Introduction
Michael Pezzetta (born March 13, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the sixth round, 160th overall, by the Canadiens in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Junior
Originally selected 11th overall by the Sudbury Wolves in the 2014 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection, Pezzetta made his OHL debut during the 2014–15 season. On January 9, 2018, during his overage season with Sudbury, Pezzetta was traded to the Sarnia Sting.
Professional
Pezzetta signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens on March 7, 2018, and would make his professional debut during the 2018–19 season with the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
During the 2021–22 season, on November 1, 2021, Pezzetta was recalled by the Canadiens and made his NHL debut the following night versus the Detroit Red Wings. In his rookie season with the Canadiens, Pezzetta collected five goals and six assists in 51 games for 11 points, and led the team in penalty minutes with 81. In the midst of a terrible season for the team, Pezzetta endeared himself to many fans with his effort.
Pezzetta signed a one-year, $750,000 deal to remain with the Canadiens for the 2022–23 season. Initially seeing little ice time as the team's 13th forward, a spate of injuries eventually moved him regularly into the lineup again. Appearing in 63 games, he managed seven goals and eight assists, while leading the team in hits (239) and with the most penalty minutes among team forwards. Pezzetta drew headlines for scoring the shootout-winning goal in a March 27, 2023, game against the Buffalo Sabres and then celebrating in the style made famous by Tiger Williams.
On June 2, 2023, Pezzetta signed a new two-year contract with the Canadiens. He expressed enthusiasm for the organization, saying "there's so much history and the fans are wild and it's such a loud and just fun atmosphere to be a part of. You want to stick around in this atmosphere for as long as you can."
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 61 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 64 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 54 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 88 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 17 | ||
| 2017–18 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 35 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 27 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 26 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15 | ||
| 2018–19 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 55 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Maine Mariners | ECHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 32 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 20 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 51 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 63 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 61 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 175 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 217 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Canada White | U17 | 5th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||