Matthew Kiersted (born April 14, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL).
| Matt Kiersted | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
April 14, 1998 Elk River, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Florida Panthers Charlotte Checkers (AHL) | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Early life
editKiersted was born on April 14, 1998, in Elk River, Minnesota,[1] to parents Bob Kiersted and Candace Hartwig. He grew up as the middle child between brothers Mitch and Drew.[2] His father was friends with former ice hockey player Mark Parrish, who convinced them to let their children play the sport.[3] Kiersted graduated from Elk River High School in 2016.[4]
Playing career
editAmateur
editWhile attending Elk River High School, Kiersted committed to play collegiate ice hockey for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey team.[5] As a junior, he left Elk River to play for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL).[2]
Professional
editAs a free agent, Kiersted signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers on April 1, 2021.[6][7] He made his NHL debut two days later, in the Panthers' 5–2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.[8][9] On June 28, 2024, Kiersted signed a one-year, two-way contract to return to the Panthers.[10]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2013–14 | Elk River High | USHS | 24 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Elk River High | USHS | 25 | 8 | 28 | 36 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 57 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 23 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | University of North Dakota | NCHC | 29 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | University of North Dakota | NCHC | 36 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | University of North Dakota | NCHC | 33 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | University of North Dakota | NCHC | 29 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 63 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 64 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 49 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 44 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | ||
| 2023–24 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 57 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 53 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| NHL totals | 37 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| USHL | ||
| Clark Cup champion | 2017 | |
| College | ||
| NCHC Second All-Star Team | 2019–20 | [11] |
| NCHC First All-Star Team | 2020–21 | |
| AHCA West Second Team All-American | 2020–21 | [12] |
References
edit- ^ "Matt Kiersted". Elite Prospects. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ a b Strand, Bruce (March 21, 2015). "Athlete of the week: Matt Kiersted, Elk River, hockey: Aiming high". Hometown Source. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ Olive, Jameson (April 2, 2021). "Kiersted 'Ready to Make the Jump' with Panthers After NCAA Career". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ "Matt Kiersted". North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ Elliott Schlossman, Brad (April 19, 2014). "MEN'S HOCKEY: Offensive defenseman commits to UND". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- ^ "Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Matt Kiersted". NHL.com. April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ O'Leary, Dan (April 3, 2021). "Kiersted was wearing Panthers jersey from very beginning". NHL.com. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ Schlossman, Brad Elliott (April 3, 2021). "Matt Kiersted makes NHL debut three days after signing contract". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
- ^ Schlossman, Brad Elliott (April 1, 2021). "Matt Kiersted headed to join NHL-leading Florida Panthers". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Matt Kiersted to a One-Year, Two-Way Contract | Florida Panthers". www.nhl.com. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ "HOCKEY EAST NAMES 2019-20 ALL-STAR TEAMS". nchchockey.com. National Collegiate Hockey Conference. March 11, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- ^ "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Matt Kiersted profile and statistics at TheAHL.com
- Matt Kiersted at the Charlotte Checkers