The New York Islanders have named forward Bo Horvat their next captain. He’s the 16th captain in team history and the first since Anders Lee.
“It’s so special. I mean, it’s amazing. You know, getting to experience it before and what that felt like […] I’m very proud to be part of this organization. Very proud to be wearing this letter and representing not only the team but Long Island itself, and yeah I just can’t wait to get things going,” Horvat said at Islanders Children’s Foundation Golf Outing & Tennis Classic.
New York lost Lee to free agency this summer. He opted to continue his career elsewhere with the Utah Mammoth. Lee signed a 3-year deal worth $5.3 million annually.
Only 9 other NHL clubs currently do not have a captain. Those teams are the: Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks.
What Horvat offers as a captain
While the 31-year-old has been a captain before, that’s not the only reason he has been called upon to lead this organization on the ice.
Horvat is an accountable forward on both sides of the puck and, yes, in the room. He’s someone the Islanders’ younger players and teammates look up to.
While the future of the organization will look to defenseman Matthew Schaefer, he just played his first NHL season. He’ll have more to experience before taking the reins as the main leader.
Horvat will have plenty of time to impart his wisdom to a player like Schaefer. He has four more seasons on his current contract before potentially seeing Schaefer named the next captain.
Vancouver’s former captain will also have time to see what it’s like to push this team in the locker room. He’s been to the postseason three times and seen what success looks like.
Head coach Pete DeBoer will look to Horvat to set the tone as training camp begins this week. He’ll trust the veteran to be a catalyst this season to see what kind of team he has after jumping into his sixth NHL organization.
Offensive contribution from Horvat
Since joining the Islanders, Horvat has also been one of the heartbeats of New York’s offense and will seemingly keep that going. So far during his stint with the Islander he has 99 goals and 198 points.
When he got there, the Islanders made the postseason twice, but have now missed out in both 2025 and 2026. Since arriving in Long Island, Horvat has led the team with goals and assists. Once he finds a groove this season, then all bets are off to see who can join him offensively.
Horvat has 57 or more points in his three full seasons with the Islanders. Just last year he was the team leader with 31 goals. On that note, he also led the organization with 23 even-strength goals last season.
Not only does the veteran put up points, but he also dominates in the faceoff circle. He won a team-high 690 draws (56.3%) and won a leading 154 draws on the power play.
He’s able to set his teammates up for success and establish valuable offensive zone time or win draws in dire situations on defense.
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Islanders Name Horvat Team Captain