New York Islanders Mathew Barzal WHL Champion

New York Islanders knew they were getting a great prospect when they traded former first round pick Griffen Reinhart for the Edmonton Oilers 15th overall pick in 2015. Now Mathew Barzal’s a champion.

New York Islanders prospect Mathew Barzal not only won the WHL’s Ed Chenoweth Cup but he added the WHL’s playoff MVP to his championship.

In 16 games with his Seattle Thunderbirds, Barzal produced 25 points to power his team to the top of the WHL and onto the Memorial Cup Tournament in Windsor.

Barzal continues to prove he’s a step above the rest of the competition in the CHL. Although to be fair we already knew that.

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Barzal would have been playing in the AHL this season were it not for an agreement between the NHL and CHL that bars players under 20 from going.

Shot of Confidence

Hopefully, this championship can give Mathew Barzal a shot of confidence in his abilities for next season. He only got a two game tryout with the New York Islanders last season, thanks to his nerves getting the best of him.

A confident Barzal shouldn’t make the same mistake as last season, and thus extending his stay with the Islanders for the season.

Based on his camp last year the Isles felt he deserved a roster spot over veteran NHL player P.A. Parenteau. Next season shouldn’t be any different. Although the competition between young prospects will be intense.

Joshua Ho-Sang has been dynamite in 21 games at the tail end of the season. Ryan Pulock was dominant in AHL with Bridgeport and is destined for the next step up. And then there’s Barzal.

Next: Tavares: Second Tier Elite Player

This is only the second time in franchise history that the Thunderbirds are in the Memorial Cup, and they’ll have some tough opposition on their way to the memorial cup. But at this point, there’s no taking away what they’ve already won.