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Meet the three LIers participating at Islanders' development camp - Newsday

Published 2 days ago4 minute read

Marshall Warren, Brandon Chabrier and Ross Mitton are like many a trio of longtime buddies from Long Island. They like fishing and golfing and razzing each other and often carpool, reducing the monotony of sitting in traffic.

Unlike other Long Island friend groups, though, they all also get to participate in Islanders’ summer prospect development camp together, which concluded its second day on Tuesday at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow. It was a particularly good day for Mitton, who agreed to a one-year deal with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

“Me and Ross just played together this past year (at Maine) so we hung out every day,” Chabrier said. “Me and Marshall basically golf every day and we all work out together. To be able to do this with them and have two guys that I can look up to doing all of this and they’ve been through this already, it’s pretty cool. Marshall is my roommate at the hotel, so I’m asking questions and he’s dialing me in.”

Warren, 24, a left-shooting defenseman from Laurel Hollow, had four goals and 13 assists in 53 games for Bridgeport in his first full professional season. Mitton, 24, a right wing from Copiague Harbor, had one goal in one game for Bridgeport after notching four goals and seven assists in his only season at Maine after four at Colgate. Chabrier, a 22-year-old, right-shooting defenseman from Bayville, had 10 assists in 37 games as a junior at Maine.

“We all went to high school together,” Warren said. “We were at a small school at Portledge so you’re with them all the time. Ross and I took math together so we were in the same class every day. It was pretty cool just to be around them. I was on the ice for Ross’ first goal in the AHL so that was pretty special for me because even though he’s older than me, I’ve gotten to see how hard he’s worked to get to that point and he’s like a brother to me. I’m just so proud of him.

“(Chabrier and I) carpooled together a bunch. “We still carpool together to men’s league. We all play in the same men’s league together. So many carpools together, so many stories together. It’s crazy.”

Of course, summer prospect camp is a long way away from playing on an NHL roster. Warren and Mitton have both previously shown the Islanders’ brass how their skills might help the organization. This is just an entry point for Chabrier.

Islanders assistant general manager Chris Lamoriello, who doubles as Bridgeport’s GM, invited all three to the team’s development camp.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Mitton said. “I finished the season up at Maine and didn’t really know what I was going to do. And then I got the call from Chris and went to Bridgeport and had an awesome experience. Just grateful for the opportunity.”

Mitton’s uncle is NHL player agent John Kofi Osei-Tutu, who represents Hauppauge’s James Hagens, selected seventh overall by the Bruins in this weekend’s NHL Draft.

“He’s awesome,” Mitton said. “He’s the one who taught me how to play hockey. He became an agent because he was navigating me through the hockey world my whole life.”

Chabrier described Mitton as an avid fisherman and he offered off-the-ice scouting reports on his two, longtime friends.

“Ross is a huge fisherman,” Chabrier said. “He took me on his boat. He promised me he was going to catch a nice, big striper and he never did. It also took him four years to get me on his boat, so that was also an issue.

“Marshall is just a clown. I love him. He’s just funny. He’s always just poking buttons. He knows how to get people riled up and I love it. Just two great guys.”

In all seriousness, though, the trio’s presence at Islanders’ development camp, Hagens matching West Islip’s Mike Komisarek as the highest ever selected player from Long Island and the current NHL success of Jericho’s Adam Fox, Long Beach’s Charlie McAvoy, Franklin Square’s Shane Pinto and Massapequa’s Sonny Milano, among others, speaks well of the quality of hockey in the area.

“I think it’s on the come up,” Chabrier said. “I think it was overshadowed, especially when I was growing up. All these guys are leading a path for us younger guys. I always looked up to those guys as this is something I want to do.”

With Matt Lindsay

Andrew Gross

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.

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