Matt Puempel

Matthew Puempel (born January 24, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He most recently played for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Puempel was selected 24th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators.

Matt Puempel
Puempel at the 2018 AHL All-Star Game
Born	January 24, 1993 Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shoots	Left
SHL team Former teams	Malmö Redhawks Ottawa Senators New York Rangers Detroit Red Wings
NHL Draft	24th overall, 2011 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	2012–present

Playing career

Amateur

Puempel's 2009–10 season was a noteworthy rookie OHL season. Playing for the Peterborough Petes, he led all OHL rookies in goals and points and was second on his team in scoring. His point totals landed him at 39th in overall league scoring and he won the Emms Family Award as well as the CHL Rookie of the Year award.[1] In his second season with the Petes, he was hampered by a back injury just before the season and a bone chip on his hip that required surgery and ended his season prematurely.[2]

On December 8, 2011, Puempel was suspended for 8 games for a hit to the head of forward Sebastian Uvira during a game against the Oshawa Generals.[3] On June 27, 2012, Puempel requested a trade to a contending team and was subsequently dealt to the Kitchener Rangers. "Being around Ottawa and this being my last year of junior, I wanted to win and be a part of a team that is in a different phase of a rebuild," he told the Peterborough Examiner.[4]

Professional

Eager for the chance to select Puempel, Ottawa traded a pair of second-round picks (35th and 48th overall) to Detroit in order to obtain the 24th overall spot in the draft. Puempel signed an entry level contract with the Senators on December 29, 2011.[5] He made his professional debut with the Binghamton Senators late in the 2011-12 season. In his first full professional season in 2013-14, Puempel scored 30 goals, tying Mike Hoffman for the Binghamton team goal scoring lead.

In the midst of his second full professional season in Binghamton, Puempel was recalled to Ottawa on February 19, 2015. At the time, he ranked third in Binghamton team scoring with 32 points (12 goals and 20 assists) in 51 regular-season games.[6] On March 10, 2015, Puempel scored his first NHL goal against Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins.[7]

In the 2016–17 season, Puempel made the Senators opening night roster. After 13 scoreless games, and relegated to a healthy scratch on occasions, Puempel was placed on waivers by the Senators on November 20, 2016.[8] He was claimed the following day by the New York Rangers.[9]

Puempel recorded his first career hat trick in a 6–3 Rangers win against the Arizona Coyotes on December 29, 2016.[10] All three of Puempel's goals were scored on the power play. On June 14, 2017, the Rangers re-signed Puempel to a one-year extension.[11]

In the lead up to the 2017–18 season, Puempel was assigned to the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, after clearing waivers. On October 21, 2017, Puempel was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Ryan Sproul.[12] During the season, Puempel, along with teammate Matt Lorito, were the only two Grand Rapids Griffins players selected to play in the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic game.[13] On September 9, 2018, the Red Wings signed Puempel to a two-year contract extension.[14] On March 22, 2019, Puempel was recalled by the Red Wings. Prior to being recalled, he recorded 24 goals and 26 assists in 59 games for the Griffins.[15] He made his debut for the Red Wings the next night in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights.[16] During the 2018–19 season, Puempel recorded one goal in eight games for the Red Wings. Following the completion of the Red Wings' season, he was re-assigned to the Griffins.[17]

After going unsigned through the start of the 2019–20 season, Puempel signed his first contract overseas, agreeing to a deal with the Malmö Redhawks of the SHL on January 16, 2021.[18]

Personal life

Born in Windsor, Puempel was raised in Essex, Ontario with his older brother Mike.[19] He attended Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School while playing for the Petes where he earned OHL Academic Player of the Month for the East Division in January 2010.[20]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2009–10	Peterborough Petes	OHL		59	33	31	64	43		4	1	1	2	6
2010–11	Peterborough Petes	OHL		55	34	35	69	49		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Peterborough Petes	OHL		30	17	16	33	31		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Binghamton Senators	AHL		9	1	0	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Kitchener Rangers	OHL		51	35	12	47	43		10	3	4	7	10
2012–13	Binghamton Senators	AHL		2	0	0	0	0		3	2	0	2	0
2013–14	Binghamton Senators	AHL		74	30	18	48	94		1	0	0	0	0
2014–15	Binghamton Senators	AHL		51	12	20	32	31		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Ottawa Senators	NHL		13	2	1	3	8		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Binghamton Senators	AHL		34	17	13	30	15		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Ottawa Senators	NHL		26	2	1	3	9		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Ottawa Senators	NHL		13	0	0	0	7		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	New York Rangers	NHL		27	6	3	9	4		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		5	1	2	3	0		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		57	22	32	54	21		5	1	3	4	0
2018–19	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		62	24	26	50	38		5	2	2	4	16
2018–19	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		8	1	0	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		46	17	22	39	26		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				87	11	5	16	30		—	—	—	—	—

Medal record
Representing Canada
Ice hockey
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
	2010 Slovakia

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2010	Canada Ontario	U17			6	2	3	5	0
2010	Canada	IH18			5	3	4	7	2
Junior totals					11	5	7	12	2

Awards and honours

Puempel being selected by the Ottawa Senators at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

Award	Year
Junior
CHL Rookie of the Year	2009–10	[1]
CHL All-Rookie Team	2009–10
Emms Family Award	2009–10	[21]
OHL First All-Rookie Team	2009–10
American Hockey League All-Star Team	2018	[13]

References

1. "CHL.ca - Annual Awards". CHL.ca. Archived from the original on 2010-08-21. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
2. "Matt Puempel – NHL Draft Profile". The Scouting Report.com. 2011-06-25. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
3. "Essex native Puempel suspended 8 games for check to head". Windsor Star. 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
4. "Petes trade Matt Puempel". Peterborough Examiner. 2012-06-27. Archived from the original on 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2012-06-27.
5. "Senators add to prospect stockpile with signings". Ottawa Senators. 2011-12-29. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
6. "News Release: Senators recall forward Matt Puempel from Binghamton (AHL)". Ottawa Senators. 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
7. "Tuuka Rask makes 39 saves as Bruins beat Sens for third straight win". NHL.com. March 11, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
8. "Senators' Matt Puempel placed on waivers". CBS Sports. 2016-11-20. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
9. "Rangers claim forward Matt Puempel". New York Rangers. 2016-11-21. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
10. "Matt Puempel powers Rangers past Coyotes". National Hockey League. 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
11. "Rangers sign Matt Puempel, meet expansion draft requirements". NY Daily News. 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
12. Kujawa, Kyle (October 21, 2017). "Detroit acquires Matt Puempel from New York Rangers". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
13. "ROSTERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2018 AHL ALL-STAR CLASSIC". theahl.com. Springfield, Mass. January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
14. Kujawa, Kyle (September 9, 2018). "Red Wings agree to terms with Matt Puempel on two-year deal". NHL.com. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
15. Kujawa, Kyle (March 22, 2019). "Detroit recalls Puempel from Griffins". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
16. Wakiji, Dana (March 23, 2019). "Notes: Puempel to make Wings debut as Rasmussen is out with injury". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
17. Kujawa, Kyle (April 7, 2019). "Red Wings assign nine players". NHL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
18. "Matt Puempel klar för spel i Redhawks". Malmö Redhawks. January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
19. Newman, Mark (December 1, 2017). "WHEN FATE BECKONS". griffinshockey.com. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
20. "Puempel Academic Player of Month". gopetesgo.com. February 4, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
21. "Petes' Matt Puempel named OHL Rookie of the Year". Ontario Hockey League. 2010-04-08. Archived from the original on 2010-04-17. Retrieved 2010-06-27.

External links

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