Official release from the Boston Bruins
ProHockeyTalk: B's sign former Sharks d-man Irwin: one year, $800,000
NESN.com: Bruins Sign Defenseman Matt Irwin To One-Year, $800K Contract
Like the Matt Irwin signing by the #Bruins - former @UMassHockey defenseman coming off a career-high 8 goal season w/ San Jose.
-- Tom Caron (@TomCaron) July 10, 2015
Irwin became just the second former Minuteman to post a multi-goal effort in the NHL, joining Greg Mauldin who had four points (2g, 2a) against Minnesota on Nov. 27, 2010, while playing for the Colorado Avalanche.
Check out the video of Irwin's goals below:
Over the past four games, Quick is 4-0 with a .963 save percentage and one shutout. The Kings open second round action against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, May 3, at 8 p.m.
Another former Minuteman, Matt Irwin, scored his first career postseason goal, San Jose's only goal of the night:
Quick has been a key part of the Kings' comeback in the series as he stopped 91 of the 95 shots he faced in the squad's three victories, including all 30 game five for his eighth career postseason shutout. Here's video of Quick stopping a shot by Irwin in game six.
| Justin Braun (UMass Years: 2006-10) & Matt Irwin (UMass Years: 2008-10) - San Jose Sharks Jonathan Quick (UMass Years: 2005-07 ) - Los Angeles Kings | |||
| Regular Season Statistics: | Braun: 82 GP, 4 G, 13 A, 17 Pts, 20 PIM, +20 | Irwin: 62 GP, 2 G, 18 A, 20 Pts, 35 PIM, +5 Quick: 49 GP, 2 A, 2.07 GAA, 6 SO, 27 W, 17 L, 0.915 PCT | ||
| First Round Playoff Schedule | |||
| Date | Opponents | Time (ET) | TV / Result | |
| Thusday, April 17 | LAK at SJS | San Jose 6, Los Angeles 3 | |
| Sunday, April 20 | LAK at SJS | San Jose 7, Los Angeles 2 | |
| Tuesday, April 22 | SJS at LAK | San Jose 4, Los Angeles 3 (OT) | |
| Thursday, April 24 | SJS at LAK | Los Angeles 6, San Jose 3 | |
| Saturday, April 26 | LAK at SJS | Los Angeles 3, San Jose 0 | |
| Monday, April 28 | SJS at LAK | Los Angeles 4, San Jose 1 | |
| Wednesday, April 30 | LAK at SJS | 10:00 p.m. | NBCSN, CSN-CA | |
"He may not be a household name just yet, but San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Irwin may work his way into your mental NHL player directory yet. Now in his second NHL season, the 26 year old British Columbian is continuing a trend from his amateur career that has seen his point totals, ice-time, and contributions to his team's success dynamically increase every year.
Irwin spoke with me at length about his long road to the NHL and what he'll have to do to stay there, the tough decisions he was required to make and small window of opportunity he had to live out his dream, past teammates that helped get him where he is now, current ones that help make him better, what the San Jose Sharks will have to do to win their first Stanley Cup, what it takes to be consistently inserted into a lineup full of Olympians, All-Stars, and Stanley Cup champions, and more.
Read more: Getting to know San Jose Sharks' defenseman Matt Irwin
"Bill Bestwick marvels at Matt Irwin being paired with Dan Boyle and manning the point on the San Jose Sharks' power play.
He can't help but think of the kid from Brentwood Bay, near Victoria, who showed up in Nanaimo with high BCHL hopes and little meat on his 16-year-old frame.
"He couldn't do a pushup," recalled the former Clippers coach and general manager.
"When he played for me at 16, as an affiliate player, I think he was probably scared to death. At 17, he got his feet wet, and at 18, he started to figure out, 'Hey, I'm not bad.' He was 6-foot-2, but still a skinny runt with no strength in his body. Then at 19, his coordination and dexterity came to the forefront."
Read more: Continuing education behind Matt Irwin's ascent with San Jose Sharks
Wellman, who was acquired by the Washington Capitals from the Florida Panthers last month, will make his debut with the Capitals wearing No. 48. In his 11 games since the trade, he has tallied 11 points in 11 contests with the Hershey Bears.
Wellman previously played 41 games in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild from 2009-2012.
Matt Irwin is too young to remember Larry Robinson. But he knows "big bird." Big yellow fella from Sesame Street.
"My uncle is a Montreal Canadiens fan, so he's a big Larry Robinson fan," Irwin, the 25-year-old San Jose Sharks' rookie, said before facing the Vancouver Canucks here Sunday. "I haven't had to ask for an autograph yet (for my uncle), but that might be coming up soon."
Irwin is already signing autographs for himself. The defenceman from Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island has been a revelation to the Sharks' coaching staff, which includes Robinson, known as "Big Bird" when he played and merely one of the greatest blueliners of his generation.
Robinson and Irwin are getting to know each other.
Undrafted after three Junior-A seasons with the Nanaimo Clippers, Irwin entered the University of Massachusetts as a 20-year-old freshman and played two seasons in Amherst. He earned a free-agent contract from the Sharks, then spent another 2 ½ seasons in the American Hockey League before injuries to San Jose defencemen Brent Burns and Jason Demers helped Irwin make the lineup for the start of the lockout-shortened National Hockey League season.
Until two weeks ago, Irwin's entire NHL experience was one pre-season game.
But through four games this month, the 6-2, 210-pound Irwin was averaging 22:48 of ice time and playing with Dan Boyle in the defence's top four.
Read more: Undrafted Matt Irwin 'looks like he fits' with Sharks
In a star-studded lockerroom, Matt Irwin could have been mistaken for a fan Sunday morning.
After all, the Brentwood Bay, B.C. native talked enthusiastically about idolizing Trevor Linden while playing for the Nanaimo Clippers. But the talk among teammates was how the undrafted San Jose Sharks defenceman has made a seamless rookie transition to the NHL. He even unloaded a heavy slapshot for his first career goal Saturday.
The effort was posted in a hurry to YouTube and there was a flurry of calls from his minor-league teammates in Worcester, Mass., and likely a few from old college teammates at UMass-Amherst, too.
"I don't know if I ever pictured one goal and it doesn't matter -- it's kind of been a whirlwind and kind of exciting," he said before a 4-1 victory Sunday over the Vancouver Canucks. "We've all had that moment on the driveway and stuff like that. I don't think I even scored too many of those goals then. I was just trying to play."
Irwin doesn't look like and certainly doesn't sound like a rookie. A pairing with veteran Dan Boyle and the tutelage of assistant coach Larry Robinson have the 25-year-old blueliner poised for a brighter future after signing a two-year, two-way free agent contract that expires after this season.
"He's played great -- better than great," said Boyle, who was also undrafted. "He's not only doing what he needs to do, he's doing more and not just eating up minutes. He's a big factor in all the games. Veterans sometimes do the mistake of giving a young guy too much information and then it's overload.
Read more: Island's Irwin fitting in nicely with Sharks
Here's the video of Irwin's goal:
The Sharks also had this nice tribute to Irwin on Twitter Friday after he tallied his first NHL point, an assist vs. the Phoenix Coyotes:
Jonathan Quick Speaks To The Media On Day 1 Of Training Camp:
Sharks Second-Year Players Are Expected To Raise Performance Level (Braun at 2:27 mark):
Two more former UMass hockey players are also currently at NHL training camps as Matt Irwin is with the Sharks and Mike Kostka (pictured, middle) is with Toronto.
In his first season as a pro, Dainton played in 28 games for the Falcons and posted a record of 13-12-1 with a .893 save percentage and a 3.11 goals-against average.
MassLive.com has coverage of Dainton's signing: Columbus Blue Jackets sign goalie Paul Dainton
Earlier this week, Alex Berry signed with the Hershey Bears for 2012-13 and Matt Irwin received a one-year extension with the San Jose Sharks, while Mike Kostka joined the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
Jonathan Quick - L.A. Kings - 6 W, 1 L, 1.96 GAA, .928 Sv%, 429 min.
Justin Braun - Worcester Sharks - 6 GP, 1G, 5A, 4 PIM
James Marcou - Worcester Sharks - 6 GP, 3G, 2A, -3, 0 PIM
Matt Irwin - Worcester Sharks - 4 GP, 2A, -2, 0 PIM
Cory Quirk - Worcester Sharks - 6 GP, 1G, -1, 0 PIM
Mike Kostka - Rochester Americans - 9 GP, 1G, 4A, +3, 4 PIM
- Alex Berry - Norfolk Admirals - 5 GP, 2A, +3, 9 PIM
He also has an update on Matt Irwin and Cory Quirk who apparently threw fists in a game against Springfield last night.
Dick also has a piece examining what UMass must do defensively to clear the puck consistently from the defensive end to help transition the offense.
With the loss of so many players following last season, the growth of the program has helped recruiting top level players. The reputation of the program and the University has helped attract blue-chip level recruits.
Finally, Dick looks at the youth of Boston University which is fairly similar to the situation at UMass. The Terriers have 17 freshmen and sophomores and just one senior.