Horvat set for Vancouver return: 'It'll always hold a special place in my heart'

The New York Islanders take on the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, marking the first time forward Bo Horvat will play at Rogers Arena as a member of the away team.

"It's going to be an emotional night," Horvat told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "I had a lot of great memories in Vancouver, so to revisit the city, it's going to be a little weird going into the visitors dressing room. But I had so many great memories there, it's going to be a fun night."

Horvat played the first nine seasons of his career in Vancouver, serving as the Canucks' captain for the final four. He was traded to the Islanders on Jan. 31 in exchange for Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a first-round pick, which was later flipped to the Detroit Red Wings in the Filip Hronek trade.

The Canucks' best run during Horvat's time with the team came during the 2020 playoff bubble. He tallied a team-high 10 goals in 17 games from the play-in against the Minnesota Wild through Game 7 of the second round versus the Vegas Golden Knights.

"We had some good years, but also had some dog days there with the rebuild and everything," Horvat said of his tenure in Vancouver. "There were a lot of great memories there, have some great friends, and I started my family there. It'll always hold a special place in my heart."

The trade to the Islanders was the first move of Horvat's career. He spent his entire OHL career with the London Knights and his NHL stint to that point exclusively with Vancouver, having been drafted by the Canucks ninth overall in 2013.

"You hear stories and different situations of guys getting traded, but until you actually go through it, it's a lot different," Horvat said. "You try not to let it (affect you), but when you're worrying about different other things such as your family and living and all that, it takes a toll on you."

Horvat signed an eight-year, $68-million contract extension with the Islanders less than a week after being traded.

"That was a big thing that I wanted was to be in one spot for a long time and not have to worry about what's going to happen next year or where the kids are going to school and all that kind of stuff," Horvat said. "And Long Island is just such a great family spot for us, and we love it so far and can't wait to spend another eight years here."