While the New York Islanders have been banged up this season with several key players missing considerable time, they're getting a bit of positive news on injured defenseman Noah Dobson.

Unavailable to the Islanders since getting hurt on January 20 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and having missed the last nine straight games, Dobson has resumed skating – though he remains on long-term injured reserve, meaning he must miss a minimum requirement of ten games.

During practice, he quarterbacked the second power-play unit, while first-year Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo quarterbacked the first.

According to head coach Patrick Roy, there isn't a set timeline available on a potential return to the lineup for Dobson, via NHL.com.

“No, not yet. We’ll see how he feels,” Roy said Saturday. “But I would say for all the guys that have been hurt, they're progressing very well, which is good for us.”

Additionally, the Islanders could bring back injured defensemen Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield into the lineup shortly, according to Roy.

“We'll see how it goes tomorrow morning, and if they're ready to play, then they'll jump in,” Roy said.

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Dobson has scored six goals with 18 assists in 46 games played this season. His Islanders teammates take on the Dallas Stars on Sunday at UBS Arena in their first game since the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson has missed the last nine games

New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson (8) passes the puck against the Utah Hockey Club during first period at the Delta Center.
Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

Dobson, who was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft by the Islanders while playing with Acadie–Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, is coming off a career-high 60 assists in 2023-24. He also scored ten goals, giving him his best point total of 70 so far in his career.

In addition to his NHL career, Dobson has represented Canada at the 2019 World Junior Championship.

In 363 career NHL games, Dobson has scored 46 goals and 170 assists while adding 10 assists in 31 career playoff games.