Matt Niskanen

Matt Niskanen
Born	December 6, 1986 (1986-12-06) (age 24) Virginia, MN, USA
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Pittsburgh Penguins Dallas Stars
National team	United States
NHL Draft	28th overall, 2005 Dallas Stars
Playing career	2007–present

Matthew Norman Niskanen (born December 6, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the first round, 28th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Amateur career

Niskanen attended the University of Minnesota Duluth. In 2005–06, his freshman season on the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs hockey team, he recorded 14 points in 38 games. Before that, Niskanen played for the Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl boy's hockey team and helped bring the Blue Devils to their first state high school tournament appearance. During 2006–07, his sophomore season on the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs hockey team, he recorded nine goals, twenty-two assists in thirty-nine games. Niskanen was named to the 2006–2007 All WCHA First Team,^[1] and the All WCHA academic Team.^[2]

Niskanen decided to leave college and turn pro after his sophomore season at UMD Bulldogs.^[3] 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 career

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.

Career statistics

				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
NHL totals				295	17	69	86	156		23	0	4	4	10

References

1. ^ "Niskanen selected to All WCHA First Team". UMD Bulldogs. 2006-03-30. http://www.umdbulldogs.com/index.php?sect_rank=2&story_id=3183. Retrieved 2010-07-20. 
2. ^ "All WCHA Academic Team announced". UMD Bulldogs. 2006-04-15. http://www.umdbulldogs.com/index.php?sect_rank=2&story_id=3171. Retrieved 2010-06-07. 
3. ^ "Matt Niskanen to sign with Stars". Duluth News Tribune. 2007-03-20. http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=37959&section=Sports. Retrieved 2008-07-06. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• Matt Niskanen's NHL player profile
• Matt Niskanen's career stats at Eliteprospects.com
• Matt Niskanen's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Mark Fistric

Dallas Stars first round draft pick 2005

Succeeded by Ivan Vishnevskiy

Persondata
Name	Niskanen, Matt
Alternative names
Short description	American ice hockey player
Date of birth	December 6, 1986
Place of birth	Virginia, MN, USA
Date of death
Place of death