Long Island Native Marshall Warren Ecstatic To Be With Islanders: 'It's Surreal'

It's not every day that a local kid from Long Island signs a contract with the New York Islanders.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- It's not every day that a local kid from Long Island signs a contract with the New York Islanders.

But that's the reality for Marshall Warren, the Laurel Hollow native.

The 23-year-old defenseman hit the ice for his first rookie camp with the team after signing a two-year entry-level deal back on Apr. 16.

"It's kind of crazy," Warren said. "All my buddies were texting me, 'so cool that you signed there.' But, yeah, it's really cool."

Being local allowed Warren to skaters with the NHLers who stayed around this summer, which really helped him settle in.

"Just like learning every day and just taking everything in has been really cool," Warren said. "I've been here for three months now, so it's been cool, getting acclimated with the guys and just the staff.

"A lot of guys have taken me under their wing, so it’s been really cool."

Golf was a bonding experience, too. 

"We played a lot of golf together, like me, Pulock, Pelech, Barzal, like a lot of the guys. So it's been cool just going to restaurants and hanging out with them," Warren said. "They've been so good to me. So it's just such a blessing to be able to be here early for the whole summer and get all that intel early."

Not only did Warren grow up an Islanders fan, but he had some former players come down when he played for the Long Island Gulls travel team at IceWorks in Syosset. 

"I grew up an Islanders fan. So it's surreal," Warren said. "I remember when I was on the Gulls, my coaches were Doug Weight, Steve Staios, and Bill Guerin. We had a rock-star coaching staff, so it was really cool. 

"Just being in the locker room with those guys early on, I remember being in the wives' box at the Coliseum with Weight. So yeah, it's kind of come full circle now. So it's really awesome."

Warren spent his four collegiate seasons at Boston College, serving as captain his senior year before playing his fifth season at the University of Michigan.

"It was kind of a change of pace," Warren said on transferring. "I was the captain at BC, and I did everything I wanted to do there. Sometimes, you need a change, and at Michigan, we had a rock star team, like six first-rounders, so it was pretty easy to make the change.

"I think being at Michigan was probably the best year of my career. Just a change of pace," Warren said. "I think we had a really good team, so it helped me just establish my game and show the game I have.

Warren has been skating all summer but it felt good to get on the ice with the other prospects. 

"I think it's just getting the legs under you, getting used to the drills -- all that stuff. Just getting the heart rate going and being comfortable there," Warren said. "I've been here for three months, so I'm pretty comfortable already. But just using those little things, and I'm just building each and every day, just taking little steps, getting comfortable with the coaching staff and all that stuff."

Warren played in two games with Bridgeport at the end of last season after signing a PTO with them after his Michigan season ended.

He's expected to be one of three new defense faces in Bridgeport for 2024-25.