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	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	2015–present

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		30	5	6	11	33		17	6	7	13	10
2010–11	Lac Saint-Louis Lions	QMAAA		35	14	24	38	72		15	7	18	25	16
2011–12	Dubuque Fighting Saints	USHL		53	11	16	27	84		5	4	1	5	4
2012–13	Boston College	HE		36	8	17	25	78		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Boston College	HE		38	3	18	21	49		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Boston College	HE		38	3	22	25	26		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	San Antonio Rampage	AHL		5	0	2	2	8		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Portland Pirates	AHL		54	8	12	20	30		3	0	1	1	2
2015–16	Florida Panthers	NHL		3	0	0	0	2		5	0	1	1	0
2016–17	Florida Panthers	NHL		81	7	10	17	36		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Florida Panthers	NHL		81	10	17	27	61		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Florida Panthers	NHL		75	8	19	27	44		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Florida Panthers	NHL		59	8	12	20	14		2	0	0	0	8
NHL totals				299	33	58	91	157		7	0	1	1	8

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.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database