Matt Shasby

Matt Shasby
Matt Shasby
	Shasby in 2009 with the Alaska Aces
Born	July 2, 1980 (age 44); Eagle River, Alaska, USA
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Defenseman
Shoots	Left
NHL draft	150th overall, 1999; Montreal Canadiens Coaching career
Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	Alaska Anchorage
Conference	Independent
Biographical details
Alma mater	University of Alaska Anchorage
Playing career
1997–1999	Lincoln Stars
1998–1999	Des Moines Buccaneers
1999–2003	Alaska Anchorage
2003–2004	Columbus Cottonmouths
2004–2005	Hamilton Bulldogs
2004–2005	Long Beach Ice Dogs
2005–2009	Alaska Aces
2011–2012	Alaska Aces
Position(s)	Defenseman
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2021–present	Alaska Anchorage
Head coaching record
Overall	23–36–3 (.395)

Matthew Shasby is an American ice hockey coach and former player who is currently in charge of the program at Alaska Anchorage.^[1]

Career

An Alaska native, Shasby travelled south to finish out his junior hockey career and played two years in the USHL. He performed well enough to be selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.^[2] The following fall he returned to Alaska to play college hockey at Alaska Anchorage. While the Seawolves had a decent season during his freshman year, they finished near the bottom of the WCHA standings in 2001. After a new coach was introduced and Shasby was named an alternate captain, the Seawolves rebounded with a solid season. Shasby was named team captain in his senior season but the team went on to produce a horrible season. Alaska Anchorage won just a single game and finished with the worst record in program history.^[3] On top of the on-ice woes, 13 players were suspended for improperly using scholarship money for textbooks.^[4] Shasby, along with 10 other players, received 3-game suspensions.

After graduating, Shasby signed a professional contract and joined the Columbus Cottonmouths, the ECHL-affiliate of the Canadiens. He led the team in scoring by a defenseman and helped them finish with a winning record after a difficult start to the season. He was promoted to the AHL for the next year but went scoreless in 11 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs. He rediscovered his scoring touch with in the ECHL and helped the Long Beach Ice Dogs reach the second round of the playoffs.

Shasby left Montreal's system in 2005 and signed on with the Alaska Aces. He arrived just in time to help the Aces win the franchise's first ever championship. He played four years with the team and put up tremendous offensive numbers. Additionally, Shasby served as team captain for the 2008 season. He helped the Aces return to the finals in 2009 but the team fell to the South Carolina Stingrays in seven games. After the postseason, Shasby announced his retirement and began his coaching career.^[5] Three years later, he was brought out of retirement for a single game with the Aces and scored a goal in his final professional appearance.

Shasby remained in Alaska and coached several age groups and high school teams over many years. He rose through the ranks and became the vice president of player development for the state of Alaska.^[6] When Alaska Anchorage successfully raised enough money to restart their ice hockey program, they turned to Shasby as the team's head coach.^[7]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997–98	Lincoln Stars	USHL	48	1	15	16	30	8	0	0	0	2
1997–98	Lincoln Stars	USHL	17	1	4	5	10	—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Des Moines Buccaneers	USHL	32	3	18	21	24	11	0	1	1	12
1999–00	Alaska Anchorage	WCHA	32	1	8	9	36	—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Alaska Anchorage	WCHA	35	4	14	18	32	—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Alaska Anchorage	WCHA	35	7	20	27	72	—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Alaska Anchorage	WCHA	25	0	11	11	18	—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Columbus Cottonmouths	ECHL	66	8	20	28	34	—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL	11	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Long Beach Ice Dogs	ECHL	40	4	18	22	52	4	0	0	0	2
2005–06	Alaska Aces	ECHL	67	7	33	40	87	22	4	6	10	8
2006–07	Alaska Aces	ECHL	66	10	45	55	109	15	1	6	7	12
2007–08	Alaska Aces	ECHL	56	9	31	40	66	8	3	3	6	8
2008–09	Alaska Aces	ECHL	68	7	39	46	60	20	2	6	8	22
2011–12	Alaska Aces	ECHL	1	1	0	1	0	—	—	—	—	—
USHL totals			97	5	37	42	64	19	0	1	1	14
NCAA totals			127	12	53	65	158	—	—	—	—	—
ECHL totals			364	46	186	232	408	69	10	22	32	52

College Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall
Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (NCAA Division I independent) (2022–present)
2022–23	Alaska Anchorage	8–19–1
2023–24	Alaska Anchorage	15–17–2
Alaska Anchorage:		23–36–3
Total:		23–36–3
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

Awards and honors

Award	Year
Kelly Cup Champion	2005–06
Reebok Hockey Plus Performer Award	2006–07
ECHL All-Star Game	2008–09
All-ECHL Second Team	2008–09	^[8]

References

^ "Matt Shasby". Alaska Anchorage Seawolves. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
^ "1999 NHL Entry Draft". Hockey DB. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
^ "Alaska Anchorage Hockey Media Guide". Go Seawolves.com. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
^ "This Week in the WCHA: Jan. 9, 2003". USCHO. January 9, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
^ "Aces' Shasby hangs up his skates". Anchorage Daily News. June 26, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
^ "Seawolf alum Matt Shasby named UAA hockey head coach". University of Alaska Anchorage. October 21, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
^ "College Hockey Returns to Anchorage; Kraken Get an Assist". si.com. August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
^ "All-ECHL First Team Announced". ECHL. April 2, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2009. ^{[dead link]}

External links

Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database

[1] "Matt Shasby". Alaska Anchorage Seawolves. Retrieved September 19, 2022.

[2] "1999 NHL Entry Draft". Hockey DB. Retrieved September 19, 2022.

[3] "Alaska Anchorage Hockey Media Guide". Go Seawolves.com. Retrieved 2018-05-18.

[4] "This Week in the WCHA: Jan. 9, 2003". USCHO. January 9, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2022.

[5] "Aces' Shasby hangs up his skates". Anchorage Daily News. June 26, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2022.

[6] "Seawolf alum Matt Shasby named UAA hockey head coach". University of Alaska Anchorage. October 21, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2022.

[7] "College Hockey Returns to Anchorage; Kraken Get an Assist". si.com. August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.

[8] "All-ECHL First Team Announced". ECHL. April 2, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2009. ^{[dead link]}

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v t e Alaska Anchorage Seawolves men's ice hockey
Playing venues	UAA Sports Center (1979–1983) Sullivan Arena (1983–2019) Avis Alaska Sports Complex (2019–present)
Head coaches	Brush Christiansen (1979–1996) Dean Talafous (1996–2001) John Hill (2001–2005) Dave Shyiak (2005–2013) Matt Thomas (2013–2018) Matt Curley (2018–2021) Matt Shasby (2022–present)
Seasons	1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 ~~2020–21~~ 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	Great West (1985–1988) WCHA (1993–2021)
Rivalries	Alaska Nanooks
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders Dean Larson (200 Points) Rob Conn/Joey Hayse (76 Goals) Paul Krake (53 Wins)
Retired numbers	79 Brush Christiansen
NCAA Tournament appearances	1990 1991 1992
University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK