Matthew Tkachuk is an American ice hockey player, a winger for the NHL club Florida Panthers, a player of the US national team.
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on December 11, 1997 in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of America (USA).
He received his primary education at Oak Hill School in Villa Duchene, and from grades 6 to 9 he studied at Chaminade College Preparatory School.
Career
2013 – 2015
He began his hockey career in 2013 in the US junior national team under the hockey development program. He spent the 2015/2016 season with the London Knights.
2015 – 2020
In 2016, he was selected in the NHL draft at number 6 – the Calgary Flames received the rights. On July 7, Tkachuk signed a three-year contract with the club.
He scored his first goal in a match against the Buffalo Sabres, which ended in a 4-3 victory.
In March 2017, he received several disqualifications due to gross violations. Among the contenders for the Calder Memorial Trophy, the American took seventh place.
He became the second youngest player in the history of the Flames to play 100 matches.
On March 11, 2018, he was injured during a game with the New York Islanders and missed the rest of the season.
Before the 2018/2019 season, Tkachuk was appointed vice-captain of the Calgary Flames along with Mikael Backlund and Sean Monaghan. In the same season, he set a personal record for points and scored his first hat trick in a match against the Vegas Golden Knights – 6-3.
On March 15, 2019, he gave the 100th assist in his career and became the first player in his draft with such a result.
On September 25, he extended his contract with the Calgary Flames for another 3 years.
2020 – 2025
In the 2021/2022 season, he scored 99 points and surpassed his father’s record of 98 per season. Subsequently, he brought the figure to 100 in the game against the Dallas Stars.
On July 20, it became known that Tkachuk informed the Flames about his refusal to sign a long-term contract. That same month, the club traded the athlete for three players from the Florida Panthers.
On February 4, 2023, at the NHL All-Star Game, Tkachuk was recognized as the best player. In his debut season for the Panthers, he scored a record 109 points for himself and was nominated for the Garth Trophy at the end of the regular season.
In the 2023/2024 season, together with the Florida Panthers, he won the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career.
During the next season, the club reached the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in a row and beat the Edmonton Oilers for the second time in 6 matches.
Tkachuk played only 52 games in the regular season due to an injury he received in February 2025 at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament as part of the US national team. He missed 9 weeks, but returned to the playoffs on April 22. In the postseason, he played 23 matches and scored 23 points – 8 goals and 15 assists. The Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
In September 2025, the club’s general manager, Bill Zito, announced that Tkachuk would miss the start of the 2025/2026 season due to injury and would probably not play until December.
The athlete returned to the ice on January 21, 2026 in a match against the San Jose Sharks, which ended in a 1-4 defeat.
International competitions
In 2014, he helped the U.S. team win gold at the U17 World Championships.
At the U18 tournament in 2015, he gave 10 assists in 7 matches – this was the best indicator of the competition. The United States then also won gold.
At the 2016 World Youth Championship, together with Austin Matthews, he scored 11 points each. The U.S. junior team finished the competition in 1st place.
Marital Status
In April 2024, he got engaged to Ellie Connell. The wedding took place in July 2025.
