Bo Horvat: Career Stats, Wife, Salary, Trade, and Height

Few trades in recent NHL history have reshaped a player’s career trajectory quite like Bo Horvat’s move from Vancouver to Long Island. The January 2023 deal sent the then-Canucks captain to the New York Islanders, where he immediately signed an eight-year, $68 million extension and eventually inherited the captaincy.

Position: Centre ·
Team: New York Islanders ·
Height: 6’1″ ·
Weight: 225 lb ·
Drafted: 9th overall, 2013 ·
Captaincy: Canucks 2019–2023, Islanders 2024–present

Six key biographical data points, one pattern: Horvat’s career combines early draft pedigree with steady production growth and two franchise-leadership tenures.

Why did Bo Horvat get traded?

When did the Canucks trade Bo Horvat?

• The Vancouver Canucks traded Horvat to the New York Islanders on January 30, 2023, while he was serving as team captain (NHL.com (official league site)).
• Horvat was in the final season of a six-year, $33 million contract carrying a $5.5 million average annual value and was a pending unrestricted free agent (NHL.com (official league site)).
• The Canucks retained 25% of Horvat’s remaining salary in the deal, reducing the Islanders’ immediate cap burden (NHL.com (official league site)).

What did the Islanders give up for Bo Horvat?

• New York sent forward Anthony Beauvillier, prospect Aatu Raty, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to Vancouver (NHL.com (official league site)).
• At the time of the trade, Horvat had 31 goals and 23 assists for 54 points in 49 games — a near point-per-game pace (NHL.com (official league site)).
• The deal was widely viewed as one of the most notable midseason centre acquisitions of the 2022-23 NHL season (ESPN (sports news desk)).

The implication: The trade wasn’t a fire sale. Vancouver extracted a meaningful return while retaining salary to facilitate the deal, signaling that they valued Horvat enough to help the acquiring team fit him under the cap.

Is Bo Horvat injured?

What is Bo Horvat’s injury status right now?

• No current injury was reported in the latest NHL.com media availability or Islanders practice reports (New York Islanders (club media channel)).
• Injury updates for NHL players are best verified through official team practice reports and the league’s media portal.

How has Bo Horvat handled injuries in the past?

• Horvat has been a high-minute, two-way centre who has played through a demanding NHL workload — he logged 621 regular-season games before the trade (NHL.com (official league site)).
• His 2024-25 season ended with 57 points, and he recorded a career-high 33 goals and 68 points in the 2023-24 season with the Islanders (Daily Hive (Vancouver sports desk)).

The pattern: Horvat has maintained consistent offensive production through a heavy workload. Any absence tends to stem from routine maintenance rather than major injury, based on his availability history.

Is Bo Horvat Croatian?

What does the Horvat surname mean?

• Bo Horvat was born in London, Ontario, Canada (NHL.com (official league site)).
• The surname Horvat is a common Croatian surname — equivalent to “Horvath” in Hungarian — and reflects his family’s Croatian heritage.
• He has never represented Croatia internationally; he was born and developed in Canada’s hockey system.

Does Bo Horvat play for Canada or Croatia?

• Horvat has played for Team Canada at international events, including being named to the roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
• His Croatian roots are a matter of family heritage, not national team affiliation.

Why this matters: For fans curious about his background, Horvat’s surname is a direct link to Croatian ancestry, but his hockey identity is fully Canadian — he developed through the Ontario Hockey League and represents Canada internationally.

What is Bo Horvat’s current salary?

How much does Bo Horvat make per season?

• Horvat signed an eight-year, $68 million contract with the New York Islanders on February 5, 2023 — less than a week after the trade (NHL.com (official league site)).
• The average annual value is $8.5 million, as confirmed by the NHLPA (NHLPA (players’ association)).
• Before the trade, he was earning a $5.5 million AAV on his previous six-year deal (NHL.com (official league site)).

How long is Bo Horvat’s contract?

• The contract runs through the 2030-31 season, securing Horvat through age 36 (PuckPedia (cap-tracking database)).
• This is a full eight-year term — the maximum allowed under the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement for a player signing with his own team.

The trade-off: The Islanders committed long-term money to a centre who will be 36 in the final year of the deal. Horvat’s faceoff reliability and net-front game typically age well, but the $8.5M cap hit in the later years could test the team’s roster flexibility.

Who is Bo Horvat’s wife?

How did Bo Horvat meet his wife?

• Horvat is married to Holly Donaldson (CBC Sports (Canadian sports broadcaster)).
• The couple met before his NHL career began, though specific details of their first meeting have not been extensively recounted in media interviews.

Does Bo Horvat have children?

• CBC reported that Holly gave birth to the couple’s first child, Gunnar John Horvat, in 2020 (CBC Sports (Canadian sports broadcaster)).
• The New York Islanders confirmed in 2025 that Horvat and Holly were expecting their third child, a baby girl (New York Islanders (club media channel)).

The catch: Personal-life details remain relatively private. Horvat has kept his family life out of the public spotlight, with most confirmed details coming from team-released features rather than personal interviews.

What is Bo Horvat known for?

Is Bo Horvat good?

• Horvat was drafted 9th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2013 NHL Draft (NHL.com (official league site)).
• He served as Canucks captain from 2019 to 2023 and was named Islanders captain in 2024 — one of the few players in league history to captain two franchises.
• He is recognized as a two-way centre, faceoff specialist, and team leader who consistently delivers 55-70 points per 82-game pace.
• At the time of the trade, he had 420 points in 621 regular-season games and 16 points in 23 playoff games (NHL.com (official league site)).

How tall is Bo Horvat?

• Horvat stands 6’1″ and weighs 225 lb, giving him a prototypical power-forward build for a centre (NHL.com (official league site)).
• His size, combined with his faceoff ability, makes him effective in net-front battles and defensive-zone draws.

The pattern: Horvat isn’t a flashy, highlight-reel player. He wins pucks, drives the net, and scores from inside the hash marks — the kind of production that general managers pay a premium for at the deadline.

A key career-statistics view — seven seasons of data, one trajectory: consistent scoring growth with a clear peak after the trade.

Career timeline

• 2013 — Drafted 9th overall by the Vancouver Canucks (NHL.com (official league site)).
• 2014 — Made his NHL debut.
• 2019 — Named captain of the Vancouver Canucks.
• January 30, 2023 — Traded to the New York Islanders (NHL.com (official league site)).
• February 5, 2023 — Signed eight-year, $68M extension (NHL.com (official league site)).
• 2024 — Named captain of the New York Islanders.
• 2026 — Named to Team Canada for the 2026 Olympics.

Confirmed facts vs. what’s still unclear

Quotes

“It’s a huge honour. Obviously, I’m from Canada, so to be able to represent your country at that level is something you dream about.”

— Bo Horvat, on being named to Team Canada for the 2026 Olympics (New York Islanders (club media channel))

During his contract year with Vancouver, Horvat told TSN he was focusing on his game and letting the business side take care of itself.

Frequently asked questions

The story of Bo Horvat is the story of a player who became a franchise anchor twice — first in Vancouver, then in New York. For the Islanders, the decision to trade for him, extend him, and hand him the captaincy is clear: they needed a reliable, high-usage centre who could win faceoffs, drive net-front offense, and lead a room. The $8.5M AAV through 2031 is a bet that Horvat’s game ages as well as his reputation suggests. For Islanders fans, the implication is direct: this is their centre for the next five years, and his production will shape the team’s competitive window.

Related reading: Nick Robertson: Contract, Family, and Penguins Trade · Logan Stanley: Suspension, Trade, Free Agent Status