Mike Matheson

Michael Matheson (born February 27, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Matheson was drafted by the Panthers in the first round, 23rd overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Mike Matheson
Matheson in 2015
Born (1994-02-27) February 27, 1994
Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
Pittsburgh Penguins
Florida Panthers
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 23rd overall, 2012
Florida Panthers
Playing career 2015present

Playing career

As a youth, Matheson played in the 2006 and 2007 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from West Island.[1] He began his junior career in the Quebec Midget AAA league playing with the Lac St. Louis Lions from 2009 to 2011.[2] Matheson then left to join the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he led all defenceman in scoring in 2011–12. He then committed to play for Boston College of the NCAA starting in 2012–13. He cited his motivation for leaving his native Quebec was the ability to develop better as a player in the USHL and in the NCAA.[3] Following his freshman year at Boston College, Matheson was named to Hockey East's All-Rookie Team.[4] For his sophomore campaign, Matheson earned All-First Team honours in the Hockey East conference[5] as well as All-Second Team East Honors in the NCAA as determined by the AHCA.[6]

Matheson decided on April 30 to remain at Boston College for the 2014–15 season amid rumours of him leaving school to sign with the NHL team that drafted him, the Florida Panthers.[7] On May 8, he was named team captain for the 2014–15 season. At the conclusion of the 2014–15 season, Matheson signed an entry-level contract with the Panthers, forgoing his senior year of NCAA eligibility, and was sent to play with the Panthers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.[8]

Matheson made his NHL debut on March 23, 2016, in a 3–1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.[9] He recorded his first career NHL goal the following season on October 18, 2016, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.[10]

On October 7, 2017, the Panthers signed Matheson to an eight-year, $39 million contract extension worth $4.875 million annually.[11][12] On October 13, 2018, during a game against Vancouver Canucks, Matheson hit Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, resulting in Pettersson leaving the game with a concussion.[13] While Matheson was not penalized for the play on the ice, the NHL Department of Player Safety believed that Matheson had an intent to injure, resulting in him being suspended two games and fined $52,419.36.[14] Following the incident, Matheson said, "I know deep down there was no frustration in me when that play happened and there was no intent to injure on my part;" he apologized to Pettersson via text.[15]

On September 24, 2020, Matheson was traded by the Panthers to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Colton Sceviour, in exchange for Patric Hörnqvist.[16]

Personal life

Matheson met his wife Emily Pfalzer, an American professional hockey player, while both were playing at Boston College. The two became engaged in the summer of 2018[17] and married on July 20, 2019.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 Lac Saint-Louis Lions QMAAA 30561133 17671310
2010–11 Lac Saint-Louis Lions QMAAA 3514243872 157182516
2011–12 Dubuque Fighting Saints USHL 5311162784 54154
2012–13 Boston College HE 368172578
2013–14 Boston College HE 383182149
2014–15 Boston College HE 383222526
2014–15 San Antonio Rampage AHL 50228
2015–16 Portland Pirates AHL 548122030 30112
2015–16 Florida Panthers NHL 30002 50110
2016–17 Florida Panthers NHL 817101736
2017–18 Florida Panthers NHL 8110172761
2018–19 Florida Panthers NHL 758192744
2019–20 Florida Panthers NHL 598122014 20008
NHL totals 299335891157 70118
Medal record
Representing  Canada
ice hockey
Ice Hockey World Championships
2016 Russia
2017 Germany/France

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2011 Canada Quebec U17 4th 6 2 6 8 10
2011 Canada IH18 5 0 0 0 2
2016 Canada WC 10 2 4 6 0
2017 Canada WC 10 1 6 7 10
Junior totals 11 2 6 8 12
Senior totals 20 3 10 13 10

Awards and honours

Award Year
College
All-Hockey East Rookie Team 2012–13
All-Hockey East First Team 2013–14
AHCA East First-Team All-American 2013–14 [6]
International
World Championships Best Defenceman 2016 [18]

References

  1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. "Mike Matheson, Hockey's Future". Hockey's Future. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  3. Odebralski, Glenn (June 22, 2012). "Adding To The Blueline With Matheson". Florida Panthers. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  4. "Hockey East announces 2013 All-Rookie Team". Hockey East. March 22, 2013.
  5. "league announces All-Star Team". Hockey East. March 20, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  6. "Six hockey east players selected as All-Americans". Hockey East. April 11, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  7. Dilks, Chris. "Michael Matheson Returning to Boston College". SB Nation. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  8. "Panthers agree to terms with Michael Matheson". Florida Panthers. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  9. Leitner, Jim (March 23, 2016). "Matheson's NHL debut a whirlwind". ushl.com. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  10. "Point scores shootout winner, Lightning beat Panthers 4-3". cbssports.com. October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  11. @TSNBobMcKenzie (October 7, 2017). "AAV of $4.875M on an eight-year, $39M contract. Done deal" (Tweet). Retrieved October 10, 2017 via Twitter.
  12. McLaren, Ian (October 9, 2017). "Panthers announce 8-year extension for Mike Matheson". TheScore.com. The Score. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  13. "Canucks' Elias Pettersson out 7-10 days with concussion". TSN.ca. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  14. "Matheson suspended two games for actions in Panthers game". NHL.com. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  15. "Michael Matheson says 'it wasn't my intent' to injure Elias Pettersson". sportsnet.ca. October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  16. "Pens acquire Matheson and Sceviour from Panthers for Patric Hornqvist". Pittsburgh Penguins. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  17. Cowan, Stu (September 19, 2018). "Stu Cowan: Road to NHL started with ringette for Panthers' Mike Matheson". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  18. "Laine lands MVP". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on May 23, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Jonathan Huberdeau
Florida Panthers' first round draft pick
2012
Succeeded by
Aleksander Barkov
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