User:GhostRiver/niskanen
Early life
[edit]Hockey career
[edit]NCAA
[edit]- 2005-06
- 2006-07
Professional
[edit]Dallas Stars (2006–2011)
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On March 19, 2007, Niskanen chose to leave college early in favor of signing a contract with the Iowa Stars, the Dallas Stars' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.[1]
- 2006-07
Niskanen made his NHL debut on October 3, 2007, replacing an injured Nicklas Grossman for a 4–3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.[2] He picked up two assists in his next game, a 4–1 victory over the Boston Bruins,[3] and his first goal came in his 11th game on October 29, a slap shot past Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks.[4] By December, he had found a solid place in the Stars' roster, skating alongside veteran Sergei Zubov and impressing his coaches and teammates with intelligent playmaking.[5] Leading the team with a +14 plus–minus by the new year, Niskanen was invited to the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, where he played for the Western Conference team during the YoungStars undercard event.[6]
- 2007-08
- 2008-09
- 2009-10
- 2010-11
Pittsburgh Penguins (2011–2014)
[edit]
On February 21, 2011, the Stars traded Niskanen and James Neal to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Alex Goligoski.[7] Although Neal was the centerpiece of the deal, Pittsburgh wanted a defenseman included in the trade to replace Goligoski, and Niskanen, who had been struggling in Dallas, was mentioned as a suitable replacement.[8] Although his arrival in Pittsburgh was delayed due to a nor'easter,[9] Niskanen, playing alongside Ben Lovejoy, had one goal and four assists in 18 games for the remainder of the 2010-11 regular season and helped take the Penguins to the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, where they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning.[10][11] The Penguins lost the series in seven games as the Lightning came back from a 3-1 series deficit to take Games 5, 6, and 7.[12]
- 2011-12
- 2012-13
- 2013-14
Washington Capitals (2014–2019)
[edit]
- 2014-15
- 2015-16
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- 2016-17
- 2017-18
- 2018-19
Philadelphia Flyers (2019–2020)
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On June 14, 2019, the Capitals traded Niskanen to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Radko Gudas.[13] Niskanen and Justin Braun, who was acquired that same offseason from the San Jose Sharks, were meant to provide a stable veteran core for young Philadelphia defensemen Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere, who had struggled during the 2018–19 season; Braun paired with Gostisbehere, while Niskanen held the top line with Provorov.[14] This pairing proved beneficial for both partners: by the beginning of March, Niskanen and Provorov had combined for 20 goals, and the Flyers led the NHL for the first time in history with both the most goals from defensemen (42) and the fewest shots allowed per game (28.5).[15] By the time that the 2019–20 season was prematurely suspended on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Niskanen had eight goals and 33 points, and he was second among Flyers defensemen with 124 hits and 84 blocked shots.[16]
When the NHL resumed for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in Toronto, Niskanen was one of 31 Flyers selected to play in the Toronto "bubble".[17] During Philadelphia's first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Niskanen received a one-game suspension for a cross-check that fractured Brendan Gallagher's jaw. No penalty was initially called on the play, and coach Alain Vigneault referred to the incident as a "hockey play that unfortunately cut [Gallagher] a bit".[18] The Flyers defeated Montreal but went on to lose to the New York Islanders in the following playoff series. In 15 postseason appearances for Philadelphia, Niskanen had one goal and one assist.[19]
Retirement
[edit]On October 5, 2020, Niskanen, with one year and $5.75 million remaining on his NHL contract, chose to retire from professional ice hockey.[20] Niskanen had originally told Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher that he intended to retire the day after Philadelphia was eliminated from the playoffs, but Fletcher encouraged him to take more time before committing to the decision.[21] Niskanen's agent cited the player's reasons for retirement as a desire to spend more time with his family, as well as continued uncertainty surrounding what COVID-19 protocols would be in place for the 2020–21 season.[22] He finished his 13-year NHL career with 356 points (72 goals and 284 assists) in 949 regular season games, and an additional 42 points (six goals and 36 assists) in 140 postseason games, including his 2018 Stanley Cup championship.[23]
International play
[edit]- 2006 WJC
- 2009 WC
- 2016 WCH
Player profile
[edit]Personal life
[edit]Awards and honors
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Colonno, Lisa (March 29, 2007). "Iowa's Conner shows the way". The Des Moines Register. p. 3C. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Myers, Tracey (October 4, 2007). "Denver nice atmosphere for rookie". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 5D. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nylander, Kozlov prove their worth to Caps". The News and Observer. October 6, 2007. p. 8C. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Martinovich, Milenko (October 30, 2007). "Bounce goes Niskanen's way as rookie records first goal". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 6D. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Myers, Tracey (December 3, 2007). "Rookie plays like Zubie 2". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. A5. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Myers, Tracey (January 16, 2008). "Defenseman Niskanen emerging as young All-Star". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 4D. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Penguins Acquire James Neal and Matt Niskanen From Dallas In Exchange For Alex Goligoski". National Hockey League. Pittsburgh Penguins. February 21, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Molinari, Dave (March 4, 2011). "Penguins' Niskanen jumps right in". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Wawrow, John (February 22, 2011). "Penguins' 2 new additions grounded by snowstorm". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Anderson, Shelly (April 15, 2011). "Penguins' Lovejoy enjoys physical Game 1". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
elitewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Molinari, Dave (May 1, 2011). "Injuries to Crosby, Malkin, Staal dominated Penguins' season". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ "Flyers acquire D Matt Niskanen from Capitals in exchange for Radko Gudas". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. June 14, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Carchidi, Sam (September 29, 2019). "Flyers counting on Matt Niskanen, Justin Braun for leadership and stability on defense". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Barkowitz, Ed (March 3, 2020). "Thanks to Ivan Provorov and Matt Niskanen, Flyers defense trying to make history". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Meltzer, Bill (April 4, 2020). "Meltzer's Player Profiles: Matt Niskanen". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "Flyers announce 31-man roster for Stanley Cup playoffs". National Hockey League. July 26, 2020. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ Carchidi, Sam (August 20, 2020). "Flyers' Matt Niskanen suspended for one game; Habs' Brendan Gallagher out with broken jaw". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ "Former Bulldog Matt Niskanen retires after 13 seasons in NHL". Duluth News Tribune. October 5, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Wyshynski, Greg (October 5, 2020). "Philadelphia Flyers' Matt Niskanen to retire with year left on contract". ESPN. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ Carchidi, Sam (October 5, 2020). "Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen retires, Justin Braun is quickly re-signed". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ Campbell, Ken (October 5, 2020). "Uncertainty Surrounding COVID-19 Led to Matt Niskanen's Retirement". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Niskanen announces retirement from NHL". National Hockey League. October 5, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
