Matt Duchene

Matthew David Duchene (born 16 January 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He has previously played in the NHL for the Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Nashville Predators.

While with the Predators, he set a new franchise record for most goals scored in a single season.

It marked the first time that an 18-year-old recorded back-to-back two-goal games in the NHL since Radek Dvořák did so with Florida in November 1995.

In 2006, Duchene verbally stated he was interested in college hockey in the United States and verbally committed to playing in the NCAA.

However, after the 2006–07 season with the Wolves, Duchene was selected by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Brampton Battalion in the first round of the 2007 OHL Priority Selection.

Duchene played major junior in the OHL with the Brampton Battalion in 2007–08, scoring 30 goals and 50 points in his rookie campaign.

The following season, 2008–09, he improved to 79 points in 57 games, then added 26 points in the playoffs, helping the Battalion to the J. Ross Robertson Cup Finals, where they were defeated by eventual 2009 Memorial Cup champions, the Windsor Spitfires.

During his time with the Battalion, Duchene attended Turner Fenton Secondary School.

Duchene was selected third overall by the Avalanche in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Entering the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Duchene was ranked second overall among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, behind John Tavares.

Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman was also considered a strong candidate with Tavares for the first overall selection.

Duchene's well-rounded, two-way game, however, garnered him attention for the top pick as well.

After Tavares and Hedman were picked first and second respectively, Duchene was selected third overall by the Colorado Avalanche.

Growing up as an Avalanche fan, Duchene quickly became a fan favourite after video footage showed him pumping his fist after Hedman was selected second overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning, effectively sealing his fate as an Avalanche draftee.

Having played alongside Vancouver Canucks prospect Cody Hodgson, who had been selected tenth overall the previous year, Duchene sought draft advice from him over the course of the season.

While playing in junior, Duchene drew comparisons to such NHLers as Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic, as well as Mike Richards.

Duchene recorded his first career NHL point in his Avalanche debut on 1 October 2009, against the San Jose Sharks with an assist on a powerplay goal by John-Michael Liles.

Duchene's first goal came later that month on 17 October against Chris Osgood in a 4–3 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings.

The following day, it was announced that Duchene would spend the entire season with the Avalanche instead of being reassigned to the Battalion.

On 30 November, Duchene compiled his first two-goal NHL game in a 3–0 shutout victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

On 2 December, he recorded his second two-goal game and first three-point game in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers.

Duchene was subsequently selected as the NHL Rookie of the Month for December 2009 after scoring 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points in 14 games.

On 6 April 2010, Duchene scored the game-winning shootout goal in a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks to clinch the Avalanche a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Duchene finished his rookie season third on the Avalanche in scoring with 55 points, and second in goals with 24.

Among NHL rookies, he finished first in points, ahead of John Tavares by one, and tied with Tavares for first in goals.

Duchene added three assists in six playoff games as the Avalanche were eliminated by the San Jose Sharks in the opening round.

After completion of the season, he was selected to the NHL All-Rookie team and placed third in Calder Memorial Trophy voting, the award given to the NHL's top rookie of the year.

On 15 November 2010, Duchene got into his first-career fight, facing St. Louis Blues' forward Vladimír Sobotka.

Soon thereafter, Duchene recorded his 100th career NHL point on 26 January with a goal against Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov in a 5–2 loss.

Duchene finished the season with 67 points and became the youngest player in Avalanche history to lead the team in scoring.

In January 2011, he was chosen to participate in his first NHL All-Star Game.

During the contest, he became the first player in All-Star Game history to be awarded a penalty shot when Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin tossed his stick toward Duchene on a breakaway.

However, Duchene's attempt was turned away by Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.

On 4 November 2011, Duchene tallied his first career hat-trick (and first career four-point game) in a 7–6 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars.

Injuries plagued his campaign as he played a mere 58 games.

On 23 June 2012, Duchene, as a restricted free agent, signed a two-year contract with the Avalanche worth $7 million.

He won a gold medal with Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Duchene grew up playing minor hockey for the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA)'s Central Ontario Wolves (based in Lindsay) of the Eastern AAA League.

He also spent his early hockey years playing for his hometown Haliburton Huskies before moving up to the AAA level.