Matthew Dean Calvert (born December 24, 1989) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

left winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

who played for the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

and

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

during his career in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the fifth round, 127th overall, of the

2008 NHL Entry Draft The 2008 NHL entry draft was the 46th entry draft for the National Hockey League. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. The Senators were originally awarded the 2005 NHL entry draft ...

Playing career

Junior

Calvert began his junior career with a brief stint for the

Winkler Flyers The Winkler Flyers are a Junior ice hockey team in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) team playing out of the Winkler Arena in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. The Flyers entered the MJHL as an expansion team for the 1980-81 season and have won ...

of the

Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior ice hockey, Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirt ...

(MJHL), during which he accumulated 15 penalty minutes in his only game with the club. The following year was his first of three seasons with the

Brandon Wheat Kings The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadians, Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. Founded in 1936, the team was for three decades a successful junior team playing principally in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The Whe ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

(WHL). He was named alternate

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

for the Wheat Kings in his second season with the team. After being drafted by the

in the

, Calvert opted to return to the Wheat Kings for a third season and a chance to win the

2010 Memorial Cup The 2010 Memorial Cup was a four-team round-robin format tournament played during May 14–23, 2010 in Brandon, Manitoba. It was the 92nd annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hock ...

, set to be hosted by Brandon. He was named captain of the Wheat Kings for the 2009–10 season, during which he earned Second-Team Eastern Conference All-Star and Memorial Cup All-Star honours. Calvert is also noted for scoring a natural

short-handed Short-handed is a term used in ice hockey and several related sports, including water polo, and refers to having fewer players on the ice during play, as a result of a penalty. The player removed from play serves the penalty in the penalty box ...

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

against the

Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL), hosting their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "Hitman" Hart, a prof ...

in the 2010 WHL Eastern Conference Finals. With this feat, Calvert tied the WHL record for most short-handed goals in one game and became the only player in WHL history to score three short-handed goals in one period in the playoffs.

Professional

Columbus Blue Jackets

Calvert began the 2010–11 season with the Blue Jackets'

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) affiliate, the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Arizona Co ...

. Calvert was later called up to Columbus on January 6, 2011, and made his NHL debut two days later in a 6–0 loss to the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...

. He would score his first career NHL goal one game later against goaltender

Jonathan Quick Jonathan Douglas Quick (born January 21, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Quick was selected in the third round, 72nd overall, by the Los Angeles Kings at the ...

of the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

. The Blue Jackets would assign Calvert to Springfield for the duration of the 2011 NHL All-Star Break before bringing him back up when they resumed regular season play. On February 25, 2011, Calvert scored a natural hat-trick for the Blue Jackets in a 5–3 win over the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

. It was the first hat-trick of Calvert's NHL career and the 19th hat-trick in Blue Jackets history. On April 19, 2014, Matt Calvert helped the Blue Jackets earn their first

Stanley Cup playoff The season structure of the National Hockey League (NHL) is divided into the pre-season, regular season, and the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the pre-season, which is generally held during the last two weeks of September, each team plays several not-fo ...

win by scoring a short-handed goal in the second period and the eventual game-winning goal in their 4–3 double overtime victory over the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

. Three years later, during the 2017 playoffs, Calvert was disciplined by the league for an on-ice attack on

Tom Kühnhackl Tom Kühnhackl (born 21 January 1992) is a German professional ice hockey player with Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Island ...

of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the 2017–18 season, Calvert proved his versatility throughout the lineup, registering 9 goals and 15 assists for 24 points in 69 games, matching career highs in assists and points while leading the team with two short-handed tallies. He also produced four points in six

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

contests.

Colorado Avalanche

On July 1, 2018, as a free agent, Calvert left the Blue Jackets after eight seasons to sign a three-year, $8.4 million contract with the

. On July 22, 2021, Calvert announced his retirement from the NHL due to a career-ending injury.

Personal life

Calvert and his wife Courtney were married in 2014. The couple has two sons, Kasey and Beau.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Calvert, Matt 1989 births Living people Brandon Wheat Kings players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Colorado Avalanche players Columbus Blue Jackets draft picks Columbus Blue Jackets players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Ice hockey people from Brandon, Manitoba Springfield Falcons players Winkler Flyers players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen