Matthew Tkachuk (/kəˈtʃʌk/; born December 11, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey winger for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Tkachuk was selected sixth overall at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames.
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.
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. 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. After his selection by the Calgary Flames, sixth overall, Tkachuk was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract on July 7, 2016.
NHL
Tkachuk scored his first NHL goal in a 4–3 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres. On March 20, 2017, he was suspended two games for an elbow to the face of Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. 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.
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. He was suspended again on December 7, 2017, for spearing Toronto Maple Leafs winger Matt Martin. 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. Tkachuk was injured in a game against the New York Islanders on March 11, 2018, and missed the rest of the season. 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. Tkachuk set a new career high for points during the season and recorded his first career NHL hat-trick in a 6–3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. On March 15, 2019, Tkachuk recorded his 100th career assist and became the first player from his draft class to reach that milestone.
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.
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