Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey's Matthew Peca Signs With NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning
4/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
TAMPA BAY, Florida – Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey co-captain Matthew Peca (Petawawa, Ontario) has signed a professional contract with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Tampa Bay Lightning, as announced by vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman on Apr. 1, 2015.
"I'm excited, this is what I wanted and I'm very eager to join Syracuse," Peca said. "I'm excited to get started."
Peca's deal is a two-year, two-way contract for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 season. Peca will play the remainder of the 2014-15 season with the Syracuse Crunch, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Lightning.
"Matthew was an elite player for Quinnipiac," Bobcats head coach Rand Pecknold said. "He has a true commitment to excellence both on and off the ice and we thank him for all that he has done for the Quinnipiac program."
Peca was selected in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Lightning and recently completed his fourth season with the Bobcats. In his time at Quinnipiac, Peca scored 42 goals and assisted on 101 more for 143 career points. He became just the fourth player in program history to record 100 career assists and currently sixth in career points.
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Peca was also part of a senior class that compiled 97 wins over a four-year career – the most for any senior class in program history. In addition, over his final three seasons, Peca led Quinnipiac to 77 wins – the most among all NCAA Division I team in the nation. He was also part of a senior class that competed in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and a 2013 NCAA Frozen Four appearance in which the Bobcats lost in the National Championship Game.
"It's tough to put into words, my time at Quinnipiac," Peca said. "It's been the best four years of my life, I've made some great friends and I've learned a lot here. I've been very lucky, to be able to play at Quinnipiac."
This past season, Peca scored seven goals while dishing out a team-high 29 assists for 36 points to become just the fourth All-ECAC Hockey First Team selection since Quinnipiac joined the league in 2005-06. He is also one of four players in the team's history to reach 30 points in each of his four seasons at Quinnipiac.
Of course, Peca's most memorable achievement came in the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship East Regional Championship Game when he posted the fastest natural hat trick in NCAA Tournament history. Peca lit the lamp three times in three minutes and 12 seconds on his way to earning East Regional Most Valuable Player honors and a place on the 2013 NCAA Championship All-Tournament team.
