Shawn Matthias (born February 19, 1988) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

forward. Matthias played in the NHL, making appearances with the Florida Panthers,

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

, and

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...

. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round, 47th overall, at the

2006 NHL Entry Draft The 2006 NHL Entry Draft was the 44th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 24, 2006. The draft order for the first 14 picks was decided during a lottery held on April 20, 2006. The draft was ...

. Matthias was a natural centre early in his career; however, he made the transition to being able to play the wings as well.

Playing career

Junior

Matthias played his major junior ice hockey career with the

Belleville Bulls The Belleville Bulls were a junior ice hockey team, founded in 1981 and based in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Eastern Division of the Eastern Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. The team moved to Hamilton, Ontario ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

(OHL) before he was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round, 47th overall, in the

. In his first season in the OHL, Matthias stood at 6'2 and 170 pounds. During the following season, 2006–07, his rights were traded, along with conditional draft picks to the Florida Panthers in exchange for

Todd Bertuzzi Todd Bertuzzi (born February 2, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), winger of the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as a power forward (ice hockey), power forward, he has played in the NHL for the New York ...

on February 27, 2007.

Professional

On January 18, 2008, the Panthers called up Matthias from Belleville. In his second NHL game on January 19, 2008, he scored his first two goals, both against goaltender

Brent Johnson Brent Spencer Johnson (born March 12, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League for the St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes, Washington Capitals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is curr ...

of the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

On March 4, 2014, Matthias was traded, along with goaltender Jacob Markström, to the

in exchange for goaltender

Roberto Luongo Roberto Luongo (, , ; born April 4, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers and the Vancouver Canucks. Luongo is a two ...

and Steven Anthony. On February 13, 2015, Matthias recorded his first career NHL hat-trick in a 5–2 Canucks win over the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

. Despite posting a career-high in goals (18) and points (27) during the 2014–15 season, the Canucks opted not to re-sign Matthias after the expiration of his contract, whereupon on July 6, 2015, he signed a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the

as an unrestricted free agent. Following the signing, Matthias expressed via

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that he was a Maple Leafs fan growing up and that he "couldn't be happier to play for ishometown team." In the 2015–16 season, Matthias made his Maple Leaf debut on opening night in a 3-1 defeat to the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

on October 7, 2015. Throughout the year, Matthias failed to score at a pace similar to his prior season in Vancouver, but was still seen as a decent producer given his role on the team. After contributing with 17 points in 51 games, on February 21, 2016, Matthias was traded by the rebuilding Maple Leafs to the

in exchange for a 4th round pick in the 2016 Entry Draft (

Keaton Middleton Keaton Middleton (born February 10, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for the Colorado Eagles in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). P ...

) and prospect Colin Smith to bolster Colorado's depth for a playoff push, although the team would ultimately not qualify for the post-season. On July 1, 2016, Matthias left the Avalanche organization as a free agent, agreeing to a two-year deal with Central Division competitors, the

International play

Matthias played for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

at the 2008 World Juniors, where he helped his team win the gold medal.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthias, Shawn 1988 births Living people Belleville Bulls players Canadian ice hockey centres Colorado Avalanche players Detroit Red Wings draft picks EHC Black Wings Linz players Florida Panthers players Ice hockey people from Ontario Rochester Americans players Sportspeople from Mississauga Vancouver Canucks players Toronto Maple Leafs players Winnipeg Jets players