Bo Horvat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bo Horvat
Horvat with the Vancouver Canucks in February 2015
Born	(1995-04-05) April 5, 1995 (age 30) London, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	New York Islanders Vancouver Canucks
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	9th overall, 2013 Vancouver Canucks
Playing career	2014–present

Bo Horvat (born April 5, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He plays as a centre and is an alternate captain for the New York Islanders. This team is part of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Bo was chosen ninth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He was the captain of the Canucks from 2019 until he was traded in 2023. During his time playing junior ice hockey, he won important awards. He won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the best player in the playoffs in 2013. He also won two J. Ross Robertson Cup titles with the London Knights. Bo has also played for Team Canada in several international tournaments.

Bo Horvat's Early Life and Start in Hockey

Growing Up in Ontario

Bo Horvat was born on April 5, 1995, in London, Ontario. His parents are Tim and Cindy Horvat. He grew up in a town called Rodney, Ontario. This town was about a 90-minute drive from Detroit, Michigan. As a child, Bo often went to watch Detroit Red Wings hockey games.

Bo and his younger brother, Cal, loved playing hockey. They would often practice in their family's basement. When Bo was 12, he moved away from home. He lived with a host family to play for the Toronto Red Wings minor ice hockey team. In 2008, Bo helped the Red Wings win a big tournament. He scored 10 goals and had 16 points in the tournament.

Playing for the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs

During the 2010–11 hockey season, Bo played for the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs. He was named the best player in the league. He scored 47 goals and made 71 assists, totaling 118 points in 68 games. His coach said Bo scored a lot of points.

After his season with the Chiefs, Bo also played five games. He joined the St. Thomas Stars team. His father was the coach of this team. Bo helped them win their league championship. This experience helped him get ready for junior ice hockey.

Bo Horvat's Junior Hockey Career

Joining the London Knights

The London Knights team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) chose Bo. They picked him ninth overall in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection draft. Bo joined the Knights for the 2011–12 season. He scored his first OHL goal in his very first game. This was an 8–0 win against the Saginaw Spirit.

In his first year, Bo scored 11 goals and made 19 assists. He played in 64 regular season games. That year, the Knights won the J. Ross Robertson Cup. This meant they were OHL champions. They beat the Niagara IceDogs in the finals. They then went to the 2012 Memorial Cup finals. However, they lost in overtime to the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Winning Awards and Championships

In the 2012–13 season, Bo got even better. He scored 33 goals and had 61 points in 67 games. He also had a 17-game streak where he scored points. Coaches in the OHL Western Conference gave him awards. They said he was the best at face-offs and blocking shots.

The Knights won their second OHL championship in a row. Bo led the league with 16 goals and 23 points in the playoffs. He scored the winning goal in Game 7 of the OHL finals. The Knights beat the Barrie Colts 3–2. Bo won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award for being the most valuable player in the OHL playoffs. Even though the Knights lost in the 2013 Memorial Cup semifinals, Bo won another award. He received the George Parsons Trophy for being the most sportsmanlike player.

Drafted by the NHL

Before his professional draft year, Bo was ranked as a top hockey prospect. On June 30, 2013, the Vancouver Canucks traded a player to get the ninth overall pick. They used this pick to draft Bo Horvat. On August 6, Bo signed a three-year contract with Vancouver.

At first, it seemed Bo might play for the Canucks right away. But his coach wanted him to play more in the OHL. This would give him more playing time. So, Bo was sent back to his junior team.

Alternate Captain in London

When Bo returned to London for the 2013–14 season, people thought he would be the captain. But the team chose Chris Tierney as captain. Bo was named one of four alternate captains. As an alternate captain, Bo had another great season. He scored 30 goals and had a career-best 44 assists. He finished with 74 points in the regular season. The Knights lost in the semifinals that year.

Bo Horvat's NHL Career

Starting with the Vancouver Canucks (2014–2023)

Bo tried out for the Canucks again the next season. He got hurt in a pre-season game. After he recovered, he played a few games with the Utica Comets. This team is a minor league affiliate of the Canucks.

Horvat in March 2015, wearing the Canucks' Vancouver Millionaires jersey

Bo made his NHL debut on November 4, 2014. He scored his first NHL goal on November 20. The Canucks decided to keep him in the NHL. He played on the third line at first. Later, he moved up to the second line. In 68 games, Bo scored 13 goals and made 12 assists. He finished with 25 points. He even received some votes for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is for the best rookie player. In the 2015 playoffs, he scored four points in six games.

In the 2015–16 season, Bo had more pressure to score. He also had more defensive duties. He had a great six-game point streak in January. He scored six goals and nine points during this time. Bo ended his second season with 16 goals and 24 assists, totaling 40 points.

Becoming an All-Star and Captain

On January 10, 2017, Bo was chosen for the 2017 NHL All-Star Game. He was the youngest Canuck to be an All-Star since Trevor Linden. On March 3, 2017, Bo was named one of Vancouver's alternate captains. He ended the 2016–17 season with career highs. He scored 20 goals, 32 assists, and 52 points.

Horvat with the Canucks taking a faceoff against Steven Stamkos in February 2018

On September 8, 2017, Bo signed a new six-year contract with the Canucks. On December 5, 2017, he broke his foot. This made him miss six weeks of games. Even so, he scored a new career-high of 22 goals. He also had 22 assists for 44 points in 64 games.

After the Sedin brothers retired, Bo became an alternate captain again. In the 2018–19 season, Bo had to play with different teammates often. But he still set new career highs. He scored 27 goals, 34 assists, and 61 points in all 82 games.

On October 9, 2019, Bo Horvat was named the 14th captain of the Canucks. This happened in a special ceremony. On October 20, he scored his 100th career goal. Two days later, he scored his first career hat trick. This means he scored three goals in one game. The Canucks won 5–2.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the season to stop for months. When hockey returned, Bo led the Canucks into the 2020 playoffs. This was the first time the Canucks made the playoffs since Bo's rookie year. He scored 10 goals and two assists in 17 playoff games. The Canucks won their first series. They then lost in seven games to the Vegas Golden Knights. Bo's 10 goals were the third-highest by a Canuck in a playoff year.

Joining the New York Islanders (2023–present)

On January 30, 2023, Bo's time with the Canucks ended. He was traded to the New York Islanders. The Islanders gave up three players and a draft pick for him. At the time of the trade, Bo was having his best goal-scoring season. He had already scored 31 goals in only 49 games. He was also named to his second All-Star Game.

When he joined the Islanders, he changed his jersey number from 53 to 14. On February 5, Bo signed a big eight-year contract with the Islanders. On February 7, he scored his first goal with his new team. The Islanders won 4–0 against the Seattle Kraken.

Bo Horvat's International Play

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
Gold	2012 Slovakia
World U-17 Hockey Challenge
Gold	2012 Canada

Bo played for Team Ontario's under-16 team in 2011. He scored nine points in six games. He helped Ontario finish fourth. The next year, he was captain of Team Ontario. They won a bronze medal at the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. He scored four goals and seven points.

In the same year, he was an alternate captain for Team Canada's under-18 team. They played in the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Bo scored two goals and four points. He helped Canada win a gold medal.

During his third OHL season, Bo played for Canada's under-20 team. This was for the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He played in a defensive role. He recorded one goal and three points. Canada finished fourth in the tournament.

In 2015, the Canucks decided to keep Bo in the NHL. So, he did not play for Team Canada in the World Juniors. On April 12, 2018, Bo was chosen to play for Team Canada's senior team. This was for the 2018 IIHF World Championship.

Bo Horvat's Personal Life

Bo Horvat is second cousins with another NHL player, Travis Konecny. They did not play minor hockey together. However, they often played against each other in junior and professional games. Bo's younger brother, Cal, also played hockey. He later decided to become a police officer.

Bo wears jersey number 53. This is a tribute to a goalie named Ian Jenkins. Ian wore number 35 and died in an accident in 2011. Ian was also drafted by the London Knights.

Bo proposed to his girlfriend, Holly Donaldson, in 2018. Holly is an equestrian and curler. They met when Bo was playing junior hockey. They got married in July 2019. Many of Bo's teammates and former teammates were at the wedding. Their first child, Gunnar Horvat, was born on June 28, 2020. This was just before Bo had to go to playoff training camp.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

International Play

Awards and Honours