Bo Horvat is headed to Milan.
And Matthew Schaefer can tentatively plan on getting a well-deserved rest in February.
Horvat was named to Team Canada’s 25-man Olympic squad Thursday, marking the first time he’ll represent his country in best-on-best competition.
Schaefer was left out of the eight-man defense corps, which was the exact same as the group Canada sent to the 4 Nations Face-Off last year.
“If I get there, it’d be a dream come true,” Horvat said Tuesday before the announcement. “At the same time, if not, there’s so many great hockey players in this country that we’re gonna have a great team no matter what.”
Islanders forward Bo Horvat was named to Canada’s Olympics roster. Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
Canada did not name an official list of injury replacements, but it is believed Schaefer would be in the mix should one of the eight defensemen on the roster get hurt.
Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said the decision will be based in part on the style of player who needs to be replaced, which is why a list isn’t being released.
“I’ll be honest. He wasn’t on my radar at the start of the season, but his play is exemplary,” Armstrong said of Schaefer. “He’s a fantastic talent. He brings you out of your seat every night. He’s got maturity on and off the ice. I was shocked at how quickly he worked his way into our conversations and that’s a credit to him. And the Islanders are very lucky, and hockey’s very lucky, to have a young player like that coming on the horizon.”
A year ago, Horvat was, at best, on the outskirts of the competition for a 4 Nations roster spot.
He worked his way into the picture for the Olympics starting by playing in the World Championships this summer for Canada.
That roster included Sidney Crosby, Macklin Celebrini, Nathan MacKinnon and Travis Sanheim, all of whom were named to the Olympic team, and Horvat finished the tournament with eight points in six games.
Islanders phenom Matthew Schaefer did not make Canada’s Olympics roster. Getty Images
In 35 games — he was absent for five games due to injury this month — he’s scored 21 goals, ranking ninth in the NHL.
Many came in front of Canada’s management team, which was frequently spotted watching Islanders games from the press box as it debated his inclusion.
It looked for a period of time like Horvat and Montreal center Nick Suzuki would be fighting for one spot, but both ultimately were named to the roster.
Panthers winger Sam Bennett, who played in 4 Nations, was a surprise exclusion instead.
“Bo has a lot of the attributes we’re looking for,” Armstrong said. “We want to be able to play inside, get to the net. He’s a player that played left wing with MacKinnon at World Championships last year. Can play multiple positions for us.
“I think of the players we selected, he’s our highest [percentage] faceoff guy, so he adds that element to the selection process. Just an all-around good 200-foot player. Can touch both ends of the special teams if needed and has a multi-positional aspect that made him a very appealing player for us.”
If Horvat were viewed as having an outside shot before the season started — he was invited to Canada’s select camp over the summer — then Schaefer would have had Buster Douglas-esque odds.
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The 18-year-old rookie’s transcendent play, though, only got him as far as the bubble.
With Canada taking all eight defensemen who played for it in 4 Nations — a group that built up trust in winning gold last February over the United States on Connor McDavid’s overtime goal in Boston — it’s not immediately obvious what Schaefer could have done to place himself on the right side of the cut line.
“The reason going with the [same] eight [defensemen] was scouring, dialogue with the coaches, what did they like about the group?” Armstrong said. “I think we have great skill level. … I think we have a proper balance of players who have won at the NHL level, won at the 4 Nations and complement each other. And that was a big decision when I talked to Jon [Cooper, coach] and Pete DeBoer [assistant coach], who runs the D.”