Duclair to Start Training Camp on Line with Barzal and Horvat

Anthony Duclair was so eager to get on the ice with his new teammates that the winger arrived on Long Island two weeks ahead of training camp to get acclimated to the area.

“I'm just really excited, first and foremost,” Duclair said during Monday's ICF Golf Outing. “Obviously going to free agency, I had a lot of decisions to make, and I just felt looking at this lineup, I can fit in really easy.”

While the line charts for Oct. 10 aren’t set, Head Coach Patrick Roy said the plan at the onset of camp is to put Duclair alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. Roy cited Duclair’s speed as the asset that complements Barzal and Horvat.

“We'll try him at the beginning with Bo [Horvat] and [Mat Barzal], see how it goes, and we'll go from there,” Roy said. “I think he can be a good addition to the team.”

Duclair has a proven record of putting the puck in the net as well, with 31 goals in 2021-22 with Florida and 24 last season split between San Jose and Tampa Bay. While Roy envisions Duclair with Horvat and Barzal, Duclair knows he must earn that spot.

“I'm just looking forward to whoever I'm playing with, to build chemistry as fast as possible,” Duclair added. “That's my goal every year, just try to get to know the guys on and off the ice. In practice, that's where it starts.”

Entering his 11^th NHL season, Duclair is more than familiar with Barzal and Horvat as opponents and has the utmost respect for both. There’s a little more familiarity off the ice as well, as Duclair and Horvat were roommates at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where they won gold.

“A real solid 200-foot player, a guy you can rely upon,” Duclair said of Horvat. “A guy I'm really excited to play with and learn from. Obviously, he's got those leadership skills being a captain on previous team and a really good person all around.”

Duclair said he was excited to play with a dynamic talent like Barzal.

“A really exciting player, superstar in this league,” Duclair. “Playing against him, and seeing what he does night and night out, how much passion he has and the compete level too. A lot of those superstar players really love to compete, and he's one of those guys, so I'm really looking forward to playing with him.”

The feeling is mutual.

“He can fly up the ice, so off transition and fast breaks with that speed, we could be dangerous,” Barzal said. “I don't know what we're going to do with the lines just yet, but anyone that gets to play with him will be lucky.”

Duclair and Barzal have only met at the 2020 NHL All-Star Weekend in St. Louis, but Barzal said the new addition is endearing himself to his new teammates.

“Being around him last week and a half, he's got an infectious personality,” Barzal said. “He's going to be great in our locker room with the energy.”

Duclair said his visits to Long Island were too quick when he was a visiting player, but he’s had the chance to explore in the first few weeks of his four-year contract. That included Monday’s golf outing at Glen Oaks in Westbury, where he was getting further acquainted with his new teammates – and excited for the opportunity ahead.