Michael McCarron

Michael McCarron (born March 7, 1995) is an American professional hockey player who is a forward for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 25th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2013 NHL entry draft. McCarron has also previously played for the Nashville Predators.

Playing career As a youth, he played in the 2008 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Detroit Belle Tire minor ice hockey team.

McCarron was rated as a top prospect who fulfilled the expectation to be a first round selection at the 2013 NHL entry draft. He trained with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) team from 2011 to 2013, and won a silver medal at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships.

McCarron initially committed to play for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Western Michigan University Broncos, before opting out to continue his development through Canadian junior ranks with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Originally playing (and drafted) as a right winger, McCarron made the switch to center during his first OHL season. On July 11, 2013, McCarron was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

In the midst of the 2014–15 season, McCarron was traded by the Knights to OHL contenders, the Oshawa Generals, on January 1, 2015, with whom he won the J. Ross Robertson Cup and Memorial Cup.

After a good start in his first professional year in 2015–16, he was called up by the Canadiens and played two games in the National Hockey League (NHL), though without picking up any points. As a result of his good play in the American Hockey League (AHL), McCarron was named to the 2016 AHL All-Star Classic. He was later called up again by the Canadiens on February 26, 2016, after forwards Dale Weise and Tomáš Fleischmann were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. On February 27, he recorded his first NHL point, an assist on a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, in a 4–1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He scored his first NHL goal in a 4–1 loss to the Calgary Flames on March 20, 2016.

While playing with the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, during the 2018–19 season, McCarron underwent a season-ending surgery on his left shoulder in February 2019.

McCarron became a restricted free agent after the 2018–19 season. On July 27, 2019, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canadiens.

Continuing with Laval, McCarron entered the 2019–20 season, contributing with five goals and 14 points in 29 games. Having been passed on the depth chart and with limited prospects with the Canadiens, McCarron was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Laurent Dauphin on January 7, 2020.

On December 11, 2022, McCarron entered the NHL Player Assistance Program for issues related to substance abuse, and returned more than a month later, on January 18, 2023.

On April 16, 2023, McCarron signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Predators.

On February 16, 2024, McCarron signed a two-year, $1.8 million contract with the Predators.

During the season, having posted 12 points through 59 games, McCarron was traded by the Predators to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a 2028 second-round draft pick on March 3, 2026. During the Wild's first round series against the Dallas Stars during the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored his first playoff goal during the second period when he took a pass from Marcus Foligno, entered the offensive zone 1-on-2, and beat Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger far side.

On June 9, 2026, McCarron signed a six-year, $19.8 million contract ($3.3 million average annual value) with the Minnesota Wild.

International play

McCarron represented the United States at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded one goal and one assist in ten games and helped Team USA win their first gold medal since 1933.

Personal life While playing for the Predators' AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, he was given the nickname "Big Show", which was later changed to "Big Sexy" by then teammate Matt Benning.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2010–11 Honeybaked 18U AAA T1EHL 38 6 12 18 88 — — — — — 2011–12 U.S. NTDP Juniors USHL 35 3 14 17 112 1 0 1 1 2 2011–12 U.S. NTDP U17 USDP 53 6 21 27 128 — — — — — 2012–13 U.S. NTDP Juniors USHL 19 5 5 10 84 — — — — — 2012–13 U.S. NTDP U18 USDP 59 16 21 37 182 — — — — — 2013–14 London Knights OHL 66 14 20 34 120 9 3 2 5 22 2014–15 London Knights OHL 25 22 19 41 58 — — — — — 2014–15 Oshawa Generals OHL 31 6 21 27 70 21 9 9 18 33 2015–16 St. John's IceCaps AHL 58 17 21 38 91 — — — — — 2015–16 Montreal Canadiens NHL 20 1 1 2 37 — — — — — 2016–17 St. John's IceCaps AHL 32 7 12 19 66 2 0 0 0 6 2016–17 Montreal Canadiens NHL 31 1 4 5 41 1 0 0 0 0 2017–18 Laval Rocket AHL 54 7 17 24 121 — — — — — 2017–18 Montreal Canadiens NHL 18 0 1 1 32 — — — — — 2018–19 Laval Rocket AHL 32 7 14 21 46 — — — — — 2019–20 Laval Rocket AHL 29 5 9 14 50 — — — — — 2019–20 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 27 10 3 13 50 — — — — — 2020–21 Nashville Predators NHL 6 0 0 0 16 — — — — — 2021–22 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 14 3 3 6 15 — — — — — 2021–22 Nashville Predators NHL 51 7 7 14 70 2 0 0 0 2 2022–23 Nashville Predators NHL 32 2 2 4 24 — — — — — 2022–23 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 16 2 4 6 28 15 4 3 7 24 2023–24 Nashville Predators NHL 70 12 10 22 100 6 0 0 0 2 2024–25 Nashville Predators NHL 74 5 9 14 102 — — — — — 2025–26 Nashville Predators NHL 59 5 7 12 73 — — — — — 2025–26 Minnesota Wild NHL 20 3 2 5 20 11 2 2 4 0 NHL totals 381 36 43 79 515 20 2 2 4 4

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2012 United States U17 5 1 1 2 2 2013 United States U18 7 3 2 5 14 2025 United States WC 10 1 1 2 2 Junior totals 12 4 3 7 16 Senior totals 10 1 1 2 2

Awards and honors Award Year RefOHL J. Ross Robertson Cup champion 2015 CHL Memorial Cup champion 2015 Memorial Cup All-Star Team 2015 AHLAHL All-Star Classic 2016