Matthew Tkachuk

Matthew Tkachuk (/kəˈtʃʌk/; born December 11, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey winger and alternate captain for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Tkachuk was selected sixth overall at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Flames.[1][2]

Matthew Tkachuk
Tkachuk with the London Knights in 2016
Born (1997-12-11) December 11, 1997
Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
NHL team Calgary Flames
NHL Draft 6th overall, 2016
Calgary Flames
Playing career 2016–present

Playing career

Tkachuk played in the 2010 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the St. Louis Blues minor ice hockey team, where he was teammates with Logan Brown, Clayton Keller and Luke Kunin.[3]

Major junior

On May 8, 2015, Tkachuk gave up his NCAA eligibility when he signed with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who had drafted him in the fourth round of the 2013 OHL Priority Selection.[4] Playing on a line with Mitch Marner and Christian Dvorak, Tkachuk scored 107 points, placing him fifth in OHL scoring. Tkachuk scored the game winning goal in overtime for the Knights in the 2016 Memorial Cup final.

Leading up to the NHL draft, Tkachuk was the second-ranked North American skater, described as a bona fide future star for an NHL club that brings elite skills and attributes.[5] After his selection by the Calgary Flames, sixth overall, Tkachuk was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract on July 7, 2016.[6]

NHL

Tkachuk scored his first NHL goal in a 4–3 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres.[7] On March 20, 2017, he was suspended two games for an elbow to the face of Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.[8] During the next meeting between the two teams on March 29, Tkachuk further settled the hit by fighting Kings defenseman Brayden McNabb. Tkachuk finished seventh in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, an award awarded annually to the top rookie in the NHL.[9][10]

During his sophomore year, on November 17, 2017, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Tkachuk was suspended one game for his part in a line brawl that took place in a game against the Detroit Red Wings on November 15, 2017.[11] He was suspended again on December 7, 2017, for spearing Toronto Maple Leafs winger Matt Martin.[12] Tkachuk became the second youngest teenager in Flames history to reach 100 games, the first being Dan Quinn in 1985, when he played against the Arizona Coyotes on November 30, 2017.[13] Tkachuk was injured in a game against the New York Islanders on March 11, 2018, and missed the rest of the season.[14] Despite the injury, he finished the season with a career-high 49 points.

Prior to the 2018–19 season, Tkachuk was named an alternate captain for the Flames, along with Mikael Backlund and Sean Monahan.[15] Tkachuk set a new career high for points during the season[16] and recorded his first career NHL hat-trick in a 6–3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.[17] On March 15, 2019, Tkachuk recorded his 100th career assist and became the first player from his draft class to reach that milestone.[18]

After being absent from the Flames' training camp due to an unsigned contract, Tkachuk signed a three-year, $21 million extension on September 25, 2019.[19]

International play
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's ice hockey
IIHF World U18 Championship
2015 Switzerland
IIHF World U20 Championship
2016 Finland

Tkachuk helped the United States win gold at the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge held in Nova Scotia.[20] He also competed at the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championships, where in seven games he registered ten assists (tops in the tournament), leading the U.S. under-18 team to a gold medal win.[21]

At the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, held in Helsinki, Tkachuk and Auston Matthews each scored 11 points to lead the American team in scoring. After losing in the semi-finals, the U.S. defeated Sweden to claim the bronze medal.

Personal life

His father, Keith Tkachuk, played 1,201 games in the NHL and is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.[22] Matthew Tkachuk's younger brother, Brady, plays with the Ottawa Senators and won bronze with the United States at the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[23] Tkachuk was born in Scottsdale during his father's stint with the Phoenix Coyotes, and grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield, when his father was dealt to St. Louis Blues. He attended Chaminade College Preparatory School from sixth to ninth until he decided to join the United States Hockey League. While at Chaminade, Tkachuk was in the same gym class as Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.[24]

Tkachuk is a second cousin of former NHL player Tom Fitzgerald, who grew up with his father and a second cousin once-removed to his son, Ryan. He is also a cousin of NHL players Kevin and Jimmy Hayes. Tkachuk is a Ukrainian surname, although his father has said that his family background and name is either "Polish or Russian".[25] Tkachuk is also of Canadian descent, as his mother Chantal is a native of Winnipeg; she met his father during his stint with the original Winnipeg Jets. Chantal is of Ukrainian origin.[26]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2013–14 U.S. National Development Team USHL 33 5 12 17 18 — — — — —
2014–15 U.S. National Development Team USHL 24 13 20 33 75 — — — — —
2015–16 London Knights OHL 57 30 77 107 80 18 20 20 40 42
2016–17 Calgary Flames NHL 76 13 35 48 105 4 0 0 0 4
2017–18 Calgary Flames NHL 68 24 25 49 61 — — — — —
2018–19 Calgary Flames NHL 80 34 43 77 62 5 2 1 3 18
2019–20 Calgary Flames NHL 69 23 38 61 74
NHL totals 29394141235302 921322

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 United States U17 6 4 3 7 2
2015 United States WJC18 7 2 10 12 4
2016 United States WJC 7 4 7 11 6
Junior totals 20 10 20 30 12

Awards and honors
Award Year Ref
World U-17 Hockey Challenge Gold Medal 2014 [27]
IIHF World U18 Championship Gold Medal 2015 [28]
NHL
All-Star Game 2020 [29]

References
  1. "Flames select Matthew Tkachuk with 6th overall pick in NHL Draft". Sportsnet. June 24, 2016.
  2. "U.S. forward Tkachuk conjures memories of dad – 2016 World Junior Championship". NHL.com. November 17, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  3. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  4. "Keith Tkachuk's son Matthew commits to London Knights. Here's why that's big news". The Hockey News. May 8, 2015. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  5. "Dubois jumps to top of draft rankings". NHL.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  6. "Flames sign Matthew Tkachuk". Calgary Flames. July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  7. Odland, Kristen (October 18, 2016). "Flames rookie Matthew Tkachuk notches first goal of season to force game into overtime". Calgary Sun. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  8. "Matthew Tkachuk of Flames suspended two games". NHL.com. March 20, 2017.
  9. "Matthew Tkachuk Bio". NHL.com.
  10. Gilbertson, Wes (June 21, 2017). "Johnny Gaudreau wins Lady Byng Memorial Trophy". Calgary Herald. Retrieved December 15, 2017. Rambunctious rookie Matthew Tkachuk ranked seventh in the Calder Memorial Trophy race
  11. "Tkachuk suspended one game for actions in Flames game against Red Wings". NHL.com. November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  12. Canadian Press (December 7, 2017). "Flames' Matthew Tkachuk suspended one game for spearing". Sportsnet.ca. Toronto: Sportsnet. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  13. Gilbertson, Wes (November 30, 2017). "Flames sophomore Matthew Tkachuk hits 100-game plateau". Calgarysun.com. Calgary Sun. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  14. Vickers, Aaron (March 28, 2018). "Tkachuk, Brodie likely out for remainder of Flames season". NHL.com. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  15. Perterson, Torrie (October 2, 2018). "BACKLUND, TKACHUK NAMED ALTERNATE CAPTAINS". NHL.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  16. @NHLFlames (January 7, 2019). "Matthew Tkachuk now has 5⃣0⃣ points on the year, a new career-high!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. @SportsCentre (March 10, 2019). "Matthew Tkachuk records a hat trick as #Flames score three answered goals to beat #GoldenKnights 6-3 and snap a four-game losing streak" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. Mike Johnston (March 16, 2019). "5 things we learned in the NHL: Flames' Gaudreau, Tkachuk make history". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  19. "FLAMES RE-SIGN MATTHEW TKACHUK". National Hockey League. September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  20. "Golden boy comes north | The London Free Press". Lfpress.com. May 8, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  21. "Matthew Tkachuk signs with London Knights (OHL) – SB Nation College Hockey". Sbncollegehockey.com. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  22. Chapin Landvogt (April 16, 2015). "Like father like son – WM18 – International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF". U18worlds2015.iihf.com. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  23. Dillman, Lisa (March 4, 2018). "Tkachuks go miles for Matthew, star siblings". NHL.com. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  24. Austin, Daniel. "Road to NBA and NHL went through one gym class for Tatum and Tkachuk". Calgary Sun. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  25. "Athlete profile: Keith Tkachuk". 3 February 1998. CNN / Sports Illustrated. February 3, 1998. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  26. "TKACHUK FAMILY HELPING MATTHEW SETTLE IN". NHL.com. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  27. "Matthew Tkachuk". Worldjuniors.usahockey.com. July 13, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  28. "Matt Tkachuk signs with London Knights, reflects on U18 team winning gold medal". West Newsmagazine. May 15, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  29. "NHL All-Star Game rosters revealed". National Hockey League. December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Sam Bennett		 Calgary Flames' first round draft pick
2016		 Succeeded by
Juuso Valimaki
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