Ilya Sorokin takes the ice for the first time at NY Islanders training camp

It's been the story surrounding the NY Islanders training camp as Ilya Sorokin hasn't been present with his teammates.

Patrick Roy let the cat out of the bag at the Islanders golf outing that his star netminder had offseason back surgery. He and Lou Lamoriello made it seem that Sorokin may only miss a day or two, but nearly two weeks in and today was the first time there was a glimpse of Sorokin on the ice.

He wasn't skating with the rest of the team but Sorokin was taking shots from goaltending coach Piero Greco on the extra sheet of ice before practice.

Ilya Sorokin back on the ice

Though it's terrific sign and a step in the right direction, it's still unknown when Sorokin will be game-ready.

"All I can say, things are going well," Roy said today after practice. "Day by day we'll go from there."

With only one preseason game remaining, it appears that the Islanders will enter the season with Semyon Varlamov and Marcus Hogberg as the tandem between the pipes. Varly took over the starting role from a struggling Sorokin at the end of last season, and Hogberg is entering his first NHL season in four years.

The pair have looked superb in the preseason and Varlamov has proven he's capable of handling the lion's share of games between the pipes. Hogberg on the other hand is a bit more of an unknown, and it'll be interesting to see how often Roy is willing to turn to his backup as he bides time before Sorokin's return.