Canucks name Bo Horvat the 14th captain in franchise history

The Vancouver Canucks named Bo Horvat as their next captain on Wednesday night ahead of the team’s home opener against the Los Angeles Kings.

Horvat posted a career-best 27 goals and 61 points, playing in all 82 games during the 2018-19 season. The 24-year-old was honoured in a pre-game ceremony, where his jersey with the ‘C’ adorned was revealed to the home crowd.

Vancouver announced Horvat among its assistants in a somewhat cryptic tweet on Oct. 1, joining Chris Tanev, Alex Edler and Brandon Sutter among the team’s leadership group.

Horvat has been a staple of the Canucks since being selected ninth overall in 2013 NHL Draft and serves as one of the bridges between the team’s rebuilding efforts, and its bright future aided by Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson.

It’s clear that Horvat’s won the endorsement of Canucks legends from the past.

“It’s always tough to see where young guys will end up. Where he is right now, if he ends up being this kind of player (the rest of his career), that’s plenty. But he could take other steps. Bo has all the intangibles to become something great,” former Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said of Horvat to Sportnet’s Iain MacIntyre.

Sedin also gave Horvat some key advice.

“Be yourself. He got picked because he is who he is. That’s what they told me when I became captain. It's good they’ve seen him for a few years. If someone comes in and you pick him right away, you don’t really know what kind of guy he is,” Sedin said via Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.

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