Kelowna hockey fans may not have great memories of Mat Barzal being in town.
After all, the last time most fans saw him in town was when he was leading the Seattle Thunderbirds to a Western Conference Finals victory over the Rockets.
Photo Credit: Marissa Baecker/Shoot the Breeze Photography
This time, however, fans may be a little more excited to see the 21-year-old B.C. product, as he’s coming off an incredible rookie season with the New York Islanders.
Barzal won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year, posting an impressive 85 points in 82 games, including three five-point efforts over the course of the season.
Now, he’s ready to take another step as a leader of the Islanders after the team’s captain, John Tavares, left in free agency to join the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That next step will take a lot of off-season training, which he’s currently doing right here in the beautiful Okanagan.
The Islanders' Instagram story feed is following Barzal as he enjoys time on the lake and beach, but also puts in his time at Rutland Arena in Kelowna.
It’s hard to tell through the brief videos posted by the Isles, but it looks like he’s training with a number of other NHLers including Curtis Lazar of the Calgary Flames.
The Islanders Instagram story has been following Barzal in Kelowna since Sunday, but it’s unknown how long they’ll continue to do so.
For now, it may even be worth a drive or walk over to Rutland Arena to see if you can get in on the action in person.
Photo Credit: New York Islanders Instagram
Judging by those social media posts, the players were working out between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, but we can’t confirm if it’ll be the same time on Tuesday.
If you do get a chance to watch Barzal and the other NHLers do their thing, snap some pictures and send them to news@kelownanow.com!
