Matt Niskanen
| Matt Niskanen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
December 6, 1986 Virginia, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 204 lb (93 kg; 14 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Washington Capitals Dallas Stars Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| NHL Draft |
28th overall, 2005 Dallas Stars[1] | ||
| Playing career | 2007–present | ||
Matthew Norman Niskanen (born December 6, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman of Finnish origin who currently plays for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the first round, 28th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Amateur
Niskanen attended the University of Minnesota Duluth. In 2005–06, during his freshman season, he recorded 14 points in 38 games. Before that, Niskanen played for the Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl boys' hockey team and helped bring the Blue Devils to their first state high school tournament appearance. During 2006–07, his sophomore season at UMD, he recorded nine goals and twenty-two assists in thirty-nine games. Niskanen was named to the 2006–07 All WCHA First Team,[2] and the All WCHA academic Team.[3]
Niskanen decided to leave college and turn pro after his sophomore season at UMD.[4] On March 19, 2007, he signed an amateur tryout contract with the Iowa Stars for the rest of the season; he later signed a three-year NHL contract with the Dallas Stars which began in 2007–08. He subsequently made the Stars' 2007–08 roster out of training camp.
Professional
Niskanen made his NHL regular season debut against the Colorado Avalanche on October 3, 2007. He recorded his first NHL points against the Boston Bruins two nights later with two assists. His first NHL goal came on October 29, 2007, against the San Jose Sharks. Niskanen had an excellent rookie start with the Stars, leading the team in plus/minus at mid-season, which resulted in his being invited to the Young Stars game during the 2008 NHL All-Star weekend.
On February 21, 2011, Niskanen was traded, along with teammate James Neal, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Alex Goligoski.[5]
During the 2013–14 season, on March 4, 2014, Matt Niskanen had his first multi-goal game with a two-goal effort in a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena.[6] In the final year of his contract with the Penguins and approaching free agency, Niskanen finished the season establishing new career highs in goals (10) & assists (36) for 46 points.
On July 1, 2014, Niskanen signed a seven-year, $40.25 million contract as a free agent with the Washington Capitals.[7]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2005–06 | Minnesota Duluth | WCHA | 38 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Minnesota Duluth | WCHA | 39 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Iowa Stars | AHL | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||
| 2007–08 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 78 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 36 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 2008–09 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 80 | 6 | 29 | 35 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 74 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 45 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 75 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 47 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2012–13 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 40 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | ||
| 2013–14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 81 | 10 | 36 | 46 | 51 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | ||
| 2014–15 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 82 | 4 | 27 | 31 | 47 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 82 | 5 | 27 | 32 | 38 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| NHL totals | 655 | 44 | 186 | 230 | 351 | 81 | 3 | 22 | 25 | 41 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | United States | WJC | 4th | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 2009 | United States | WC | 4th | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2016 | United States | WCH | 7th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||||
| Senior totals | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-WCHA First Team | 2006–07 | |
References
- ↑ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". National Hockey League.
- ↑ "Niskanen selected to All WCHA First Team". UMD Bulldogs. 2006-03-30. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ↑ "All WCHA Academic Team announced". UMD Bulldogs. 2006-04-15. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ↑ "Matt Niskanen to sign with Stars". Duluth News Tribune. 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
- ↑ "Penguins acquire James Neal and Matt Niskanen from Stars for Alex Goligoski". Pittsburgh Penguins. 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2011-02-21.
- ↑ "Niskanen powers Penguins past Predators". covers.com. 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
- ↑ "Capitals add two Penguins defencemen in free agency". Washington Post. 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
External links
- Matt Niskanen's player profile at NHL.com
- Matt Niskanen's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
- Matt Niskanen's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mark Fistric |
Dallas Stars first round draft pick 2005 |
Succeeded by Ivan Vishnevskiy |