Bo Horvat named 16th captain in Islanders history

One of the top veterans in the game is going to be wearing the ‘C’ once again.

On Monday, the New York Islanders announced that the team has named forward Bo Horvat the 16th captain in franchise history.

Horvat takes oer the role previously held by Anders Lee. Lee had been the Islanders’ captain since John Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018, but moved away from the franchise after signing a three-year contract with the Utah Mammoth this past July.

This isn’t the first time the 31-year-old has been tabbed as a team’s on-ice leader. During his time with the Vancouver Canucks, he captained the team for parts of four seasons before the Islanders acquired him in a January 2023 trade.

Horvat has been a key piece of the Islanders lineup ever since he moved to Long Island. He has averaged over 30 goals in each of his three full seasons with the club, including posting a career-high 33 tallies during the 2023-24 campaign. This past year, despite missing 14 games due to injury, the London, Ont. native notched 31 goals and 26 assists for 57 points, leading the Isles in the goals, while finishing second in overall scoring behind Mathew Barzal.

In his tenure with the Islanders, Horvat has scored move goals (99) and points (198) than any other player that has donned the blue and orange. He has helped the team qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice, losing in the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes in both 2023 and 2024. The Isles have missed the postseason in each of the past two years.

In 881 regular-season games in the NHL, Horvat has posted 300 goals and 318 assists for 618 points, with another 21 points in 34 playoff contests.