Matt Carkner

Matthew Carkner (born November 3, 1980) is a Canadian is a professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing with the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks, but spent the majority of his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL) before signing with the Senators in 2007.

Peterborough Petes
Carkner joined the Peterborough Petes of the OHL in 1997-98, where as a rookie, he earned six assists in 57 games with the team. Carkner then appeared in four playoff games, however, he did not register a point.

He improved his offensive production in the 1998-99, scoring two goals and 18 points in 60 games for the Petes. In five playoff games, Carkner had no points, and 20 penalty minutes. Carkner earned the Eastern Conference Most Improved Player award for the season.

In 1999-2000, Carkner scored three goals and 16 points in 62 games with Peterborough, followed by five playoff games, in which Carkner would have an assist.

In his fourth and final season with the club in 2000-01, Carkner had a career high eight goals, as he earned 16 points in 53 games. Carkner then added three assists in seven post-season games.

He finished his OHL career with 13 goals, 56 points and 599 penalty minutes in 232 games.

San Jose Sharks
Carkner was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 58th overall pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, however, he never signed with the team, and ultimately signed with the San Jose Sharks as a free agent on June 6, 2001.

In his first professional season in 2001-02, the Sharks assigned Carkner to the Cleveland Barons of the AHL. In 74 games, Carkner had three assists, and 335 penalty minutes.

Carkner returned to Cleveland for the 2002-03 season, however, he appeared in only 39 games, scoring a goal and five points, as well as 104 penalty minutes. Carkner suffered a knee injury in a game against the Utah Grizzlies on January 2, 2003, causing him to miss the remainder of the season.

He came back with the Barons in 2003-04, scoring two goals and 13 points in 60 games, helping Cleveland make the playoffs. In nine post-season games, Carkner had three assists and 39 penalty minutes.

With the 2004-05 NHL lockout wiping out the NHL season, Carkner remained with the Barons. In 73 games with Cleveland in 2004-05, Carkner had 10 assists and 192 penalty minutes.

Carkner saw his offensive numbers explode during the 2005-06 season with the Barons, as he scored 10 goals and 31 points in 69 games, as well as 202 penalty minutes. Carkner also made his NHL debut with the Sharks in 2005-06, as he appeared in one game, recording an assist in six minutes of ice time on February 6, 2006 in a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames. Carkner became a free agent at the end of the season, and on July 23, 2006, he signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Carkner spent the entire 2006-07 season with the Penguins AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 75 games with the team, Carkner had six goals and 30 points, as well as 167 penalty minutes. In eight playoff games, Carkner had a goal and 19 penalty minutes. After just one season with the Penguins, Carkner left as a free agent, as on July 3, 2007, he signed with his hometown Ottawa Senators.

Ottawa Senators
Carkner spent the entire 2007-08 with the Binghamton Senators of the AHL, where he played in 67 games, scoring 10 goals and 25 points, as well as 218 penalty minutes.

He returned to Binghamton for the 2008-09 season, scoring three goals and 21 points in 67 games, while earning 210 penalty minutes. Carkner also appeared in one game with the Ottawa Senators, as he had no points in a 6-4 loss to the Boston Bruins on January 8, 2009.

On September 29, 2009, Ottawa announced the Carkner had made the team's roster, as he spent the entire 2009-10 in the NHL. In 81 games, Carkner had two goals, 11 points, and 190 penalty minutes, helping Ottawa reach the playoffs. Carkner scored his first NHL goal three games into the season, as he scored on the New York Islanders goaltender Martin Biron in the second period of a 3-2 Senators victory. In the playoffs, Carkner had a memorable triple-overtime goal in game five of the Eastern Conference quarter-finals against Marc-Andre Fleury and the Pittsburgh Penguins in game five of their series. The Penguins won the series in six games, and that was the only point Carkner earned while appearing in all six games.

Carkner appeared in 50 games with Ottawa in the 2010-11 season, scoring a goal and seven points, as well as earning 136 penalty minutes.

Personal
Before signing his first one-way deal with the Senators, Carkner resided in Westport, Ontario (just under 2 hours from Ottawa) with his wife Kary, and their two children. Carkner is a third cousin of former NHL defenceman Terry Carkner. His father Dennis owns and operates D's Collision Centre in Winchester, Ontario.

Awards and achievements

 * 1998–99 OHL Eastern Conference "Most Improved Player" Award
 * 2006–07 AHL Yanick Dupre Memorial Award

Transactions

 * June 6, 2001 – Signed as a free agent by San Jose Sharks
 * July 23, 2006 – Signed as a free agent by Pittsburgh Penguins
 * July 3, 2007 – Signed as a free agent by Ottawa Senators