Matthew Clackson is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

-born American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 right winger

Winger (ice hockey)

Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

 for the Chicago Wolves

Chicago Wolves

The Chicago Wolves are a professional hockey team playing in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois...

 of the American Hockey League

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

. His father, Kim Clackson

Kim Clackson

Kimbel Gerald Clackson A professional ice hockey player who played 106 games in the National Hockey League and 271 games in the World Hockey Association...

, played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...

 and Quebec Nordiques

Quebec Nordiques

The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...

.

Playing career

Clackson attended Peters Township High School

Peters Township High School

Peters Township High School is a public high school in McMurray, Pennsylvania, at 264 East McMurray Road. It was built in 1968 and renovated in 1981. In January 2001, a 16-month, $24 million renovation was completed. The high school includes students from grades 9 through 12...

 in McMurray, Pennsylvania

McMurray, Pennsylvania

McMurray is a community in Peters Township, Washington County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The U.S. Census Bureau defined the community as a census-designated place , though it has no legal status as a separately incorporated municipality. The population was 4,726 at the 2000 census...

, and played for the school's varsity ice hockey team, winning two Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 State AA Ice Hockey Championships. He was a teammate of NHLer Christian Hanson

Christian Hanson (ice hockey)

Christian David Hanson is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Washington Capitals. Prior to playing for the Capitals, Hanson played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and in the American Hockey League for the Toronto Marlies. He played amateur hockey for the University...

 at Peters Township. After high school, he played two seasons of Junior A with the Chicago Steel

Chicago Steel

The Chicago Steel is a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team formed in 2000. It plays all of its home games at the Edge Ice Arena, located in Bensenville, Illinois. The Steel play in the Eastern Division of the United States Hockey League. The current GM and Head Coach of the Steel is Scott McConnell...

 of the United States Hockey League

United States Hockey League

The United States Hockey League is the top junior ice hockey league in the United States. The USHL has 16 member teams located in the Midwestern United States, consisting of players who are 20 years of age and younger...

 (USHL) and was selected 215th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft

2005 NHL Entry Draft

The 2005 NHL Entry Draft was the 43rd NHL Entry Draft.As a lockout cancelled the games of the 2004–05 NHL season, the draft order was determined by lottery on July 22, 2005. Teams were assigned 1 to 3 balls based on their playoff appearances and first overall draft picks from the past three years...

 by the Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

.

Following his draft, he spent three seasons with Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....

 of the NCAA circuit. After his junior season, he decided to forego his senior year by signing with the Flyers on March 19, 2008. That same day, he was assigned to the Philadelphia Phantoms

Philadelphia Phantoms

The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and played most of its home games at the Spectrum. During schedule conflicts or some Calder Cup playoff games, games were...

 of the American Hockey League

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

 (AHL); he played two games with the AHL team to close out the 2008–09 season

2008–09 AHL season

The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:...

. Clackson then played three full seasons with the Philadelphia/Adirondack Phantoms

Adirondack Phantoms

The Adirondack Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League , who began play in the 2009–10 AHL season. The Phantoms are based in Glens Falls, New York, playing home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The Phantoms are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers...

, re-signing with the Flyers following the 2009–10 season

2009–10 AHL season

The 2009–10 AHL season was the 74th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 regular-season games each from October 2 to April 11...

.

On June 7, 2011, Clackson was packaged into a trade that sent him, a 2012 third round draft pick and future considerations, to the Phoenix Coyotes

Phoenix Coyotes

The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....

, in exchange for goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov

Ilya Bryzgalov

Ilya Nikolayevich Bryzgalov is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League after being acquired by the team on June 7, 2011. He was selected in the second round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, 44th overall, by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.In...

. Failing to come to terms with the Coyotes on a new contract, he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Several months later, he was invited to the Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...

 on a tryout basis during the team's training camp.

NHL video explanation

During the 2011-12 pre-season, Clackson was illegally hit from behind by Calgary Flames

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...

 forward Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond

Pierre-Luc Létourneau-Leblond

Pierre-Luc "PL3" Létourneau-Leblond is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger in the Calgary Flames organization of the National Hockey League...

. In handing down a five-game suspension against Letourneau-Leblond, Brendan Shanahan

Brendan Shanahan

Brendan Frederick "Shanny" Shanahan is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger who currently serves as the National Hockey League's Vice President of Hockey and Business Development and head disciplinarian. Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils second overall in the 1987 NHL Entry...

, the new head of NHL discipline, posted on the NHL website video of the hit on Clackson to illustrate his ruling - the first of what would become Shanahan's trademark video explanations.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...	Team	League		GP	G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...	A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...	Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...	PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2003–04	Chicago Steel Chicago Steel The Chicago Steel is a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team formed in 2000. It plays all of its home games at the Edge Ice Arena, located in Bensenville, Illinois. The Steel play in the Eastern Division of the United States Hockey League. The current GM and Head Coach of the Steel is Scott McConnell...	USHL United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League is the top junior ice hockey league in the United States. The USHL has 16 member teams located in the Midwestern United States, consisting of players who are 20 years of age and younger...		42	5	4	9	108		5	0	1	1	8
2004–05	Chicago Steel	USHL		56	10	15	25	270		8	0	2	2	26
2005–06	Western Michigan Broncos Western Michigan Broncos The Western Michigan Broncos are a NCAA Division I FBS team representing Western Michigan University. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's baseball, basketball, football, soccer and tennis; and women's basketball, cross-country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, track and field,...	CCHA Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship...		34	1	1	2	52		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Western Michigan Broncos	CCHA		36	0	8	8	80		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Western Michigan Broncos	CCHA		35	3	3	6	87		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08 2007–08 AHL season The 2007–08 AHL season is the 72nd season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Chicago Wolves won their second Calder Cup, defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Final.-Team changes:...	Philadelphia Phantoms Philadelphia Phantoms The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and played most of its home games at the Spectrum. During schedule conflicts or some Calder Cup playoff games, games were...	AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...		2	0	0	0	19		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09 2008–09 AHL season The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:...	Philadelphia Phantoms	AHL		80	3	6	9	263		4	0	0	0	4
2009–10 2009–10 AHL season The 2009–10 AHL season was the 74th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 regular-season games each from October 2 to April 11...	Adirondack Phantoms Adirondack Phantoms The Adirondack Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League , who began play in the 2009–10 AHL season. The Phantoms are based in Glens Falls, New York, playing home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The Phantoms are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers...	AHL		60	2	4	6	174		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11 2010–11 AHL season The 2010–11 AHL season is the 75th season of the American Hockey League. An all-time high of thirty teams will play 80 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on October 8, 2010 and ended on April 10, 2011...	Adirondack Phantoms	AHL		62	1	3	4	118		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				204	6	13	19	574		4	0	0	0	4

External links