Mathew Barzal

BIOGRAPHY

Mathew Barzal was born May 26, 1997 in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. He is a center in the National Hockey League. 

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. On October 15, 2016, Barzal made his NHL debut. He played for the WHL Seattle 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. Barzal's first NHL point came on October 15, 2017, against the Los Angeles Kings when he recorded his first assist. Barzal's first multi-point NHL game came on October 26, 2017, when he had a goal and an assist. Barzal's first multi-goal game and his first hat-trick came on December 23, 2017. On January 13, 2018, 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, Barzal became the first NHL rookie to record three five-point games in a season since the 1917-18 season. On April 7, Barzal tied the Islanders record for most assists by a rookie with 63. On June 20, Barzal won the Calder Memorial Troph, which is awarded to the best rookie in the NHL. Barzal won the fastest skater competition at the 2020 NHL All-Star Skills Competition. On January 11, 2021, Barzal was signed to a reported three-year, $21 million contract with the Islanders.