Matt Stajan

Matthew Stajan ( ; born December 19, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He was a second round selection, 57th overall, of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2002 NHL entry draft. Stajan made his NHL debut in 2003 and was a member of the Maple Leafs until he was traded to the Calgary Flames in 2010. Stajan played his final professional season with EHC Red Bull München of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL)

Internationally, Stajan was a member of the Canadian national junior team that won a silver medal at the 2003 World Junior Hockey Championships.

Playing career

Junior A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Stajan played his minor hockey in the Greater Toronto Hockey League with the Toronto Red Wings and Mississauga Senators associations before being drafted by the Belleville Bulls in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection draft in 2000. He played three seasons in the OHL between 2000 and 2003 in which he scored 206 points in 182 games. Stajan made his debut in 2000–01 season with a 27-point season in 57 games, then improved to 33 goals and 85 points the following season. He also finished with a plus-minus rating of +36 and was a finalist in an OHL coaches poll naming the best defensive forward. Stajan was also a member of the OHL's Eastern Conference All-Star Team in the Canadian Hockey League's All-Star series. He played his second all-star game for the Eastern Conference, and was named to the OHL's third All-Star Team following the season. Stajan earned a spot on the Toronto roster in 2003–04; he appeared in 69 games in his rookie season, scored 14 goals and recorded 27 points. He appeared in three playoff games. He recorded 66 points in 80 games and scored 23 goals. He finished with 27 points, and led the league with eight short-handed points (tied with Marián Hossa). His offensive production improved modestly; he scored 39 points that season and followed it with 33 in 2007–08. His performances earned him another two-year contract, worth $3.5 million.

With 55 points in 76 games, Stajan finished third in Maple Leafs' scoring in 2008–09; his 40 assists led the team. He was again among Toronto's leading scorers, with 41 points in 55 games, when he was included in a blockbuster trade: On January 31, 2010, Stajan was sent to the Calgary Flames, along with Niklas Hagman, Ian White and Jamal Mayers in exchange for Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjöström and Keith Aulie. He finished the year with 16 points in 27 games with Calgary, resulting in a combined total and career high of 57 points. Stajan's offensive production rapidly declined over the following two seasons – he scored 31 points in 2010–11 and only 18 in 2011–12 – His troubled 2011–12 season was exacerbated by a sprained ankle, an injury that caused him to miss 14 games. Following the departure of several of Calgary's top players and with the team entering a rebuilding period, Stajan was expected to centre Calgary's top line in 2013–14. However, he suffered a leg contusion in the team's season opening game that caused him to miss several weeks of play. Stajan appeared in only 63 games for the Flames, but recorded 33 points, his highest total in four years.

The Flames made the playoffs for the first time since 2008–09 in 2014–15, and Stajan played every game of the postseason, forming one of the Flames' most dangerous forward lines with wingers David Jones and Micheal Ferland. Jones and Ferland were the offensive and physical leaders on the line during the Flames' run to the second round of the playoffs, but it was Stajan who scored the series-clinching goal in Game 6 of the Flames' first-round playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks. The Anaheim Ducks would defeat Calgary in five games in the semifinals, ending the Flames' season. Stajan finished the playoffs with 1 goal and 4 points in 11 games.

With the emergence of rookie Sam Bennett, Stajan centred the Flames' fourth line throughout the following season, 2015–16, and saw his offensive production decrease accordingly. Stajan went from 17 points in 59 games in 2014–15 to 17 points in 80 games in 2015–16. Coach Bob Hartley was fired in the offseason following a disastrous 2015-16 campaign, and was replaced with former Canucks assistant Glen Gulutzan, who quickly re-established Stajan's third-line position, this time with Kris Versteeg and Troy Brouwer.

During the 2017–18 season Stajan played in his 1,000th NHL game in a 4–0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

EHC Munchen On August 29, 2018, after fifteen seasons in the NHL, Stajan signed with EHC Red Bull München of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).

Stajan announced his retirement from hockey on May 2, 2019. On December 3, 2019, he announced his retirement again, this time through the NHLPA.

Post-retirement career Ahead of the 2024–25 NHL season, it was announced that Stajan had been hired as a skills consultant for the Calgary Flames. The role involves helping both Flames and Calgary Wranglers players with their individual development.

Personal life Matt is the son of Mike and Nada Stajan, and he has an elder sister, Michelle. He and his wife Katie have lived in Calgary since his trade from Toronto. Their first child died shortly after birth in March 2014. The couple had their second son, one year later and a third son born in August 2018. Stajan is of Slovenian descent; both of his sets of grandparents immigrated to Canada in the 1950s. His paternal grandfather, Ludvic, started a company that manufactures fire doors that Mike and an uncle took over.

Stajan has been recognized several times for his charitable contributions. He was the Toronto Maple Leafs' nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2007, which recognizes players who exhibit leadership qualities while making a significant contribution to their community.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1999–2000 Mississauga Senators AAA Midget 34 18 26 44 26 — — — — — 2000–01 Belleville Bulls OHL 57 9 18 27 27 7 1 6 7 5 2001–02 Belleville Bulls OHL 68 33 52 85 50 11 3 8 11 14 2002–03 Belleville Bulls OHL 57 34 60 94 75 7 5 8 13 16 2002–03 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 1 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 2002–03 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2003–04 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 69 14 13 27 22 3 0 0 0 2 2004–05 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 80 23 43 66 43 5 2 2 4 6 2005–06 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 15 12 27 50 — — — — — 2006–07 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 10 29 39 44 — — — — — 2007–08 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 16 17 33 47 — — — — — 2008–09 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 76 15 40 55 54 — — — — — 2009–10 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 55 16 25 41 30 — — — — — 2009–10 Calgary Flames NHL 27 3 13 16 2 — — — — — 2010–11 Calgary Flames NHL 76 6 25 31 32 — — — — — 2011–12 Calgary Flames NHL 61 8 10 18 29 — — — — — 2012–13 Calgary Flames NHL 43 5 18 23 26 — — — — — 2013–14 Calgary Flames NHL 63 14 19 33 42 — — — — — 2014–15 Calgary Flames NHL 59 7 10 17 28 11 1 3 4 21 2015–16 Calgary Flames NHL 80 6 11 17 52 — — — — — 2016–17 Calgary Flames NHL 81 6 17 23 40 3 0 0 0 0 2017–18 Calgary Flames NHL 68 4 8 12 28 — — — — — 2018–19 EHC München DEL 52 13 20 33 24 15 1 5 6 22 NHL totals 1,003 146 267 413 526 17 1 3 4 23

International

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 2003 Canada WJC 6 1 1 2 0 Junior totals 6 1 1 2 0

Awards and honours Award Year OHL Third-Team All-Star 2002–03 NHL Played in YoungStars Game 2003–04 J. R. "Bud" McCaig AwardCgy – Courtesy and respect 2013–14