Mathew Barzal

**Mathew Barzal** (born on May 26, 1997 in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the New York Islanders in the NHL.

Barzal was drafted in the first round (16th overall) by the Islanders in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

## Playing Career

### Amateur

Mathew played in the 2010 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with his youth team from Burnaby. He was selected first overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.

In his rookie season with the Thunderbirds in the 2013–14 season, he scored 14 goals and 40 assists for 54 points. He was ranked seventh in the NHL's midterm rankings ahead of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

### Professional

On September 10, 2015, Mathew signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders. On October 15, 2016, he made his NHL debut.

He returned to the Thunderbirds and won the 2017 WHL championship and was named WHL Playoff MVP after registering 25 points (7 goals and 18 assists) in 16 games.

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

His first multi-point NHL game came on October 26, 2017 when he had a goal and an assist playing against the Minnesota Wild. His first NHL power play goal (and also his first NHL goal at home) came on October 30, 2017 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

He set a franchise record for assists by a rookie when he recorded five assists on November 5, 2017 in a 6–4 Islanders win over the Colorado Avalanche; this also tied the franchise record for points in a game by a rookie.

His first multi-goal game and his first hat-trick came on December 23, 2017, against the Winnipeg Jets in a 5–2 Islanders win. 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.

On February 9, 2018, in a 7–6 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, Mathew became the first NHL rookie to record three five-point games in a season since Joe Malone did so in the 1917–18 season.

On April 7, 2018, he tied the Islanders record (held by Bryan Trottier) for the most assists by a rookie with 63. On April 22, 2018, he was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy (which he later won).

Following the departure of John Tavares during the 2018 off-season, Mathew began the 2018–19 season centering the Islanders' top line with Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey.

On December 29, 2018, he 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.

On January 3, 2019, Mathew was named to the 2019 NHL All-Star Game. He finished the season with 62 points (18 goals and 44 assists), leading the Islanders in both points and assists.

He won the fastest skater competition at the 2020 NHL All-Star Skills Competition.

## International Play

Mathew helped Canada capture the bronze medal at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships and won gold at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

He was again named to the Canada roster the following year to compete at the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championship, where he again won bronze.

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

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

## Personal Life

Mathew speaks fluent French, having taken French immersion in school, and as a result, he has a very close friendship with Islanders teammate Anthony Beauvillier (whom he met when the two of them played for Canada at the 2015 World U18 Championship).