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Michael McNiven

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Michael McNiven
Born (1997-07-09) July 9, 1997 (age 27)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 199 lb (90 kg; 14 st 3 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Rapaces de Gap
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2018–2024

Michael McNiven (born July 9, 1997) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Originally undrafted by teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), McNiven played seven seasons of professional ice hockey between 2018–2024, mostly in the Montreal Canadiens organization.

Early life

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McNiven was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[1] After his parents were unable to take care of him, he was raised by his paternal grandparents, Jim and Christine.[2] Although he had limited contact with his mother, McNiven's relationship with his father improved throughout his adolescence.[3] He spent the 2012–13 minor ice hockey season as a goaltender for the Halton Hurricanes of the South-Central Triple A Hockey League (SCTA), where he posted an 11–9 record and 1.48 goals against average (GAA).[4]

Playing career

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Junior

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McNiven joined the Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) for the 2013–14 season; at 16 years old, he was younger than many other players in the league, who were around the age of 20. McNiven finished the season with a 21–10 record and a .915 save percentage; despite not being expected to make the OJHL playoffs, the Raiders defeated both the Milton Menace and the Buffalo Jr. Sabres before falling to the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots in the West conference finals.[2]

The Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) selected McNiven in the fourth round of the 2013 OHL Priority Selection, and he signed with the team that year.[4] On February 15, 2017, McNiven stopped all 16 shots he faced for his 10th career junior ice hockey shutout, passing Jordan Binnington for the most in Attack history.[5] That May, he was awarded both the Jim Rutherford Trophy as the best goaltender in the OHL, and the CHL Goaltender of the Year award.[6] He finished the season with a 41–9–4 record, 2.30 GAA, .915 save percentage, and six shutouts in 54 games.[7]

Professional

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After going undrafted in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) signed McNiven to a three-year, entry-level contract on September 24, 2015.[8] He made his NHL debut on January 24, 2022, relieving Cayden Primeau in the third period of an 8–2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Primeau left the game after allowing five goals on 32 shots, while McNiven allowed an additional three on seven shots.[9] On March 2, 2022, McNiven was traded to the Calgary Flames in exchange for future considerations.[10] Before he made an appearance within the Flames organization, McNiven was again traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for future considerations on March 21, 2022.[11]

As a free agent from the Senators after his contract, McNiven went unsigned over the summer. Approaching the 2022–23 season without an NHL or American Hockey League (AHL) offer, McNiven was signed to a contract with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL on October 10, 2022.[12]

In November 2023, McNiven agreed to a one-year contract to join the Wheeling Nailers for the 2023–24 season. After appearing in six games for the Nailers, posting a 3.98 GAA and a save percentage of 0.859, McNiven was traded to the Savannah Ghost Pirates on December 6, 2023.[13] Just over a month later, McNiven would be traded to the Cincinnati Cyclones on January 26, 2024, his second transaction of the season.[14] However, McNiven opted to continue his professional career overseas, agreeing to a contract with the France-based Rapaces de Gap of the Ligue Magnus in early February 2024.[15]

In August 2024, McNiven announced his retirement from active play. He subsequently took an assistant coaching position with the Powell River Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) beginning in the 2024–25 season.[16]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2013–14 Georgetown Raiders OJHL 35 21 10 0 1,891 82 5 2.60 890 13 8 5 778 35 0 2.70 .908
2014–15 Owen Sound Attack OHL 24 15 8 0 1,334 62 2 2.79 .914 — — — — — — — —
2015–16 Owen Sound Attack OHL 53 21 18 10 2,964 145 3 2.94 .902 6 2 4 360 22 1 3.67 .875
2016–17 Owen Sound Attack OHL 54 41 9 4 3,184 122 6 2.30 .915 17 10 7 992 46 2 2.78 .908
2017–18 Laval Rocket AHL 25 6 16 2 1,407 82 0 3.50 .884 — — — — — — — —
2017–18 Brampton Beast ECHL 4 0 2 1 201 14 1 4.19 .868 — — — — — — — —
2018–19 Laval Rocket AHL 30 11 12 6 1,619 68 2 2.52 .902 — — — — — — — —
2018–19 Brampton Beast ECHL 1 1 0 0 62 2 0 1.94 .935 — — — — — — — —
2019–20 Laval Rocket AHL 3 3 0 0 180 7 0 2.33 .919 — — — — — — — —
2019–20 Adirondack Thunder ECHL 4 3 1 0 240 7 2 1.75 .941 — — — — — — — —
2019–20 Jacksonville IceMen ECHL 10 4 5 1 559 26 1 2.79 .915 — — — — — — — —
2019–20 Norfolk Admirals ECHL 8 2 5 1 476 33 0 4.16 .889 — — — — — — — —
2020–21 Laval Rocket AHL 13 7 3 3 787 34 1 2.59 .895 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Laval Rocket AHL 11 4 4 1 520 35 1 4.04 .869 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1 0 0 0 20 3 0 9.00 .571 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Belleville Senators AHL 2 0 0 1 100 6 0 3.61 .878 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Greenville Swamp Rabbits ECHL 8 4 1 2 472 20 0 2.54 .913 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Wheeling Nailers ECHL 6 2 2 1 331 22 0 3.98 .859 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Savannah Ghost Pirates ECHL 7 0 4 1 328 16 0 2.93 .886 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Rapaces de Gap Ligue Magnus 7 2 5 0 389 23 0 3.29 .893 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 1 0 0 0 20 3 0 9.00 .571 — — — — — — — —

Awards and honours

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Award Year Ref
OHL
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2014–15 [17]
F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy 2014–15 [18]
First All-Rookie Team 2014–15 [19]
Dave Pinkney Trophy 2016–17[a] [20]
Jim Rutherford Trophy 2016–17 [6]
First All-Star Team 2016–17 [21]
CHL Goaltender of the Year 2016–17 [6]
ECHL
All-Star Game 2023–24 [22]
  1. ^ Split with Emanuel Vella as a team award for the Owen Sound Attack.

References

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  1. ^ "Michael McNiven Stats and News". NHL.com. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Dumont, Marc (April 2, 2020). "In his goal crease, Canadiens prospect Michael McNiven found a sanctuary from pain". The Athletic. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  3. ^ Godin, Joanie (February 2, 2018). "A short look up high with plenty of meaning". Translated by Braverman, Dan. Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  4. ^ a b "Halton Hurricanes grad Michael McNiven commits to Owen Sound Attack". CHL.ca. August 16, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  5. ^ Sweetland, Josh (February 15, 2017). "Attack's McNiven becomes new franchise shutouts leader". CHL.ca. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Michael McNiven named CHL Goaltender of the Year". Montreal Canadiens. May 27, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  7. ^ "Owen Sound's Michael McNiven named OHL's top goaltender". Sportsnet.ca. May 3, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "Canadiens agree to terms on a three-year contract with goaltender Michael McNiven". Montreal Canadiens. September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  9. ^ Pierce, Jessi (January 25, 2022). "Wild score eight against Canadiens, extend point streak to seven". NHL.com. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  10. ^ "Michael McNiven traded to Calgary for future considerations". Montreal Canadiens. March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  11. ^ "Sens make two more moves at deadline". Ottawa Senators. March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  12. ^ "McNiven signs with Swamp Rabbits". ECHL.com. October 10, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  13. ^ Duffy, Eryn (December 6, 2023). "ECHL: Michael McNiven Traded to Savannah Ghost Pirates". Inside The Rink. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  14. ^ "CYCLONES TRADE FOR MICHAEL MCNIVEN". Cincinnati Cyclones. January 26, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Cowan, Greg (February 27, 2024). "Former CHL Goaltender of the Year looks to rekindle love of the game in France". Owen Sound Sun Times. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  16. ^ Laskaris, Sam (August 9, 2024). "Métis hockey netminder retires to begin coaching career with Junior A club in British Columbia". Windspeaker.com. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  17. ^ "McNiven named to Top Prospects Game". CHL.ca. January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  18. ^ "OHL 2014–15 Regular Season Awards". CHL.ca. March 23, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  19. ^ "DeBrincat named OHL Rookie of the Year". CHL.ca. April 8, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  20. ^ "Attack's McNiven and Vella win Dave Pinkney Trophy". CHL.ca. March 22, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  21. ^ Sweetland, Josh (May 17, 2017). "OHL Announces 2016–17 All-Star Teams". CHL.ca. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  22. ^ Klisivitch, Armand (January 16, 2024). "ECHL All-Star Game Recap". Inside The Rink. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
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