Nelson and Sorokin Excited for Horvat's Arrival

Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat have literally faced off plenty of times in their careers. On Thursday, they shook hands, as Nelson was the first Islander to welcome Horvat to his new team - in person.
"I just met Bo for the first time," Nelson said during his media availability at NHL All-Star Weekend. "I'm mean familiar with him and his game. He's going to bring huge elements to our team up front, depth, scoring. He does a little bit of everything, kills [penalties], power play, five on five."
"Bo is a really good player," Ilya Sorokin said. "I hope he'll help us."

Nelson and Sorokin are acting as Horvat's welcoming committee this weekend, as the newest Islander won't meet the rest of his teammates until the team reconvenes after the break on Long Island. They've sent Horvat texts, which will have to suffice for now, as he processes the trade.
"A lot of the guys have reached out and made it a lot easier for me," Horvat said. "A lot of how much they love Long Island, living there and being there and the fans there, as well as ex-players that have been there. And that just excites me more of what's going to happen."

Nelson acknowledged both sides of Monday's trade, which sent longtime friend and teammates Anthony Beauvillier to Vancouver. He acknowledged it's tough to see a friend go to a new team, but said there was excitement in adding an all-star, as well as a vote of confidence from President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello.
"It just goes to show you Lou wants to win and wants to win right now," Nelson said. "It's huge for the group and I think everybody believes in one another pre trade and you know, probably more so now post trade with Bo. He's going to be a big part of our team and a guy we're going to lean on a lot."
Horvat provides an influx of offense into the Islanders, as his 31 goals this season rank eighth in the NHL. His 56.0 FOW% ranks 11th in the NHL among players with 600 draws and his 1,116 total faceoffs are second only to Patrice Bergeron. He's got 11 power-play goals this season, which should help an Islanders team mired in a 3-for-64 stretch.
"He's a tough player," Nelson said. "He kind of just does a little bit of everything really well, so a complete player and a dynamic one."

Horvat actually paid Nelson a similar compliment, as both of their games are similar to each other.
"I've always really, really liked Brock's game," Horvat said. "I've talked about his game a lot. Just the way he's able to score a lot of goals, but he's also a 200 foot player that I respect a lot. It's kind of similar style of how I like to play. You put him out in any key situation, like face-offs and killing penalties and obviously 37 goals last year. It's no slouch and he's off to a great start again. [I have] a lot of respect for his game and look forward to meeting him."
Horvat is still getting used to life as an Islander. He'll still play for the Pacific Division in Saturday's All-Star Game, but with an Islanders patch. He'll wear a Reverse Retro fisherman jersey during Friday night's skills competition. Since Horvat was on vacation at the time of the trade, he still hasn't met the majority of his teammates, so he's raring to go and get started with his new team.
"It still hasn't really sunk in yet, but I'm getting more and more excited," Horvat said. "I'm just really anxious to get going and meet the guy guys and kind of get my bearings under me, around the dressing room and start getting on the ice again. Honestly, [All-Star] is great, but I kind of want to get back at it now."

If Horvat needed another indication that Long Island was ready to welcome him with open arms, it came via a fan who already had their Isles Horvat jersey.
Horvat signed it, though he had to pause for a second when he saw his new number, 14, and not his longtime number, 53.
"I had to really concentrate to write 14 instead of 53," Horvat joked. "I'm just really excited about it."