Matt Hackett

Matt Hackett (born Matthew Hackett on March 7, 1990) is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect of the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the 3rd round (77th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Matt is a nephew to former NHL goaltender Jeff Hackett.

Playing Career
On November 23, 2011, Matt was called up to the NHL as a backup to Josh Harding for a game against the Nashville Predators after Niklas Backstrom missed the game for personal reasons.

In case Matt didn't arrive at the game in time (from his assignment with the Houston Aeros), 51-year-old recreational goaltender Paul Deutsch was signed to an amateur tryout contract, but was eventually scratched as Matt served as the backup.

On December 6, 2011, Matt made his NHL debut on December 6, 2011, in a road game against the San Jose Sharks, entering 1:11 into the game after starting goalie Harding was injured.

In his debut game, he earned a perfect 1.000 save percentage by making 34 saves on 34 shots, a performance that helped lead the Minnesota Wild to a 2-1 victory with the only goal against Minnesota having been in the first minute of play, prior to Hackett entering the game.

On December 8, 2011 (two days after his NHL debut), he made his first NHL start as the Minnesota Wild played against the Los Angeles Kings.

Matt stopped 42 of 44 shots for a .955 save percentage, helping to lead the Wild to a 4-2 win. In both of these games, he was named the number one star for the game.

On March 2, 2012, after the Wild lost Backstrom to a groin injury, Matt was again recalled as a back-up to Josh Harding.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Matt was dealt at the trade deadline on April 3, 2013 along with Johan Larsson, a 1st round pick in 2013 and a 2nd round pick in 2014 from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Jason Pominville and a 4th round pick in 2014.

Awards & Achievements

 * OHL Second All-Star Team (2009–10)