Cole McWard describes his first game with the Islanders as something that boosts his confidence.

Islanders’ Cole McWard Makes Impressive Debut

Defenseman Cole McWard joined the Islanders’ roster recently, stepping onto the ice for his first game against the Maple Leafs, where he played alongside Scott Mayfield. Mayfield was called offside during Saturday’s exciting 4-3 overtime victory.

Having gone undrafted after his time at Ohio State, McWard previously participated in six NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks between the 2022 and 2024 seasons. His initial outing with the Islanders was quite successful.

“It was amazing,” McWard shared after logging 14 minutes and 50 seconds on the ice. “You always want to stay engaged in the game, keep your heart racing. I think the team has really believed in me and made sure I got enough chances to play.”

Interestingly, he also felt the experience was reassuring. “It was good because I didn’t feel out of place,” he noted, adding that hearing his number called a couple of times early on boosted his confidence. “Just keep building on that.” His fiancée, Juliana, along with friends who had originally thought to catch him in Bridgeport, came to support him in the audience.

McWard became the third defenseman in recent weeks to be called up in place of Alexander Romanov, joining fellow players Marshall Warren and Travis Mitchell.

Coach Patrick Roy commented on McWard’s performance: “I really like how composed he is with the puck. He kept things straightforward, which can be tough with two right-handed defensemen together, but he really stepped up for his first game.”

Mark Gatcomb returned to the lineup in place of the injured Bo Horvat, slotting into the fourth line. There were also some adjustments on the lines; by the end of the first period, Roy had settled on Jean-Gabriel Pageau centering Simon Holmstrom and Jonathan Drouin, while Max Shabanov and Maxim Tsyplakov played with Cal Ritchie.

Roy mentioned feeling impressed by both Pageau and Holmstrom’s performance. “The pair played very well against Tavares. They even matched up against Matthews in the third, and they were on their game,” he noted.

Ilya Sorokin, who is recovering from a lower-body issue, was placed on injured reserve but served as David Rittich’s backup during the game. Sorokin explained that this was a re-aggravation of an older injury and that the recovery time had extended beyond his expectations. “My body feels good now, but you have to take a few days to get your conditioning back,” he added.