Matthew Alan Roy (born March 1, 1995) is an American 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 ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

currently playing for the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

of 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 selected in the seventh round, 194th overall, by 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. ...

in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Roy spent three seasons playing

Tier 1 Elite Hockey League The Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL), formerly Midwest Elite Hockey League, is located primarily in the Midwest United States and is the premier amateur youth hockey league in the United States. Players from all over the country move to the ar ...

hockey with Victory Honda, serving as captain for the U18 team in his last season, before joining the

Indiana Ice The Indiana Ice was a Tier I junior ice hockey team and member club of the United States Hockey League (USHL) that was formed in 2004 when the Danville Wings were purchased and moved from their location in Danville, Illinois, to Indianapolis, ...

in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

. He was one of six players on the Indiana Ice from Michigan to win the 2014

Clark Cup The United States Hockey League began in 1961 as a semi-professional ice hockey league. Starting with the 1979–80 season, the league became a strictly Amateur league, and began awarding its champion the Clark Cup Trophy. All champions of the USH ...

. After the Indiana Ice disbanded following the 2013–2014 season, Roy's playing rights were sent to the

Dubuque Fighting Saints The Dubuque Fighting Saints are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and are based in the city of Dubuque, Iowa, on the banks of the Mississippi River at the intersection of Iowa, Illinois, and Wis ...

Collegiate

Roy began his freshman season at Michigan Tech playing in 36 games during the 2014–15 season. His plus-minus rating ranked third amongst freshman in the NCAA as the Huskies ranked second in the conference. After his freshman season, Roy was drafted 194th overall by the

in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. In his sophomore season, Roy played in 37 games and recorded a then-career high 20 points. He finished the season ranked third among WCHA defensemen in points and was selected for the All-WCHA Second Team. His junior season was also successful offensively, with Roy putting up a career high 23 points and being named to the All-WCHA First Team. He was also the co-winner of the team's MVP award, the Merv Youngs Award.

Professional

Los Angeles Kings

After completing his junior season with the

Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Technological University's sports teams are called the Huskies. The Huskies participate in NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), a member of the Central Collegiate Ski Association f ...

of the

Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college ice hockey conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated as a me ...

, Roy was signed to a two-year, entry-level contract with the Kings on March 27, 2017. He immediately joined the Kings' AHL affiliate, the

Ontario Reign The Ontario Reign are a professional ice hockey team based in Ontario, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Arena. The fra ...

, on an amateur try-out for the remainder of the 2016–17 season. After attending the Kings training camp, Roy was reassigned to the Reign for the 2018–19 season. On February 16, 2019, Roy was called up to the NHL after playing in 44 games with the Reign. He made his NHL debut that night in a 4–2 loss to the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

. Roy recorded his first career assist on Austin Wagner's goal in a 3–1 loss to the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

. Roy suffered a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

after he was boarded by

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

forward

Kevin Fiala Kevin Fiala (born 22 July 1996) is a Swiss professional ice hockey left winger for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent one season with the Malmö Redhawks junior team, then joined HV71, splitting a season between t ...

on January 28, 2021. Fiala was suspended 3 games for the hit from behind. On March 21, 2021, Roy signed a three-year, $9.45 million contract extension with the Kings.

Washington Capitals

Following six seasons in the NHL with the Kings, on July 1, 2024, Roy was signed as a free agent to a six-year, $34.5 million contract with the

, carrying an average annual value of $5.75 million.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Matt 1995 births Living people Indiana Ice players Los Angeles Kings draft picks Los Angeles Kings players Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey players Ontario Reign (AHL) players Washington Capitals players American men's ice hockey defensemen 21st-century American sportsmen