Horvat and DeBoer’s Olympic Connection

When Head Coach Pete DeBoer entered the New York Islanders locker room, he’d primarily viewed many of the players through the lens of an opposing coach. However, he had the most familiarity with Bo Horvat, as they both represented Team Canada at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina, with DeBoer serving as an Assistant Coach.

Horvat finished the tournament with two goals in six games, as he and DeBoer took home silver for Canada. The two established a solid foundation on an international stage.

“I was so impressed with him at the Olympics,” DeBoer said of Horvat. “He really carved out an important role for us with faceoffs, penalty killing, some power play. To step into that deep end of the pool with that group of players and to make yourself an important piece, it tells you how good a player he is.”

“It shows you how valuable he is to this organization,” DeBoer added.

In the biggest tournament of his career, DeBoer helped Horvat sharpen his 200-foot game while honing in on the defensive aspects, making himself a valuable asset for Team Canada.

“He worked with me a lot on the penalty kill, and it became one of my jobs,” Horvat said. “He was very detailed in the defensive part of the game, he gets his message across very clearly, he was a pleasure to work with over there.”

Horvat has some extra experience playing against DeBoer-coached teams as Horvat and the Vancouver Canucks faced DeBoer and the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. DeBoer and Vegas defeated Horvat and the Canucks in Game 7 to advance to the Western Conference Final in the bubble.

Horvat remembers well how tough a DeBoer-coached team can be.

“They're stingy, they don't give up much,” Horvat said. “They’re good off the rush, and can also score goals. Just a really good 200-foot game. That’s what we need to do here.”

DeBoer has a track record of success, featuring a perfect 9-0 record in Game 7s, as well as 97 playoff wins, which rank fifth all-time.

“He's very obviously an established coach in this league,” Horvat added. “He's won a lot, been in the playoffs a ton, and knows what it takes to get there. A lot of respect for him and what he's accomplished in his career.”

Although Horvat, DeBoer and Canda didn’t get the result they wanted at the Olympics  – they fell in a dramatic 2-1 result in overtime in the gold medal game - Horvat noted that DeBoer brought a composure that helped the team stay calm and focused on game day as well as heading into overtime.

“He's got a calming presence behind the bench. There’s no panic,” Horvat said. “His level-headedness and positivity throughout that whole thing was really contagious. It's great to be around him.”

The next four games will have high stakes as the Islanders are fighting for their playoff lives. The Islanders (89 points) are three point out of a playoff spot as they chase the third-place Philadelphia Flyers (92 points) and the Ottawa Senators (92 points), who occupy the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Isles, Sens and Flyers are all at 78 games played.

DeBoer is using these practice days leading into Thursday’s contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs to hammer in the details and gear up for four playoff-style games. Horvat got a glimpse at his techniques and razor-sharp focus at the Olympics, now the rest of the Islanders will take it all in.

“His details, the way he coaches and what he wants to accomplish out there is what sticks out to me,” Horvat said. “We’re lucky to have him.”