The New York Islanders got some encouraging news at practice on Wednesday with goaltender Ilya Sorokin back on the ice.
Sorokin was taking shots from teammates before departing the ice before the main group joined for practice. It was the first time Sorokin was seen in gear this off-season.
General manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters that goaltender Ilya Sorokin could miss the first couple of days of training camp due to an upper-body injury.
Lamoriello added that Sorokin was hurt during off-season workouts but the GM was not worried about the injury extending into the season.
Head coach Patrick Roy then announced his goaltender had off-season back surgery.
The 29-year-old from Mezhdurechensk, Russia, posted a 25-19-12 record, 2.99 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in 56 games last season.
Sorokin was drafted in the third round, 78th overall, by the Islanders in 2014 and has 95 wins, including 16 shutouts over 192 career games in four seasons with the team.