Matthew John Fraser (born May 20, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left wing. He is currently under contract with EC KAC of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). He has previously played in the National Hockey League for the Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers.

Matt Fraser
Fraser with the Edmonton Oilers in 2015
Born (1990-05-20) May 20, 1990 (age 34)
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
ICEHL team
Former teams
EC KAC
Dallas Stars
Boston Bruins
Edmonton Oilers
Rögle BK
Dornbirner EC
Augsburger Panther
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2010–present

Playing career

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Fraser played major junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL), winning the 2010–11 WHL championship with the Kootenay Ice.

 
Fraser with the Texas Stars in 2013

On November 17, 2010, the Dallas Stars signed Fraser as a free agent to a three-year entry-level contract.[1] Fraser started the 2011–12 season playing with the Stars' top American Hockey League affiliate, the Texas Stars, where he scored 21 goals in his first 40 games. Fraser was leading his AHL team in scoring when, on January 24, 2012, he was called up to the Dallas Stars to make his NHL debut.[2] After one game he was returned to Texas and finished with a franchise high 37 goals, second in the league. On February 25, 2013, he scored his first career NHL goal against the Nashville Predators with Pekka Rinne in net.

On July 4, 2013, Fraser was included in a trade between the Stars and Boston Bruins which sent Loui Eriksson to Boston and Tyler Seguin to Dallas in a seven-player deal. Boston traded Seguin, Rich Peverley and Ryan Button to Dallas for Eriksson, Fraser, Joe Morrow and Reilly Smith.[3] Fraser and Ryan Spooner were called up by the Boston Bruins from AHL Providence on December 8, 2013.[4] On May 7, 2014, Fraser was recalled by Boston to make his NHL playoff debut the following day where he scored the overtime winner, giving the Bruins a 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens on May 8 to even the Eastern Conference Semifinals series 2-2.[5]

In the 2014–15 season, Fraser was claimed off waivers from the Bruins by the Edmonton Oilers on December 29, 2014.[6] Fraser scored 5 goals in 36 games to end the year with the Oilers; however, he was not retained with a qualifying offer, releasing him to unrestricted free agency.[7] On July 2, 2015, Fraser signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Winnipeg Jets.[8]

In the 2015–16 season, while with the Jets AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, on February 25, 2016, Fraser was traded by Winnipeg alongside Andrew Ladd and Jay Harrison to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Marko Daňo and a first-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[9]

Unable to crack an NHL roster in a full-time role over five seasons, Fraser left North America as a free agent, signing a one-year deal with Swedish club Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League on September 9, 2016.[10] After one season in Rögle, Fraser moved to Austria to compete with Dornbirner EC of the EBEL.

On April 11, 2018, Fraser moved to the neighbouring German DEL league, agreeing to a one-year contract for the 2018–19 season with the Augsburger Panther.[11]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07 Red Deer Rebels WHL 3 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0
2007–08 Red Deer Rebels WHL 5 0 0 0 2
2007–08 Kootenay Ice WHL 63 9 11 20 48 8 1 1 2 0
2008–09 Kootenay Ice WHL 63 10 14 24 123 4 0 2 2 12
2009–10 Kootenay Ice WHL 65 32 24 56 117 6 1 1 2 12
2009–10 Peoria Rivermen AHL 2 0 0 0 0
2010–11 Kootenay Ice WHL 66 36 38 74 115 19 17 10 27 18
2011–12 Texas Stars AHL 73 37 18 55 45
2011–12 Dallas Stars NHL 1 0 0 0 0
2012–13 Texas Stars AHL 62 33 13 46 26 9 2 0 2 2
2012–13 Dallas Stars NHL 12 1 2 3 0
2013–14 Providence Bruins AHL 40 20 10 30 34 5 3 2 5 0
2013–14 Boston Bruins NHL 14 2 0 2 10 4 1 1 2 0
2014–15 Boston Bruins NHL 24 3 0 3 7
2014–15 Edmonton Oilers NHL 36 5 4 9 10
2015–16 Manitoba Moose AHL 44 5 9 14 4
2015–16 Rockford IceHogs AHL 21 2 5 7 10 2 0 1 1 2
2016–17 Rögle BK SHL 4 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Dornbirner EC EBEL 51 27 18 45 30 6 1 1 2 2
2018–19 Augsburger Panther DEL 52 18 16 34 36 14 3 3 6 12
2019–20 Augsburger Panther DEL 52 9 15 24 18
2020–21 EC KAC ICEHL 26 10 11 21 12 15 10 5 15 10
2021–22 EC KAC ICEHL 45 16 8 24 12 9 5 5 10 10
2022–23 EC KAC ICEHL 46 14 10 24 12 4 1 1 2 2
NHL totals 87 11 6 17 27 4 1 1 2 0

Awards and honors

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Award Year
WHL
Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy – Humanitarian of the Year 2009–10 [12]
Champion (Kootenay Ice) 2010–11 [13]

References

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  1. ^ "Dallas Stars sign Left Wing Matt Fraser". Dallas Stars. November 17, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  2. ^ "Matt Fraser set to make NHL debut". ESPN. January 24, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  3. ^ "Tyler Seguin traded from Boston Bruins to Dallas Stars". Boston.com. July 4, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  4. ^ "Bruins call up two from Providence in wake of injuries". NHL.com. December 8, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  5. ^ "Matt Fraser scores game-winning goal in overtime in NHL playoff debut to lift Boston Bruins over Montreal Canadiens in Game 4, 1-0". masslive.com. May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  6. ^ "Edmonton Oilers (smartly) claim Matt Fraser off waivers". Edmonton Journal. December 29, 2014.
  7. ^ "Edmonton Oilers qualify the right players". Edmonton Journal. June 29, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  8. ^ "Jets agree to terms with Cormier and Fraser". Winnipeg Jets. July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  9. ^ "Blackhawks make big move in bringing back winger Andrew Ladd". Chicago Tribune. February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  10. ^ "Rogle recruits NHL forward Matt Fraser" (in Swedish). Rögle BK. September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  11. ^ "Matt Fraser strengthens Panthers". Augsburger Panther. April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  12. ^ "Matt Fraser recognized for commitment to health care". BCLocalNews.com. February 3, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  13. ^ "Kootenay Ice Crowned WHL Champions". Western Hockey League. April 5, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
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