Matthew Beleskey (born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.

Matt Beleskey
Beleskey with the Boston Bruins in 2016
Born (1988-06-07) June 7, 1988 (age 36)
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Anaheim Ducks
Coventry Blaze
Boston Bruins
New York Rangers
NHL draft 112th overall, 2006
Anaheim Ducks
Playing career 2008–2020

Playing career

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Beleskey grew up in the small town of Midhurst, Ontario in Springwater Township, Ontario. He played his minor hockey for the Barrie Icemen AAA program of the OMHA's Eastern AAA League. After his Bantam season with the Icemen, Beleskey played one season with the nearby Collingwood Blues Jr.A. club of the OHA.

He was drafted in the 2nd round (21st overall) in the 2004 OHL Priority Selection by the Belleville Bulls. In the 2008 OHL Finals versus the Kitchener Rangers, Belleville was down 3-0 in the series and 4-1 in the game, but on the back of captain Beleskey's four-point night, including the game winner in overtime, Belleville won the game and pushed the series to seven games, before ultimately losing the series.[1]

He was selected by the Ducks 112th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and turned professional in 2008 after a four-year junior career with the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League. He made his NHL debut in the 2008–09 season, appearing in two games with the Ducks but spent most of the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Iowa Chops.[2] Beleskey played in the UK for Coventry Blaze ice hockey team in the Elite Ice Hockey League during the NHL lock-out.

Playing in 65 games during the 2014–15 season, Beleskey scored 22 goals to go with 10 assists. He recorded eight goals and an assist during the 2015 playoffs as the Ducks lost to the Chicago Blackhawks during the Western Conference Finals.

On July 1, 2015, Beleskey signed as a free agent to a five-year $19.8 million contract with the Boston Bruins.[3]

In the 2017–18 season, his third season with the Bruins and continuing to underperform relative to expectations, Beleskey was sent to the Bruins' AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins on December 14, 2017.[4]

On February 25, 2018, Beleskey, Ryan Spooner, Ryan Lindgren, a 2018 first-round pick and a 2019 seventh-round pick were traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for Rick Nash.[5]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2002–03 Barrie Colts AAA Bantam 33 18 14 32 93
2003–04 Collingwood Blues OPJHL 46 8 13 21 110 8 1 1 2 22
2004–05 Belleville Bulls OHL 68 10 13 23 118 5 0 0 0 18
2005–06 Belleville Bulls OHL 61 20 20 40 119 6 1 2 3 10
2006–07 Belleville Bulls OHL 66 27 41 68 124 15 4 10 14 18
2007–08 Belleville Bulls OHL 62 41 49 90 106 21 12 21 33 23
2008–09 Iowa Chops AHL 58 11 24 35 58
2008–09 Anaheim Ducks NHL 2 0 0 0 0
2009–10 San Antonio Rampage AHL 12 1 4 5 19
2009–10 Toronto Marlies AHL 3 1 1 2 2
2009–10 Anaheim Ducks NHL 60 11 7 18 35
2010–11 Anaheim Ducks NHL 35 3 7 10 36 6 1 0 1 4
2010–11 Syracuse Crunch AHL 27 11 13 24 39
2011–12 Anaheim Ducks NHL 70 4 11 15 72
2012–13 Coventry Blaze EIHL 26 12 21 33 39
2012–13 Anaheim Ducks NHL 42 8 5 13 56 7 2 1 3 2
2013–14 Anaheim Ducks NHL 55 9 15 24 64 5 2 2 4 8
2013–14 Norfolk Admirals AHL 3 1 0 1 0
2014–15 Anaheim Ducks NHL 65 22 10 32 39 16 8 1 9 2
2015–16 Boston Bruins NHL 80 15 22 37 65
2016–17 Boston Bruins NHL 49 3 5 8 47 3 0 0 0 4
2017–18 Boston Bruins NHL 14 0 0 0 17
2017–18 Providence Bruins AHL 21 4 2 6 15
2017–18 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 14 1 5 6 11
2017–18 New York Rangers NHL 1 0 0 0 4
2018–19 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 53 5 17 22 55
2018–19 New York Rangers NHL 4 1 0 1 5
2019–20 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 56 16 10 26 55
AHL totals 247 51 76 127 254
NHL totals 477 76 82 158 440 37 13 4 17 20

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2006 Canada WJC18 4th 7 0 1 1 37
Junior totals 7 0 1 1 37

References

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  1. ^ "Beleskey a work horse". The Sudbury Star. August 22, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  2. ^ "Matt Beleskey player profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
  3. ^ "Bruins sign Matt Beleskey to five-year contract". CBS Sports. July 1, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  4. ^ "Bruins Place Matt Beleskey On Waivers". NHL.com. December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  5. ^ "Ranger Acquire 2018 1st Rd. Pick, Lindgren, Spooner, Beleskey, 2019 Pick". NHL.com. February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
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