LI’s Own Ross Mitton on His Journey to the Pros, Signing with the Islanders

Summer has fully set in for the New York Islanders and the Bridgeport Islanders, allowing time for players to reflect on their seasons and the year as a whole. Ross Mitton found himself fishing on the South Shore of his native Long Island on Monday morning and afternoon, and he couldn’t help but smile when thinking about his year.

For Mitton, 24, it’s been one heck of a ride well beyond this year. From his youth on Long Island to his days in the USHL before ultimately landing in college, nothing’s come easy for the self-described power forward with a nose for the net.

Mitton took time to reflect on it all and chat with me about his journey, culminating in his first professional contract with the Islanders.

Growing Up on Long Island:

Like any story for a native Long Islander, it all starts with his youth days.

“I started with the [Long Island] Royals, and bounced around between them, the [Long Island] Gulls, and the P.A.L. Islanders. Those were the three main teams. Always big rivalry games between them, and all my friends would bounce between the teams.”

Bouncing around rinks on Long Island became second nature for Mitton. Then, as he approached his 16U status, local powerhouse New Jersey Avalanche and their coach Vinny Smith approached Mitton and his family to join the Avalanche. Mitton didn’t hesitate at the opportunity.

Meanwhile, he began his high school journey in Locust Valley, attending Portledge High School.

“As a South Shore guy, Portledge was a good 45 minutes to an hour from my house. Long days waking up at 5-6 am, school, and driving to New Jersey afterward, and getting home around 11. My mom would do a ton, driving me everywhere and anywhere without hesitation.”

Mitton made sure to give kudos to his mom. As any of us who drive know, sitting in that bumper-to-bumper traffic routinely is the least fun thing anyone can do. For himself, Mitton admitted he would often nap in the car, catching up on the sleep he may not have been getting at night.

Mitton wasn’t alone, though. He had a friend with him for it all. Marshall Warren.

“With New Jersey and Portledge, I played with Marshall Warren. We’d carpool together and are just best friends.”

The USHL:

As high school came to an end, Mitton’s name entered the USHL Draft, and the Fargo Force selected him in the 10th round of that draft.

However, his roster spot was anything but secure. In fact, he entered camp with a self-admitted slim chance of even making the team. Despite that, he made the long trip from Long Island to Fargo, North Dakota, and reported for camp.

“I really didn’t expect to make Fargo. Then, I just played super well at camp, and I made it.”

The adversity didn’t stop there. Mitton dealt with limited playing time and his first major injury that first season, playing just 29 games in the regular season. The Force wound up winning the USHL Championship that season, and Mitton said that experience, along with coming through injury and getting back in, shaped him for the future.

“It all prepared me for the future. One year later, they traded me to Lincoln. Another year after that, I was traded again, this time to Omaha. There, David Wilkie coached me. He was just awesome. Total pro-style coach and made sure every single guy played hard.”

For a Long Island guy, bouncing from Fargo, ND, to Lincoln, NE, and then to Omaha, NE, it could’ve been wildly discouraging. Instead, his game kept growing and growing.

In his 40 games with Omaha in 2019-20, he recorded 11 goals and 27 points, all while the team soared.

“We were on a 14-game win streak in Omaha. Then, COVID hit. I just remember waking up to a text from coach saying the season’s over, go home. We all went to the rink, packed up, and left. It all happened in one day.”

College:

Omaha sat second in the West when the season paused. With a playoff spot all but secured, Omaha could do nothing but accept the journey was over. Mitton then committed to Colgate University for college.

Mitton summed up his four years in Upstate New York perfectly:

“It was just like juniors. I played almost every game as a younger guy, then dealt with early injuries. I learned from the older guys. As more opportunities came, I did a lot of damage.”

Over his final 74 games at Colgate, he recorded 20 goals and 57 points, and in his senior year, he wore an ‘A’ for alternate captain.

The ultimate highlight came in junior year. Heading into conference tournament week, despite a strong season, Colgate was virtually eliminated. The school hadn’t been in the NCAA Tournament in over 30 years. In the first round of their conference playoffs, they faced off against Quinnipiac, the #2 team in the country AND the future national champions.

Exactly one year prior, Quinnipiac took out Colgate in the conference semi-finals in the same building, Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, NY.

As a heavy underdog against the superstar Quinnipiac team, Colgate took them to overtime tied 1-1. 8:50 into double overtime, Mitton scored the game-winner, giving Colgate one of its biggest wins in program history. The very next day, they beat Harvard, another NHL-laden squad, 3-2 to clinch a conference title and an improbable berth to the NCAA Tournament.

After his senior year at Colgate, Mitton was a wanted man. “I had a ton of schools reaching out, but when I spoke to Ben Barr (Maine’s Head Coach), I knew it was Maine for me. The number of guys they have who go on to a pro-level team. He pushed me to a new level. He did such a good job preparing me.”

Maine plays in the Hockey East, arguably the best college hockey conference in America. Mitton and Maine had a strong season and won the Hockey East crown over the likes of UConn, Boston University, and Boston College. Maine entered the tournament as one of the favorites and landed the top seed in the Allentown Regional, but Penn State upset them in the opening round.

Turning Pro with Bridgeport:

After Maine’s season ended, everything happened fast, according to Mitton:

“The day after, my teammates were all leaving. Two days later, I was on the phone with Chris Lamoriello, and we made it happen on a Tuesday afternoon.”

Meanwhile, his friend Marshall Warren had been spending his rookie professional season with the Bridgeport Islanders and was desperate to know where his buddy Ross was going to land.

“Marshall kept calling and texting me, asking me who I’m signing with. I didn’t tell him until after I signed the contract. We’ve been best friends for so long, so it was amazing having him there. He showed me the ropes and made it an easy transition.”

It wasn’t just Warren who made it easy. Over his years in the USHL, Mitton played with Jack Randl and Travis Mitchell, both in Bridgeport. He also played with Islanders draft pick Cameron Berg, who signed days before Mitton.

Mitton arrived very late in the year and dressed for one game. In it, he scored his first professional goal:

“It was pretty awesome. It came right after the draw, we had a great forecheck. Randl had a great pass, right on my tape. The first person I saw was Marshall, and he looked so proud and happy for me. We’ve come a long way.”

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Sometimes, storybook moments do happen. For Mitton to score in his pro debut and turn and immediately be greeted by his best friend, the guy he carpooled from Locust Valley to New Jersey with, nothing could top that moment.

Mitton’s under contract for the 2025-26 season. He described what he brings to the table:

“I bring a lot of energy. I’m a very heavy power forward, and all I want to do is make plays and get the puck in the net. I’ll be a strong PKer and forechecker.”

What he didn’t say was how strong his resilience is. He’s battled for every single thing he’s gotten. Now, he brings that to the Islanders and Bridgeport starting next season.