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Nikolas Matinpalo

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Nikolas Matinpalo
Born (1998-10-05) October 5, 1998 (age 26)
Espoo, Finland
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams
Ottawa Senators
Belleville Senators (AHL)
Ilves
Ässät
National team  Finland
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2018–present

Nikolas Matinpalo (born October 5, 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing for the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1]

Playing career

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Matinpalo made his Liiga debut with Ilves during the 2018–19 Liiga season.[2]

Following the 2022–23 season, his sixth year in the Liiga, Matinpalo was signed as an undrafted free agent to a one-year, entry-level contract with the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ottawa Senators on 26 May 2023.[3] Matinpalo attended the 2023 Senators training camp but did not make the team. He was assigned to Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators, to begin the 2023–24 season.[4] After injuries to Thomas Chabot and Erik Brännström, Matinpalo was recalled by Ottawa on 28 October.[5] Matinpalo played in his first NHL game the same day, a 5–2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.[6] He was returned to Belleville after four games with Ottawa on 10 November.[7] Matinpalo spent the rest of the season with Belleville and appeared in the Calder Cup playoffs with them. On 20 June 2024 Matinpalo signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with Ottawa.[8]

Matinpalo passed through waivers, going unclaimed, and was assigned to Belleville to start the 2024–25 season.[9]

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
2016–17 Blues Jr. A 33 1 6 7 37 2 0 1 1 0
2017–18 Blues Jr. A 52 7 14 21 59 4 0 0 0 2
2018–19 Ilves Liiga 30 2 4 6 10 7 0 0 0 4
2018–19 KOOVEE Mestis 2 0 0 0 0
2019–20 Ilves Liiga 33 0 1 1 47
2019–20 KOOVEE Mestis 13 1 2 3 10
2020–21 Ilves Liiga 11 0 0 0 6
2020–21 KOOVEE Mestis 1 0 1 1 0
2020–21 Ässät Liiga 30 1 2 3 18
2021–22 Ässät Liiga 50 4 4 8 20
2022–23 Ässät Liiga 51 7 9 16 20 8 0 4 4 4
2023–24 Belleville Senators AHL 67 4 10 14 26 7 0 0 0 4
2023–24 Ottawa Senators NHL 4 0 0 0 0
Liiga totals 205 14 20 34 121 15 0 4 4 8
NHL totals 4 0 0 0 0

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2023 Finland WC 7th 8 1 2 3 0
Senior totals 8 1 2 3 0

References

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  1. ^ Tiira, Jaakko (May 25, 2023). "Nyt tärähti! Leijonien komeetta solmi NHL-sopimuksen kesken MM-turnauksen". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "Tilastot #52 Matinpalo, Nikolas". Liiga. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  3. ^ "Sens ink defenceman Nikolas Matinpalo to a one-year, entry-level contract". Ottawa Senators. May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  4. ^ "Ottawa Senators assign eight players to Belleville Sens". Belleville Senators. October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  5. ^ "Senators recall Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo, place Thomas Chabot on LTIR". Sportsnet. October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Baines, Tim (October 28, 2023). "Joonas Korpisalso stands tall, Ottawa Senators make most of chances in win over Pittsburgh Penguins". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "Senators' Nikolas Matinpalo: Returned to AHL". CBS Sports. November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  8. ^ D'Amico, Sydney (June 20, 2024). "Matinpalo back for more". Ottawa Senators. Retrieved June 20, 2024 – via NHL.com.
  9. ^ Pronman, Corey; Dayal, Harman (October 4, 2024). "NHL waiver tracker: Best players on the wire throughout 2024-25 preseason". The Athletic. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
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