Mike Matheson

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This article is about the ice hockey defenceman. For other people, see Michael Matheson.

Mike Matheson
Matheson with the Portland Pirates in 2015
Born (1994-02-27) February 27, 1994 (age 30)
Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 193 lb (88 kg; 13 st 11 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Montreal Canadiens
Florida Panthers
Pittsburgh Penguins
National team  Canada
NHL draft 23rd overall, 2012
Florida Panthers
Playing career 2015–present

Michael Matheson (born February 27, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 23rd overall, by the Florida Panthers in the 2012 NHL entry draft. Matheson has also previously played for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Playing career

Early years

As a youth, Matheson played in the 2006 and 2007 iterations of the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from the West Island.[1]

Junior

Matheson began his junior career at the Midget AAA level with the Lac St-Louis Lions of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (QMAAA) from 2009 to 2011.[2] In 2011–12, he joined the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League (USHL) where he led all defencemen in scoring. He then committed to play collegiately for Boston College of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).[3] Contextually, Matheson cited personal motivation for leaving his native Quebec as the ability to develop better as a player in both the USHL and in the NCAA.[4]

Collegiate

Following his freshman year at Boston College in 2012–13, Matheson was named to the Hockey East's All-Rookie Team.[5] For his sophomore campaign, Matheson earned All-First Team honours in the Hockey East conference[6] as well as All-Second Team East honors in the NCAA as determined by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA).[7]

Amid rumours of him leaving the college ranks to sign with NHL draft team, the Florida Panthers, Matheson decided to remain as part of the Eagles for the 2014–15 season.[8] Thereafter, he was named team captain.[9] At the conclusion of the season, Matheson signed an entry-level contract with the Panthers, forgoing his senior year of NCAA eligibility,[10] and was sent to play with the Panthers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.[11]

Professional

Florida Panthers (2015–2020)

Initially assigned to the Panthers' newfound AHL affiliate the Portland Pirates[12] to begin the 2015–16 season,[13] Matheson made his NHL debut in a 3–1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on February 20, 2016.[14] Similarly, he made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut for Game 2 of the Panthers' first round matchup with the New York Islanders on April 15.[15] His first career NHL goal early into the following season against the Tampa Bay Lightning.[16]

On October 7, 2017, the Panthers resigned Matheson to an eight-year, $39 million contract extension worth $4.875 million annually.[17][18] On October 13, 2018, during a game against the Vancouver Canucks, Matheson checked Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, resulting in Pettersson leaving the game with a concussion.[19] 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 suspension two games, thereby forfeiting $52,419.36 in salary.[20] 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.[21]

Pittsburgh Penguins (2020–2022)

On September 24, 2020, Matheson was traded by the Panthers to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Colton Sceviour, in exchange for Patric Hörnqvist.[22] During the course of the 2021–22 season, he would post then career-highs in both goals (11) and points (31),[23] while his five game-winning goals (GWG) ranked second in Penguins franchise history for most by a defenseman in a single campaign.[24]

Montreal Canadiens (2022–present)

On July 16, 2022, Matheson, along with a 2023 fourth-round draft pick, was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling.[25] The trade reunited Matheson with his former agent Kent Hughes, who had become general manager of the Canadiens in January 2022.[26] Expected to become the team's top defenceman, Matheson was considered to have performed strongly in the preseason games lead up to the 2022–23 season, but developed an abdominal muscle strain while participating in a Kraft Hockeyville exhibition game.[27] It was subsequently announced that he would be sidelined for the first eight weeks of the season.[28] He made his franchise debut on November 19, registering a goal and an assist in a 5–4 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers.[29] Despite missing significant playing time over the course of the campaign, Matheson received recognition as the team's annual recipient of the Jean Béliveau Trophy, awarded to the player who exemplifies leadership qualities within the community.[30]

In advance of the 2023–24 season, with the departure of fellow blueliner Joel Edmundson to the Washington Capitals, Matheson was named as an alternate captain of the Canadiens organization.[31] He then reached a series of career milestones over the course of the campaign. On December 30, 2023, he skated in his 500th career NHL game in a 4–1 loss to the Florida Panthers[32] whereas he recorded his 200th career NHL point on January 11 versus the San Jose Sharks.[33]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's ice hockey
IIHF World Championship
Silver medal – second place 2017 Germany/France
Gold medal – first place 2016 Russia
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup
Gold medal – first place 2011 Slovakia/Czech Republic

Internationally, Matheson first represented Canada as part of the national U18 team at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, winning a gold medal.[34]

In May 2016, he was added to the Canadian senior team for the 2016 IIHF World Championship,[35] capturing gold with his country.[36] Matheson was awarded the IIHF Directorate Award as the tournament's best defenceman[37] and was likewise named to the media All-Star Team.[38] Participating again the following year, he and Team Canada would earn silver after falling 2–1 in a shootout to Sweden during the championship final.[39]

Personal life

Matheson was born to Montréalais parents Rod and Marg and was raised on the West Island, a predominantly Anglophone area of the city. Despite this, both he and his older siblings, sister Kelly and brother Kenny, attended French immersion classes during their respective schooling at École Marguerite-Bourgeoys and John Rennie High School located in Pointe-Claire, Quebec.[40][41] He learned to skate by age 2, and firstly played ringette with his sister due to local age restrictions surrounding enrolment in minor hockey.[42] Admist his second NHL season, Matheson was inducted into the Hockey West Island Hall of Fame.[43]

In 2012, Matheson met Emily Pfalzer, an American professional ice hockey player and Olympic gold medalist, while both were playing at Boston College. The two became engaged in the summer of 2018 and married a year later.[44] Their son, Hudson, was born in 2021,[45] while their daughter, Mila, was born in 2024.[46]

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
2020–21 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 44 5 11 16 28 6 0 0 0 0
2021–22 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 74 11 20 31 33 7 1 5 6 6
2022–23 Montreal Canadiens NHL 48 8 26 34 33 — — — — —
2023–24 Montreal Canadiens NHL 82 11 51 62 58 — — — — —
NHL totals 547 68 166 234 309 20 1 6 7 14

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2011 Canada Quebec U17 4th 6 2 6 8 10
2011 Canada IH18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 0 0 0 2
2016 Canada WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 10 2 4 6 0
2017 Canada WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10 1 6 7 10
Junior totals 11 2 6 8 12
Senior totals 20 3 10 13 10

Awards and honours

Award Year Ref
QMAAA
Top Prospect Award 2010 [47]
First All-Star Team 2011 [48]
Top Defenseman 2011 [49]
USHL
All-USHL Rookie Team 2012 [50]
USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2012 [51]
College
All-Hockey East Rookie Team 2013 [52]
All-Hockey East First Team 2014 [53]
AHCA East Second-Team All-American 2014 [7]
New England D1 All-Stars 2014 [54]
International
IIHF Directorate Award (best defenceman) 2016 [37]
IIHF World Championship All-Star Team 2016 [38]

References

  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Kennedy, Ryan (December 2, 2010). "Michael Matheson". The Hockey News. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  3. ^ Sager, Neate (December 16, 2011). "Draft tracker: 5 questions with Mike Matheson, Dubuque Fighting Saints". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  4. ^ Rosen, Dan (January 13, 2019). "Matheson emphasizes mental side of hockey with Panthers". NHL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  5. ^ "HOCKEY EAST ANNOUNCES 2013 PRO AMBITIONS ALL-ROOKIE TEAM". Hockey East. March 22, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  6. ^ "LEAGUE ANNOUNCES ALL-STAR TEAMS". Hockey East. March 20, 2014. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "SIX HOCKEY EAST PLAYERS SELECTED AS AHCA/CCM HOCKEY ALL-AMERICANS". Hockey East. April 11, 2014. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  8. ^ Dilks, Chris (April 29, 2014). "Michael Matheson Returning to Boston College". SB Nation. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  9. ^ Morgus, Marly (October 9, 2014). "Oh Captain, My Captain: Michael Matheson Takes The Lead". The Heights. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  10. ^ Cox, Jeff (March 31, 2015). "Matheson to forgo senior season at BC, sign with Panthers". SB Nation. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  11. ^ "Panthers sign D Matheson". TSN.ca. April 1, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  12. ^ "Pirates announce affiliation with Florida". TheAHL.com. March 18, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  13. ^ "Panthers Assign Three to Pirates" (Press release). American Hockey League. September 30, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2025 – via OurSportsCentral.com.
  14. ^ "Michael Matheson fera ses débuts dans la LNH" [Michael Matheson to make NHL debut]. Le Journal de Québec (in French). February 19, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  15. ^ Richards, George (April 15, 2016). "Mike Matheson gets surprise call for Florida Panthers in Game 2 of Stanley Cup playoffs". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  16. ^ "Point scores shootout winner, Lightning beat Panthers 4-3". CBS Sports. October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  17. ^ @TSNBobMcKenzie (October 7, 2017). "AAV of $4.875M on an eight-year, $39M contract. Done deal" (Tweet). Retrieved October 10, 2017 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ McLaren, Ian (October 9, 2017). "Panthers announce 8-year extension for Mike Matheson". theScore. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  19. ^ "Canucks' Elias Pettersson out 7-10 days with concussion". ESPN.com. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  20. ^ "Matheson suspended two games for actions in Panthers game". NHL.com. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  21. ^ "Michael Matheson says 'it wasn't my intent' to injure Elias Pettersson". Sportsnet.ca. October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018..
  22. ^ "Pens acquire Matheson and Sceviour from Panthers for Patric Hornqvist". Pittsburgh Penguins. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020 – via NHL.com.
  23. ^ Orpik, Hooks (April 20, 2022). "How did the most interesting Penguin players fare this season?". SB Nation. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  24. ^ "PIT Records - Individual Records - Most Game-Winning Goals, Defenseman, Season". NHL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  25. ^ "Canadiens trade defenceman Jeff Petry to Penguins". Sportsnet.ca. July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  26. ^ Cowan, Stu (July 17, 2022). "A homecoming for newest Canadien Mike Matheson". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  27. ^ Cowan, Stu (October 9, 2022). "Canadiens' Jake Allen feels fortunate to play game in New Brunswick". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  28. ^ @CanadiensMTL (October 13, 2022). "Mike Matheson devrait manquer huit semaines en raison d'une entorse au muscle abdominal, selon les résultats d'une IRM.

    Mike Matheson is expected to miss eight weeks with an abdominal muscle strain, following the results of an MRI.

    #GoHabsGo"     (Tweet). Retrieved January 13, 2025 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Hickey, Pat (November 20, 2022). "'We found a way to win,' Mike Matheson says of Montreal debut". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  30. ^ "Mike Matheson awarded the Jean Béliveau Trophy". Montreal Canadiens. October 13, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2025 – via NHL.com.
  31. ^ Zurkowsky, Herb (September 11, 2023). "Mike Matheson in a 'pinch-myself moment' after being named Canadiens' assistant captain". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  32. ^ Chaumont, Jean-François (December 29, 2023). "Mike Matheson a traversé des moments sombres avant de s'établir comme l'un des bons défenseurs de la LNH et atteindre le plateau des 500 matchs" [Mike Matheson went through some dark times before establishing himself as one of the NHL's top defensemen and reaching the 500-game mark]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French). Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  33. ^ @CanadiensMTL (January 11, 2024). "200 points. Bravo, Mike! 👏

    #GoHabsGo"     (Tweet). Retrieved January 13, 2025 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ "Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team Wins Gold Medal at 2011 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka; Players and Staff to Return to Canada on Sunday, August 14". Hockey Canada. August 13, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  35. ^ "Matheson Added to Canadian National Team". Boston College Eagles. May 3, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  36. ^ "Panthers' Matheson Wins Gold Medal with Team Canada at IIHF World Championship". Sun Sentinel. May 22, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  37. ^ a b Potts, Andy (May 22, 2016). "Laine lands MVP". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on May 23, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  38. ^ a b Traikos, Michael (May 13, 2016). "Eight things we learned at the world hockey championship tournament". National Post. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  39. ^ "Sweden defeats Canada in shootout to win 2017 IIHF world title". Sportsnet.ca. May 21, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2025..
  40. ^ Crechiolo, Michelle (May 19, 2021). "Matheson's Ability to Speak French "Surprises Some People"". Pittsburgh Penguins. Retrieved January 14, 2024 – via NHL.com.
  41. ^ Cowan, Stu (July 18, 2022). "Mike Matheson ready for a family reunion with the Canadiens". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  42. ^ Cowan, Stu (September 19, 2018). "Road to NHL started with ringette for Panthers' Mike Matheson". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  43. ^ Lidbetter, Mark (April 5, 2017). "Michael Matheson joins Hockey West Island's Hall of Fame". The Suburban. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  44. ^ Vensel, Matt (April 2, 2021). "A new chapter: Mike and Emily Matheson's hockey love story continues to grow". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  45. ^ Cowan, Stu (September 15, 2022). "Canadiens' Mike Matheson excited to return home with his wife and son". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  46. ^ Cowan, Stu (May 24, 2024). "Wife of Canadiens' Mike Matheson gives birth to second child". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  47. ^ "Awards - QM18AAA Top Prospect Award". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  48. ^ "Awards - QM18AAA First All-Star Team". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  49. ^ "Awards - QM18AAA Top Defenseman". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  50. ^ "USHL Names 2011-12 All-Rookie Team". USHL.com. May 29, 2012. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  51. ^ "USHL Names Top Prospects Roster". CollegeHockeyInc.com. January 5, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  52. ^ Connolly, John (March 28, 2014). "Michael Matheson finds place". Boston Herald. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  53. ^ "York, Gaudreau Headline Hockey East Awards". Boston College Eagles. March 20, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  54. ^ "Awards - NCAA (New England) D1 All-Stars". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Florida Panthers' first round draft pick
2012 		Succeeded by
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