Engvall Returns to Islanders Ice After Missing Full Season

Pierre Engvall is back on the ice with the New York Islanders, more than a year after his last NHL game.

The 6-foot-6 winger missed the entire 2025-26 season with hip and ankle problems, and the opening days of training camp marked his first full-speed practices with the group.

"Felt really good," Engvall said of his first practice back. "Just to be out there with the boys, get a good skate in and first practice to start the season felt really good."

The timeline explains the wait. Engvall had hip surgery in the summer of 2025 and then ankle surgery in the fall, the second procedure to correct a lingering issue, which matters for a player whose game is built on straight-line speed. He resumed skating in May, giving him the summer to rebuild his conditioning before camp.

"When you rehab for that long, and when you see other guys out there having fun, you obviously want to come back as fast as you can, but at the same time, you want to take care of the body to make sure that you're 100 percent when you are back, so you can contribute the best way you can," he said. "That was my main focus, getting back to 100 percent so I can help the team."

He was skating on Long Island with teammates before camp opened, but the full-squad, high-tempo sessions were new. "I feel like my conditioning is really good," he said. "I'm just happy to be out there."

Islanders general manager and executive vice president Mathieu Darche was measured about what comes next.

"Engvall, for his size, he's a specimen physically," Darche said ahead of the first day of camp. "He's been here for a couple weeks now. He looks good on the ice, and we'll see how he plays."

Engvall's last NHL work came in 2024-25, when he put up eight goals and seven assists in 62 games. He has 23 goals and 29 assists in 154 games across three seasons with New York.