New York Islanders Select Mathew Barzal In First Round
T-Bird center is 16th overall pick in 2015 NHL Draft
Sunrise, FL, June 26, 2015 – Seattle Thunderbirds center Mathew Barzal was selected by the New York Islanders in the first round, 16th overall, of the 2015 NHL Draft this evening in Sunrise, Florida at the BB&T Center.
The Islanders moved up in the draft to select Barzal. The Islanders traded defenseman Griffin Reinhart to the Edmonton Oil Kings to acquire the 16th and 33rd pick in the draft.
Barzal is the 15th T-Bird to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft. The last T-Bird to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft was defenseman Shea Theodore in 2013. Theodore was taken 26th overall by the Anaheim Ducks.
Barzal, an 18-year-old from Coquitlam, British Columbia, just finished his second season with the T-Bird and had 57 points on 12 goals and 45 assists. He had four goals and four assists in six playoff games. In two seasons with the T-Birds Barzal has 111 points on 26 goals and 85 assists in 103 games.
Barzal is ranked number 11 in the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings for 2015 Draft eligible players.
He was invited to Hockey Canada’s Summer Showcase on Wednesday. He will attend Canada’s World Junior Development Camp in Calgary. This is the first step in identifying the 22 players that will represent Canada at the 2016 World Junior Championship.
Barzal won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 2015 Under-18 World Championship April 16-26 in Zug and Lucerne, Switzerland. He led Canada in scoring with three goals and nine assists in seven games. This total put him in a tie for third in scoring at the Championship.
Barzal was a member of Team Canada’s Under-18 Team that won Gold at the 2014 U18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, August 11 to August 16, 2014 in Breclav, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia. He had two goals and five assists for seven points to tie for the team lead in points.
Barzal was part of Team Canada’s U-18 National Team that won Bronze at the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Finland in April 2014. He had three goals and one assist for four points in seven games.
The second through seventh rounds of the Draft start Saturday at 7am from the BB&T Center. It is expected left wing Ryan Gropp, right wing Keegan Kolesar and defenseman Ethan Bear will be selected.
The T-Birds announced their 2015-16 regular season schedule on Wednesday.
The Seattle Thunderbirds home opener for the 2015-16 season is Saturday, October 3, against the Prince George Cougars at 7:05pm at ShoWare Center.
T-Birds single game tickets for the 2015-16 season will go on sale Wednesday, August 26, at 10am. Fans will be able to purchase single game tickets online or at the ShoWare Center box office.
T-Birds 2015-16 season tickets are currently on sale. Season tickets can be purchased by calling the T-Birds office at 253-239-7825.
