Position Left Wing Role Ice hockey player Shoots Left Height 1.83 m | Playing career Weight 86 kg Name Matthew Puempel Salary 832,500 USD (2015) | |
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Born January 24, 1993 (age 31)
Windsor, ON, CAN ( 1993-01-24 ) NHL team (P)
Cur. team Ottawa Senators
Binghamton Senators (AHL) NHL Draft 24th overall, 2011
Ottawa Senators Current team Binghamton Senators (#9 / Left wing) Similar People Shane Prince, Bryan Murray, Dave Cameron, Paul MacLean, Luke Richardson | ||
Matthew Puempel (born January 24, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Puempel was selected 24th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators.
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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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. On March 10, 2015, Puempel scored his first NHL goal against Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins.
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. He was claimed the following day by the New York Rangers.
Puempel recorded his first career hat trick in a 6-3 Rangers win against the Arizona Coyotes on December 29, 2016. 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.
Personal
Born in Windsor, Puempel was raised in Essex, Ontario.