Matthew Peca

Matthew Peca (born April 27, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round (201st overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. After playing four years at Quinnipiac University, he made his NHL debut during the 2016–17 season.

Juniors

Prior to turning professional, Peca played for the Pembroke Lumber Kings in the Central Canada Hockey League. In the offseason before the 2011–12 season, he was claimed off waivers by the Kitchener Rangers but never played for them due to his commitment to Quinnipiac University.

Quinnipiac University

Peca attended Quinnipiac University for four years, where he played four seasons with the Quinnipiac Bobcats men's ice hockey team which competes in NCAA's Division I in the ECAC Hockey conference. He was recognized for his outstanding play with the Bobcats when he was named as a freshman to the 2011–12 ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team, and in his final season was named to the 2014–15 All-ECAC Hockey First Team and team co-captain.

Professional

After graduation, Peca signed an amateur try out with the Tampa Bay Lightning's American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch before signing a two year entry level contract with the Lightning on April 1, 2015.

On December 27, 2016, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that Peca would be called up to the NHL roster. On December 28, Peca made his NHL debut in a 4–3 Lightning overtime win over the visiting Montreal Canadiens. On December 31, Peca recorded his first career NHL point, which was an assist on a goal by Alex Killorn. On January 3, 2017, Peca scored his first NHL goal against Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, making him the first Quinnipiac Bobcat to score a goal in the NHL.

On July 5, 2017, Peca signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Lightning. On January 4, 2018, Peca was named to the 2018 AHL All-Star game.

As a free agent, Peca signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens on July 1, 2018. During the following 2018–19 season, on 8 November 2018, Peca scored his first goal for Montreal in a 5–6 overtime defeat against the Buffalo Sabres.

In the final year of his contract with the Canadiens in the 2019–20 season, Peca was unable to keep his role in the NHL through training camp and was placed on waivers before he was assigned to AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. He appeared in 5 scoreless games on recall with Montreal through the season, before he was dealt at the NHL trade deadline to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Aaron Luchuk and a 2020 draft pick on February 24, 2020.