{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (born 1986)}} {{use mdy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | alt = | image = Matt Kassian 2013-05-17.JPG | caption = With the Senators during the 2013 playoffs. | image_size = 230px | played_for = Minnesota Wild<br>Ottawa Senators | position = Left wing | shoots = Left | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 4 | weight_lb = 232 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|10|28}} | birth_place = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | draft = 57th overall | draft_year = 2005 | draft_team = Minnesota Wild | career_start = 2007 | career_end = 2014 | website = }}
'''Matt Kassian''' (born October 28, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota Wild and the Ottawa Senators.
==Playing career== Kassian made his NHL debut during the 2010-11 season after originally being selected in the second round, 57th overall, by Minnesota in the 2005 NHL entry draft.<ref>{{cite web| title = Senators acquire forward Matt Kassian from Minnesota in exchange for Ottawa's sixth-round draft pick in 2014| url = http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=659799 | website = Ottawa Senators | date = 2013-06-26 | accessdate = 2013-06-25}}</ref> His junior hockey career was spent with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL.
On November 3, 2010, the Minnesota Wild recalled Kassian from the American Hockey League's Houston Aeros.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://wild.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=542465 | title = Wild recall Kassian; Latendresse on IR | publisher = Minnesota Wild | date = 2010-11-03 | accessdate = 2010-11-03}}</ref> During the month of November 2010 Kassian played four games for the Wild, collecting 12 minutes in penalties and no points, with only a single shot on goal. He was then assigned back to the Aeros in December. He was re-called from the Aeros in mid-January.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8471719&view=log&season=20112012|title=Matt Kassian (NHL Player Profile)|website=National Hockey League|accessdate=19 February 2012}}</ref> He recorded his first NHL goal on March 1, 2012 in the first period of a game against the Montreal Canadiens. He scored his second NHL goal in the third period of that same game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/scores/boxscore/?id=14965 |title= Kassian tallies two goals in win over Canadiens |publisher= The Sports Network |date= 2012-03-03 |accessdate=2012-03-03}}</ref>
On March 12, 2013, Kassian was traded from the Wild to the Ottawa Senators for a sixth round draft pick in 2014.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=418005 | title = Senators acquire Matt Kassian from Wild for draft pick | publisher = The Sports Network | date = 2013-03-12 | accessdate = 2013-03-12}}</ref> He spent the remainder of the 2012-13 season and all of the 2013-14 season with the Senators, appearing in a total of 48 games, serving primarily as an enforcer. Following the 2013-14 season, Kassian was not re-signed by Ottawa. "I wanted to be back and they felt otherwise. That's their right as an organization," he said.<ref>{{cite news| title = Ex-Senator Kassian still looking for work | url = http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/09/02/ex-senator-kassian-still-looking-for-work | newspaper = Ottawa Sun | date = 2014-09-02 | accessdate = 2014-09-02}}</ref>
In September 2014, Kassian was invited to Arizona Coyotes' training camp but was ultimately not offered a contract.<ref>{{cite web| title = Coyotes invite Kassian, two others to camp: report | url = http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=730066 | website = National Hockey League | date = 2014-09-26 | accessdate = 2014-09-26}}</ref> He was invited to attend AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates training camp, and appeared in 2 games in the 2014-15 season with the club before ending his professional career and enrolling in business school.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/shifting-nhl-culture-knocks-games-enforcers-down-for-the-count/article23570987/ | title = Shifting NHL culture knocks enforcers down for the count | newspaper = The Globe and Mail | date = 2015-03-23 | accessdate = 2015-03-23}}</ref>
He is of no relation to fellow professional forward Zack Kassian.<ref>{{cite web| title = March 16: Gameday Goodie - Matt Kassian | url = http://video.senators.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=221123 | website = Ottawa Senators | date = 2013-03-16 | accessdate = 2013-03-16}}</ref>
==Career statistics== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" ! colspan="3" style="background:#fff;"| ! rowspan="99" style="background:#fff;"| ! colspan="5" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" style="background:#fff;"| ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 2002–03 | Sherwood Park Crusaders AAA | AMHL | 33 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 38 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 10 | |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2003–04 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 37 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |- | 2004–05 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 41 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 89 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2004–05 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 28 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 83 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 |- | 2005–06 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 67 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 147 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2006–07 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 72 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 162 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |- | 2007–08 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2007–08 | Texas Wildcatters | ECHL | 47 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2008–09 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 56 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 130 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2009–10 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 59 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 149 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2010–11 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 60 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 132 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2010–11 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2011–12 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 24 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2011–12 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 26 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2012–13 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2012–13 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 |- | 2013–14 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 33 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2014–15 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" ! colspan="3" | AHL totals ! 231 ! 10 ! 12 ! 22 ! 505 ! 12 ! 0 ! 0 ! 0 ! 12 |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 76 ! 4 ! 1 ! 5 ! 177 ! 5 ! 0 ! 2 ! 2 ! 17 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{icehockeystats}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kassian, Matt}} Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian ice hockey right wingers Category:Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players Category:Ice hockey people from Edmonton Category:Kamloops Blazers players Category:Minnesota Wild draft picks Category:Minnesota Wild players Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Category:Portland Pirates players Category:Ottawa Senators players Category:Texas Wildcatters players Category:Vancouver Giants players Category:21st-century Canadian sportsmen