Matt Petgrave Signs New Professional Contract and Will Resume His Hockey Career

Following an incident involving former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson in 2023, Petgrave has been out of professional hockey. But he's trying to resume his career and hopes to do so within the organization of the Chicago Blackhawks.

The last time that he played professional hockey was in October of 2023 because of the aforementioned incident involving Adam Johnson.

He released the following statement following the contract announcement:

He began his professional career with the Bramalea Blues of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, and later played in the Ontario Hockey League with the Niagara IceDogs.

The closest that he got to the NHL was when he signed a PTO with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, the affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, in 2017. However, he continued his career with the Brampton Beast of the ECHL, and was named an ECHL First-Team All-Star in 2018-19.

He's also played for HK Spisska Nova Ves in Slovakia, and HC Dynamo Pardubice in Czechia. Additionally, he played for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.

In his most recent full year playing professional hockey, Petgrave had 48 points (9G, 39A) with the Sheffield Steelers in the UK.

He's garnered a reputation for stacking up the penalty minutes, as he spent more time in the penalty box than any other player while playing in the EIHL, and was the 2nd most penalized player while playing in the Slovak Extraliga.