Mathew Barzal
Barzal with the New York Islanders in March 2018
Born (1997-05-26) May 26, 1997 (age 26)
Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 189 lb (86 kg; 13 st 7 lb)
Position Centre/right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team New York Islanders
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 16th overall, 2015
New York Islanders
Playing career 2016–present

Mathew Barzal (born May 26, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Barzal was selected by the Islanders in the first round, 16th overall, of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 2017–18, the fifth Islander to win the award.

Playing career

Amateur

Barzal played in the 2010 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with his youth team from Burnaby.[1] He was selected first overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.[2] In his rookie season with the Thunderbirds in the 2013–14 season, Barzal scored 14 goals and 40 assists for 54 points.[3] He was ranked seventh in the NHL's midterm rankings ahead of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.[4][5]

Barzal with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2015

New York Islanders

Barzal was selected 16th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. On September 10, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders.[6]

On October 15, 2016, Barzal made his NHL debut.[7] He returned to the Thunderbirds and won the 2017 WHL championship as Barzal was named WHL Playoff MVP after registering 25 points (7 goals and 18 assists) in 16 games.[8]

Barzal's first NHL point came on October 15, 2017, against the Los Angeles Kings when he assisted on a goal by Josh Bailey. Barzal's first NHL goal came on October 19 against Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.[9]

Barzal's first multi-point NHL game came on October 26, 2017, when he had a goal and an assist playing against the Minnesota Wild. The goal, the second of his career, came in the waning seconds of the Islanders' 6–4 loss. Barzal's first NHL power play goal (and also his first NHL goal at home) came on October 30 against the Vegas Golden Knights. Barzal set a franchise record for assists by a rookie when he recorded five assists on November 5 in a 6–4 Islanders win over the Colorado Avalanche.[10] This also tied the franchise record for points in a game by a rookie.[10]

Barzal's first multi-goal game and his first hat-trick came on December 23, 2017, against the Winnipeg Jets in a 5–2 Islanders win.[11] On January 13, 2018, in a 7–2 win over the Rangers, he became just the fifth player in NHL history to have two five-point games in a season before his 21st birthday.[12][13] On February 9, 2018, in a 7–6 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, Barzal became the first NHL rookie to record three five-point games in a season since Joe Malone did so in the 1917–18 season.[14][15] On April 7, Barzal tied the Islanders record (held by Bryan Trottier) for most assists by a rookie with 63.[16] On April 22, Barzal was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the best rookie in the NHL.[17] On June 20, he won the award.[18] Barzal and Kyle Okposo are the only players to lead the Islanders in scoring during John Tavares' nine-year tenure with the team; however, Okposo did it in a season in which Tavares was hurt, whereas Barzal did it in a season in which they both played the full 82 games.

Following the departure of Tavares during the 2018 off-season, Barzal began the 2018–19 season centering the Islanders' top line with Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey.[19] On December 29, Barzal scored a natural hat-trick in a 4–0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, becoming the first Islanders player to score a hat-trick against the Maple Leafs since Mike Bossy on March 20, 1986.[20] On January 3, 2019, Barzal was named to the 2019 NHL All-Star Game.[21] Barzal finished the season with 62 points (18 goals and 44 assists), leading the Islanders in both points and assists.

Barzal won the fastest skater competition at the 2020 NHL All-Star Skills Competition.[22]

In the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Barzal scored his first playoff overtime winner against the Washington Capitals in Game 3 to give the Islanders a 3–0 series lead. The Islanders ended up winning the series 4–1 to face the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round, whom the Islanders beat in seven games. The Islanders lost to eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

On January 11, 2021, Barzal was signed to a reported three-year, $21 million contract with the Islanders.[23][24]

On October 4, 2022, Barzal signed an eight-year, $73.2 million contract extension with the Islanders.[25][26] On January 1, 2023, in his 400th NHL regular season game, Barzal scored his 100th career goal in a 4–1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.[27]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Finland
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
Gold medal – first place 2014 Czech Republic
IIHF World U18 Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Switzerland
IIHF World U20 Championship
Silver medal – second place 2017 Canada

Barzal helped Canada capture the bronze medal at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships[28] and won gold at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.[29] Barzal was again named to the Canada roster the following year to compete at the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championship, where he again won bronze.[30]

Barzal was selected as an alternate captain for Canada at the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[31] He helped guide Canada to a silver medal and was one of the top ten scorers in the tournament.[32]

On April 12, 2018, Barzal was named to Canada's senior team to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.[33]

Personal life

Barzal speaks fluent French, having undergone French immersion in school; as a result, he has a very close friendship with former Islanders teammate Anthony Beauvillier, a French-speaker whom he met when the two played for Canada at the 2015 World U18 Championship.[34][35]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Coquitlam Express BCHL 6 0 2 2 6 — — — — —
2013–14 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 59 14 40 54 20 9 1 5 6 4
2014–15 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 44 12 45 57 20 6 4 4 8 4
2015–16 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 58 27 61 88 58 18 5 21 26 16
2016–17 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 41 10 69 79 20 16 7 18 25 16
2016–17 New York Islanders NHL 2 0 0 0 6 — — — — —
2017–18 New York Islanders NHL 82 22 63 85 30 — — — — —
2018–19 New York Islanders NHL 82 18 44 62 46 8 2 5 7 8
2019–20 New York Islanders NHL 68 19 41 60 44 22 5 12 17 10
2020–21 New York Islanders NHL 55 17 28 45 48 19 6 8 14 19
2021–22 New York Islanders NHL 73 15 44 59 18 — — — — —
2022–23 New York Islanders NHL 58 14 37 51 22 6 2 0 2 2
NHL totals 420 105 257 362 214 55 15 25 40 39

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Canada IH18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 2 5 7 0
2014 Canada U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 3 1 4 6
2015 Canada U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 3 9 12 0
2016 Canada WJC 6th 5 2 1 3 0
2017 Canada WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 3 5 8 4
2018 Canada WC 4th 10 0 7 7 4
2022 Canada WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 9 2 6 8 4
Junior totals 31 13 21 33 10
Senior totals 19 2 13 15 8

Awards and honours

Award Year
Minor
Brick Super Novice Tournament Top Scorer 2007
BC Hockey Player of the Year 2013
BCMML Most Points 2013
BCMML All-Star Team 2013
WHL West First All-Star Team 2016, 2017
WHL Playoff MVP 2017
NHL
Rookie of the Month, January 2018 [36]
Calder Memorial Trophy 2018 [18]
NHL All-Star Game 2019, 2020, 2024 [37]

References

  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "Thunderbirds sign Mathew Barzal, 1st overall choice". Yahoo! Sports. May 1, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  3. ^ "Thunderbirds get long awaited commitment from Mathew Barzal". mynorthwest.com. May 19, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  4. ^ "Barzal living up to billing as top 2 pick for 2015 draft". hockeynow.ca. January 17, 2015. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  5. ^ "2015 draft an early look at the top 10". thehockeywriters.com. March 17, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  6. ^ "Barzal agrees to entry-level contract". New York Islanders. September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  7. ^ "Winnik scores twice as Caps beat Isles in home opener". ESPN.com. October 15, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  8. ^ "Thunderbirds claim WHL Championship for first time in franchise's 40-year history". Western Hockey League. May 17, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  9. ^ Hornick, Erik (October 20, 2017). "The Skinny: Islanders 4, Rangers 3 SO". NHL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  10. ^ a b The Associated Press (November 5, 2017). "Best of NHL: Islanders' Mathew Barzal with franchise-rookie record 5 assists". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  11. ^ Compton, Brian (December 23, 2017). "Barzal hat trick powers Islanders past Jets". NHL.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  12. ^ Perreault, Christophe (January 15, 2018). "RM - Barzal et les Flames ont eu une meilleure fin de semaine que Cogliano". WebSports (in Canadian French). Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  13. ^ Gretz, Adam (January 13, 2018). "Islanders rookie Mathew Barzal makes some history with another 5-point game". nbcsports.com. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  14. ^ Wright, Cory (February 9, 2018). "6 Takeaways: Islanders 7, Red Wings 6 OT". NHL.com. New York Islanders. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  15. ^ "Barzal has 5 assists in Isles' wild comeback win". TSN.com. New York. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  16. ^ Hogg, Dave (April 7, 2018). "Islanders rally past Red Wings". NHL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018. Barzal's assist was his second of the night and 63rd of the season, tying Bryan Trottier for the Islanders rookie record.
  17. ^ "Calder Trophy finalists unveiled". NHL.com. April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Mathew Barzal wins Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL's top rookie". Sportsnet.ca. June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  19. ^ Hazen, Spencer (October 4, 2018). "Islanders Set Roster for Opening Night". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  20. ^ McCarthy, Dave (December 29, 2018). "Barzal hat trick helps Islanders defeat Tavares, Maple Leafs". NHL.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  21. ^ "Barzal Selected to NHL All-Star Weekend". NHL.com. January 2, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  22. ^ "Matt Barzal tops McDavid to win NHL Fastest Skater". ProHockeyTalk. January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  23. ^ "NYI - Transactions". NHL.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  24. ^ Walker, Mollie (January 9, 2021). "Mathew Barzal finally signs contract extension with Islanders". New York Post. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  25. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (October 4, 2022). "Sources: New York Islanders, Mathew Barzal have 8-year, $73.2M deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  26. ^ "Islanders Sign Barzal". NHL.com. October 4, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  27. ^ "Kraken snap 3-game skid with 4-1 win over NY Islanders". ESPN. January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023. Mathew Barzal scored for New York, the 100th goal of his NHL career in his 400th game.
  28. ^ "Canada wins Bronze at 2014 World U18". chl.ca. April 27, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  29. ^ "Canada wins Gold at 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup". chl.ca. August 16, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  30. ^ "Canada names roster for U-18 world championship". sportsnet.ca. Calgary. April 15, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  31. ^ "DYLAN STROME, MATHEW BARZAL, THOMAS CHABOT SELECTED TO LEAD TEAM CANADA AT 2017 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP". hockeycanada.ca. December 19, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  32. ^ "WJC 2017: Finals, Team Canada earns silver medal in shootout loss". theqmjhl.ca. January 6, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  33. ^ "HOCKEY CANADA NAMES FIRST 18 PLAYERS TO 2018 IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER". hockeycanada.ca. April 12, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  34. ^ "Isles Road Blog: Montreal". NHL.com. January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  35. ^ "Beauvillier, Barzal hoping to make impact with Isles". Newsday. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  36. ^ "Barzal named NHL Rookie of Month for January". NHL.com. National Hockey League. February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  37. ^ "NHL All-Star Game rosters unveiled; Matthews to represent host Maple Leafs". NHL.com. January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024.

External links

Awards and achievements Preceded byJosh Ho-Sang New York Islanders first round pick 2015 Succeeded byAnthony Beauvillier Preceded byAuston Matthews Winner of the Calder Trophy 2018 Succeeded byElias Pettersson
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