NY Islanders Officially Name Bo Horvat 16th Captain of Team

Bo Horvat will be replacing Anders Lee as the New York Islanders captain.

Mar 21, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) looks on during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the first time in nearly a decade, the New York Islanders have to name a new captain for the franchise.

Over the last eight years, that title had been held by Anders Lee. A 14-year veteran, which was all spent with the Islanders, he hit free agency this offseason and signed a three-year, $16.2 million deal with the Utah Mammoth, creating a massive void that had to be replaced when it came to production on the ice and leadership in the locker room.

The player who will be taking over the mantle as team captain will be Bo Horvat. He will be the 16th captain in franchise history, as the news was shared in a post on the team’s official account on X.

Bo Horvat has been named the 16th captain of the New York Islanders.

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) September 14, 2026

This is the second time that Horvat has been named a captain in his career. He held the title with the Vancouver Canucks, where he was given the honor before the start of the 2019-20 campaign and held it before he was traded to the Islanders on Jan. 30, 2023 in exchange for two forwards, Anthony Beauvillier and Aatu Raty and a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft..

It didn’t take long for Horvat to take on a leadership role in New York. Ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, his second full one with the Islanders, he was named an alternate captain by the franchise.

Over the summer, Horvat provided some insight into what he believed it took to be a captain of a team in the NHL. 

Bo Horvat a great choice to be Islanders captain

Mar 30, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) reacts during the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"The way I looked at it was I rather face the music and have to answer the hard questions and worry about the team, than having some guys in the locker room do that or the guys in the locker room take the heat," Horvat said, via NHL.com media. "It's that extra pressure, it's that extra weight on your shoulders, but at the same time it lets other people be who they want to be and the players they want to be. If that benefits the team, then that's kind of what you have to do. At the end of the day, it's about winning hockey games, and if I can help in any way, that's what I'm going to try to do."

In 260 games with New York, Horvat has recorded 198 points, scoring 99 goals to go along with 99 assists. For his career, he has recorded 618 points, lighting the lamp 300 times and handing out 318 assists in 881 regular-season games.

The “C” belongs to Bo.

Bo Horvat has been named Captain of the New York Islanders. pic.twitter.com/X3GINPQvXG

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) September 14, 2026

With the Islanders’ captaincy filled, there are now nine teams in the league that still don’t have one named: the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks and Canucks.

It will be interesting to see how long Horvat holds this title, because even he believes that it is only a matter of time until defenseman Matthew Schaefer is named captain of the franchise.