Camp will be shared out this upcoming week. 

Sign up now for the 2023 Matt Martin Foundation Poker Night on Sept. 11 for a chance to meet Martin and his teammates while raising money for a great cause. 

The foundation’s primary function is training and pairing service animals with individuals who would otherwise be unable to receive them.

This year's feature service animal is Jett, a black lab, who is going to a 15-year-old girl coping with Cerebral Palsy.

Join Stefen Rosner's New York Islanders page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can listen to Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season.