Mathew Barzal's NHL career didn't get off to a promising start like many other greats, but to both his and the New York Islanders' credit, patience seems to be producing results.
Barzal was plucked 16th overall by the Islanders in the 2015 draft - the infamous McDavid, Eichel year - with a pick that swapped between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers before landing with New York.
After tallying 57 points in 44 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League in his draft year, he returned for his third season in the WHL and took a leap forward posting 27 goals and 88 points in 58 games, while also representing Canada at the world juniors.
Then came the 2017 campaign where he got his first true taste of the NHL. Barzal had an impressive training camp and made enough of an impression to earn a roster spot with the Islanders to begin the year.
Unfortunately for Barzal, it was an experiment that didn't last long. After just two games, while playing a combined 19:30 of ice time with no points to show for his effort, the former first-round selection returned to the Thunderbirds. It was at this point where Barzal deployed a tremendous work ethic to get back to the big stage.
Barzal - serving as the team's captain - tallied 79 points in 41 games, finishing just shy of a two points per game pace. He also returned to Canada's world juniors squad where he finished with eight points in seven games, while serving as an alternate captain, en route to a silver medal.
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His stellar season continued as he tallied another 25 points in 16 playoff games, aiding the Thunderbirds to an Ed Chynoweth Cup victory and earning playoff MVP honors.
With this new-found confidence, Barzal came into training camp determined to cement himself a spot on the Islanders' roster. As fate would have it, he did just that. He was pointless in his first five games of the season, but after some fine tuning, he is now setting the league ablaze.
Over the past 10 games, Barzal has gone pointless just once, tallying three goals and 14 points, including a monstrous five-assist game during the Islanders' 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
His 14-point output has pushed him into a tie for second in rookie scoring with Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser - putting him just three points back of rookie scoring leader Clayton Keller.
What's more impressive - and a sign of Barzal's professional growth - is he's earned the confidence of his coaches. Barzal is slotted on the club's second line alongside Jordan Eberle and Andrew Ladd and manning the point on their top power-play unit. In fact, during the team's recent 2-1 loss to the Oilers, Barzal played 18:59 minutes - the third-most among Islanders forwards, behind only John Tavares and Josh Bailey.
Further to that, Barzal is gaining confidence in himself, which was clear when he pulled off a ridiculous deke on Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom Tuesday night.
Things might not have gone as planned to begin his career, but after an incredible three weeks, Barzal looks to be a rising young talent in the NHL.
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