Isles’ Barzal Has ‘all the assets’
The two may be new to NHL hockey, but Boeser and Barzal first faced off at age 14
The mutual admiration between Mathew Barzal and Brock Boeser isn’t just a Calder Trophy thing.
It dates back to when the standout NHL rookies crossed competitive paths in a triple-A bantam tournament in Winnipeg at age 14 and then hit it off again at the 2015 draft combine.
The projected first-round picks went 16th and 23rd to the New York Islanders and the Canucks, respectively, but Barzal projected another intriguing thought at the time.
What if Boeser chose to exercise his junior option and joined Barzal with the Seattle Thunderbirds instead of the University of North Dakota?
Imagine Barzal, the speedy and creative Coquitlam native, and Boeser, the hotshot Minnesota product, on the same junior line.
“I remember bugging him at the combine about it,” Barzal recalled Sunday. “I was trying to do a little recruiting, but I think he was pretty set at North Dakota. He’s a heck of a player and has one of the best shots in the league.
“He’s a special player who’s going to be great for years. He has pushed me with how much success he’s having.”
That push is the Calder. Although Barzal has a 12-point cushion on Boeser heading into Monday’s matchup at Rogers Arena — the centre leads the Isles with 67 points and 49 assists, while Boeser tops all rookies with 29 goals, 10 power-play goals and 23 power-play points to top the Canucks with 55 points — the race was once much tighter.
Before a Nov. 28 game in Brooklyn, Boeser was a big deal in The Big Apple. An NBC Sports feed screamed: “Boeser channels Bure, leads NHL rookie scoring.” He had two-goal games in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to open a six-game trip. Suddenly, everybody knew his name and appreciated his growing game. They couldn’t get enough. Barzal certainly took notice. He took over the Calder lead that night in Brooklyn by extending his points streak to seven games.
He drew a first-period penalty in the corner boards because his puck-handling got the better of Michael Del Zotto.
He set up Jordan Eberle’s goal. He danced around Troy Stecher for a backhanded chance.
It took a sprawling Chris Tanev to keep the centre from easily depositing a cross-ice feed off a twoon-one rush. Boeser had his only shot attempt in the slot blocked.
Barzal already has a trio of fivepoint games as a first-year player. His last one on Feb. 9 equalled the long-standing mark established by Joe Malone in the 1917-18 season.
“That gets everyone’s attention — if you’re a rookie or not,” Boeser said. “That’s something that’s hard to do and three times is impressive. That just shows how good a player he’s going to be for his whole career.
“He’s a good two-way guy and probably one of the best skaters in the NHL already. He sees the ice really well and he’s skilled. He’s got all the assets.”
Barzal was pointless through the first five games this season and then it all started to click. The speed and shiftiness were always there, but he started playing confidently in and through traffic and his statistical game took off.
“I started heating up a bit and right there I knew that I could help the team and be an impact player,” said Barzal, who will play before at least 100 family and friends Monday.
Still, the success didn’t happen overnight, and that’s why the Barzal story is endearing.
He played just two games last season and given his statistics line — no points, no shots and a minus-2 rating — he willingly went back to Seattle. Instead of sulking, he put up 79 points in 41 games and another 25 in 32 playoff outings to lead the T-Birds to the league title and a Memorial Cup berth.
“I wasn’t going to let a year go to waste,” Barzal said. “We had a good team and a good coach (Steve Konowalchuk) who kept me accountable. I had a blast. It was my favourite year of hockey.”
Linemate Eberle went through a similar scenario with the Edmonton Oilers and become a better player because of it.
“One thing you need to find in the league is confidence,” Barzal said. “I had a really good camp as a 19-year-old and had a (roster) shot and maybe should have been there, but they sent me back (to the WHL). It was the best thing to happen to me. I got to play in Regina and the world juniors and dominate.”
Boeser has looked tired in the second half. He said his injured right wrist is “manageable,” and that’s because he’s a gamer and wants to play.
“I can’t worry about (the Calder) because I’m not going to play the type of game I know I need to play,” Boeser said. “That stuff gets in your head if you overthink it. I’m just worried about playing hard and playing my game.”
Overtime: Canucks coach Travis Green confirmed Sunday that winger Sven Baertschi is out for the season with a separated right shoulder suffered on an Alexei Emelin hit Friday.