Marshall Warren lived the dream in his debut with New York

The New York Islanders have been riddled with injuries in this campaign. The injury to Alexander Romanov left a hole on the blue line, recently filled by Marshall Warren. Now, Warren finally made his home NHL debut, playing in the Islanders’ 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.

“When you’re a kid, you dream about this. For me, it was great. And we won, too. So that was really cool,” Warren he said after the game, according to Stephen Rosner, Islanders beat reporter for NHL.com and The Hockey News.

It has been a long time coming for the native New Yorker to play on home ice in the NHL. He was the 166th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild. 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 reconciled with the Wild and signed an entry-level contract with the Islanders after his college career ended.

The blueliner would play two games in 2023-24 at the AHL level with the Bridgeport Islanders and then spend 53 games with the AHL team 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 had two assists in the game, for his first NHL points. The former Wolverine played in one more stint with an NHL club before returning to the AHL. However, he was called up again, playing with the team in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabers on the road on December 20.

He made his home debut on Tuesday night, going 14:24 against the Devils, with three shots but no points.

“I think some of my guys have a department,” Warren said, according to Ethan Sears of the New York Post. “Eighteen tickets somewhere. I’m sure they’ll be loud and cheering for me, which is great. Obviously, being home, just seeing my friends and family, spending time with my parents. It was nice. It’s always nice when you’re home. Lucky to be able to do that.”

Warren grew up in Laurel Hollow, Long Island, just a half-hour drive from UBS Arena, where the Islanders play their home games.

The The Islanders are 20-13-4placing them in third place in the Metropolitan Division. Warren will get another chance to play in front of the home crowd when the Ailes return to the ice Saturday after the holiday break, hosting the New York Rangers.