Matt Luff Explained

Matt Luff
Birth Date:5 May 1997
Birth Place:Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lb:190
Position:Right wing
Shoots:Right
League:NHL
Team:Free agent
Prospect League:AHL
Former Teams:Los Angeles Kings
Nashville Predators
Detroit Red Wings
Draft:Undrafted
Career Start:2017

Matt Luff (born May 5, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Coming off a successful season with the Oakville Rangers Midget AAA, Luff split his time between the Rangers and the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League for the 2013–14 season. On June 9, 2014, Luff signed a contract with the Blades for the 2014–15 season,[1] however he chose to commit to the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League who had drafted him in the OHL Draft.[2] In his rookie year with the Bulls, Luff was named a finalist for the Rookie of the Year,[3] with the award eventually going to Alex DeBrincat. Following the 2014–15 season, the Bulls were renamed the Hamilton Bulldogs.

After going undrafted in the NHL Entry Draft, Luff attended the Los Angeles Kings development and training camp as a free agent. He eventually signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Kings on September 23, 2016,[4] becoming the first Bulldog to sign an NHL contract.[5] Luff returned to the OHL for the 2016–17 season where he played only 45 games due to a shoulder injury and concussion.[6] Despite his shortened season, Luff was reassigned to the Kings American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Ontario Reign on April 7, 2017.[7]

Luff began the 2018–19 season with the Ontario Reign after being assigned there from the Kings training camp.[8] Luff was recalled to the NHL on November 3, 2018,[9] and he made his NHL debut that night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Luff played 9:43 in his debut to help the Kings win 4–1 over the Blue Jackets.[10] After playing in three games, Luff was reassigned to the Ontario Reign on November 11[11] only to be recalled three days later on November 14.[12] Luff recorded his first career NHL goal in a 2–0 win over the St. Louis Blues on November 19.[13] On November 25, in a 5–2 win over the Edmonton Oilers, Luff recorded his fourth goal in the same number of games, becoming the fifth Kings rookie to do so since Jimmy Carson in 1987.[14] His streak ended the following game against the Vancouver Canucks.[15]

After appearing in 30 games for the Kings, and recording 10 points, Luff was reassigned to the Ontario Reign on February 8, 2019.[16]

Luff played for five years within the Los Angeles Kings organization before leaving as a free agent following the season. He was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Nashville Predators on July 28, 2021.[17]

On July 13, 2022, Luff signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Detroit Red Wings.[18] During the 2022–23 season, he recorded two goals and two assists in 19 games with the Red Wings, and eight goals and 17 assists in 28 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. On July 1, 2023, Luff signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Red Wings.[19]

Career statistics

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2013–14Oakville BladesOJHL103366
2014–15Belleville BullsOHL64922312041124
2015–16Hamilton BulldogsOHL6127305743
2016–17Hamilton BulldogsOHL452524493374594
2016–17Ontario ReignAHL20110
2017–18Ontario ReignAHL671217294241012
2018–19Ontario ReignAHL3611203132
2018–19Los Angeles KingsNHL3383119
2019–20Ontario ReignAHL309152418
2019–20Los Angeles KingsNHL181452
2020–21Los Angeles KingsNHL131015
2020–21Ontario ReignAHL43142
2021–22Milwaukee AdmiralsAHL3014173116
2021–22Nashville PredatorsNHL233364
2022–23Grand Rapids GriffinsAHL28817256
2022–23Detroit Red WingsNHL192240
2023–24Grand Rapids GriffinsAHL26108181850114
NHL totals10615122720

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Oakville Announces Six Signings For Upcoming OJHL Season . oakvilleblades.pointstreaksites.com . December 12, 2018 . June 9, 2014.
  2. Web site: Matt Luff commits to Bulls . ontariohockeyleague.com . November 4, 2018 . September 2, 2014.
  3. Web site: OHL Announces 2014-15 Award Finalists. attackhockey.com . November 4, 2018 . March 25, 2015.
  4. Web site: Bulldogs' Luff signs with Kings . ontariohockeyleague.com . November 4, 2018 . September 23, 2016.
  5. News: Pecoskie . Teri . Forward Matt Luff is the first Hamilton Bulldog to sign an NHL contract — an entry-level deal with the L.A. Kings . November 4, 2018 . The Hamilton Spectator . September 23, 2016 . Although defenceman Cole Candella was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in June, Luff is the first Bulldogs player to actually sign an NHL contract.
  6. News: Pecoskie . Teri . Matt Luff is loving the NHL life . December 12, 2018 . November 28, 2018 . The Hamilton Spectator.
  7. Web site: KINGS ASSIGN FORWARD MATT LUFF TO REIGN . ontarioreign.com . November 4, 2018 . April 7, 2017.
  8. Web site: ONTARIO REIGN TRAINING CAMP ROSTER MOVES . ontarioreign.com . November 16, 2018 . September 22, 2018.
  9. Web site: NOVEMBER 3: ROSTER MOVES COMING; LUFF TO DEBUT; HOCKEY NIGHT IN LOS ANGELES . ontarioreign.com . November 4, 2018 . November 3, 2018.
  10. Web site: Greenspan . Dan . Kings use special teams to power past Blue Jackets . NHL.com . November 4, 2018 . November 4, 2018.
  11. Web site: REIGN ANNOUNCE ROSTER MOVES . ontarioreign.com . November 13, 2018 . November 11, 2018.
  12. Web site: MATT LUFF RECALLED BY KINGS . ontarioreign.com . November 16, 2018 . November 14, 2018.
  13. Web site: Korac . Louie . Petersen gets first NHL shutout in Kings win against Blues . NHL.com . November 19, 2018 . November 19, 2018.
  14. News: Greenspan . Dan . Brown's hat trick helps Kings down Oilers 5-2 . November 29, 2018 . The Washington Post . November 26, 2018.
  15. News: Morales . Robert . Streak aside, Kings rookie Matt Luff never satisfied . November 29, 2018 . Pasadena Star-News . November 28, 2018.
  16. Web site: LA Kings Assign Forward Matt Luff to the Ontario Reign . NHL.com . February 10, 2019 . February 8, 2019.
  17. Web site: Predators sign Matt Luff to one-year, two-way contract . . July 28, 2021 . July 28, 2021.
  18. Web site: Red Wings sign Austin Czarnik and Matt Luff . Detroit Red Wings . Thomas . Roth . July 13, 2022 . July 13, 2022.
  19. Web site: Red Wings sign Klim Kostin; re-sign Matt Luff and Gustav Lindstrom . NHL.com . Alex . DiFilippo . July 1, 2023 . July 1, 2023.