EAST MEADOW, NY — New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin was on the ice before his team’s practice Wednesday morning.
The 29-year-old, who had offseason back surgery, was taking shots but stayed on a separate rink away from team practice at its official start at 9:30 a.m. ET.
This is the first time this offseason that Sorokin has been seen in any capacity on the ice and in gear.
During Islanders rookie camp, team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said that Sorokin would miss the first few days of training camp due to an injury he picked up during offseason training. Just a few days later, head coach Patrick Roy disclosed that the injury required back surgery.
Sorokin had missed the first two weeks of training camp, but practicing separately from the team does not suggest that he is not on the immediate cusp of returning to game action.
That obviously puts his availability for the start of the regular season in question. New York’s 2024-25 campaign begins on Oct. 10 at UBS Arena against Utah Hockey Club.
This is an updating article.
