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A look back on Bo Horvat’s time as Canucks captain

Photo credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

By Edward Nicol-McCabe

Sep 16, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 16, 2026, 02:23 EDT

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On Monday, Bo Horvat was named the 16th captain in New York Islanders history.

With the news, Horvat became the second Vancouver Canucks captain to be named captain by another organization. The other being Trevor Linden, also with the Islanders, who was named captain during the 1998-99 season.

Today, we will recap Horvat’s time with the Canucks, highlighting his on-ice play and progression from the 2013 ninth overall pick to leading Vancouver to within a game of the Western Conference Finals in 2020, and his subsequent trade to Long Island in 2022.

“I think you’re gonna wanna hear this,” – Gary Bettman’s infamous call on the 2013 NHL Draft floor announcing that Cory Schneider had been traded to the New Jersey Devils for the ninth overall selection.

Going into the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, the Canucks were fresh off being swept by the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals but still possessing the nucleus of a core that came within one game of being crowned Stanley Cup Champions two years prior. The organization had multiple questions that needed to be answered. One: was their contention window closed? Two: what are the next steps? Three: what’s the answer to “the goaltender question”?

With franchise goaltender Roberto Luongo now 34 years old, with eight years remaining on his 12-year, $64M contract, and a budding 26-year-old star netminder in Cory Schneider coming off an impressive three-season stretch, the dilemma about who would earn the starter’s crease dominated the conversation all offseason.

However, Luongo’s contract created major issues for Vancouver. The years remaining and the trade protection that Luongo possessed limited their options. With the lack of realistic trading partners and the risk of Luongo blocking Schneider’s progression, Vancouver decided to cash in, trading Schneider to the Devils for the ninth overall pick to select their number one prospect, Horvat. At the time, the Canucks didn’t know this selection would give them their next captain and help them bridge the gap from the Sedin era.

Flash forward to September 2014, fresh off a 30-goal, 74-point draft-plus-one campaign with the London Knights, Horvat looked primed to make the jump to become a regular NHLer. And the second line centre role opened up after the team traded Ryan Kesler to the Anaheim Ducks that past June.

After missing the first 12 games of that season with a shoulder injury, Horvat made his NHL debut on November 2 against the Colorado Avalanche, playing 8:52, registering one shot on goal and finishing with a plus-one rating in a 5-2 win. He would finish his rookie year with 13 goals and 25 points in 68 games. His efforts earned him two fifth-place votes for the Calder Trophy. Horvat carried over that momentum in their first-round playoff series against the Calgary Flames, where he scored the series-opening goal and finished the six-game series with four points.

As Horvat grew older, he only got better. In year two, he recorded 16 goals and 40 points in 82 games, with his ice time increasing by five minutes per game. In year three, Horvat scored 20 goals and recorded 52 points, both being the first time he hit the 20-goal and 50-point mark. While most forwards tend to peak at age 23/24, Horvat only continued to improve. It took until Horvat was 26 and in his eighth season to reach 30 goals, a mark that Horvat has been able to hit consistently ever since, failing to do so in 2024-25, when he recorded his worst shooting percentage since his sophomore season (11.5 vs. his career average of 13.4%) and still scored 28 goals.

On October 9, 2019, Bo Horvat was named the 14th captain in Vancouver Canucks history. It was the home opener against the Los Angeles Kings, and the crowd in Rogers Arena kept chanting his name, anticipating the announcement before puck drop. With the team also celebrating its 50th season, the list of Canucks legends in attendance that night was long.

Dennis Kearns came out in full gear, with his 1970s-era stick and rink jersey on, hanging by a thread. Stan Smyl then came out in an Adidas version of the Flying V jersey, representing the 80s. Representing the 90s was Kirk McLean, who wore his gear, which he shared was the first time since he retired. For the 2000s, Todd Bertuzzi came out to thunderous applause, and for the 2010s, Daniel Sedin came out to an even louder ovation. Then came the captains’ ceremony.

“Bo, in our historic, 50th season, a new era of Canucks hockey begins, and with a new era, comes new change. Bo, that change begins with your jersey. From the hands of our first and last captain to yours, Bo, ladies and gentlemen, please make some noise and welcome the 14th captain of your Vancouver Canucks, Bo Horvat!” – Al Murdoch

In his first season as captain, and with heavy expectations, Horvat scored 22 goals and added 31 assists for 53 points in 69 games. Finishing third in points among Canucks forwards, behind JT Miller and Elias Pettersson, respectively, Horvat helped lead Vancouver to their first playoff appearance since his rookie season.

During that playoff run, Horvat was a scoring machine. With 10 goals in 17 games, Horvat was the first player in the 2020 playoffs to reach double digits in goals, and was still tied for fourth when the playoffs concluded. With three multi-goal games, including back-to-back performances against the St. Louis Blues in Games 1 and 2 that featured highlight-reel individual efforts, Horvat more than held his weight in his first playoff run as Canucks captain.

Sadly, however, it would be his last playoff run as a Canuck.

With Horvat’s six-year, $33M deal coming to a close, new management at the steering wheel, rumours of a “country club” type culture within the locker room, and the Canucks reportedly catching Horvat off guard when they extended JT Miller to a seven-year, $56M contract during the 2022 offseason, the writing was on the wall: Bo Horvat was not going to be a Canuck when his contract expired.

Although Vancouver and Horvat’s camp reportedly tried their best to come to a deal, it never came close. On January 30, 2023, the Canucks traded Horvat to the Islanders for winger Anthony Beauvillier, centre Aatu Räty, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Vancouver would later flip that first-round pick, along with a 2023 second-round pick, on March 1 to acquire defenceman Filip Hronek.

Bo Horvat put it best when he said, “I thought I was going to be a Canuck for life. Things didn’t work out that way.” And although some of his comments following the trade, including his regretful “I’ll tell you that for free” quote he said to an Islanders reporter following a victory, struck a chord with Canucks fans. The conversation surrounding Bo has been mostly positive online, and he is remembered fondly for some of the clutch moments he provided for Vancouver.

He captained a Canucks team that only made the playoffs once. On most nights, Horvat received flak online for his cookie-cutter responses and was often criticized for not sticking up for teammates physically. In retrospect, Horvat appears to have been the glue that held a lot of things together.

After Horvat left, the Canucks’ locker room appeared to deteriorate, and new captain Quinn Hughes struggled to keep the group together. The Canucks and their players also became less visible in terms of community outreach. As a Canuck, Horvat could often be found doing charitable events, working with Ronald McDonald House to develop “Horvat’s Heroes”, which saw Bo, his wife Holly, and the Canucks donate tickets to every home game for the families of those staying at RMH, and regularly visiting Canucks Place Children’s Hospice.

As the Canucks enter a new era, change has to occur. With the rebuild underway in Vancouver, a new era is taking shape. Whoever may don the ‘C’ next in Vancouver should model their leadership based on how Horvat captained the Canucks.

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