| Matt Poitras | |
| Birth Date: | 10 March 2004 |
| Birth Place: | Ajax, Ontario, Canada |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 11 |
| Weight Lb: | 172 |
| Position: | Centre |
| Shoots: | Right |
| League: | NHL |
| Team: | Boston Bruins |
| Draft: | 54th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2022 |
| Draft Team: | Boston Bruins |
| Career Start: | 2023 |
Matthew Poitras (; born March 10, 2004) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Poitras was drafted by the Guelph Storm 12th overall in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. However, his first season with the team was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In the 2022–23 season, Poitras ended the regular season tied for 5th most total points in the league, with 95. He was named OHL Player of the Week on November 21, 2022.[1]
Poitras was drafted 54th overall in the second round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins.[2]
On April 14, 2023, the Providence Bruins announced that they had signed Poitras to an amateur tryout contract for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.[3] However, Poitras did not appear in any games with the club for the remainder of the season, regular season or playoffs. On May 5, 2023, the Boston Bruins announced that they had signed Poitras to a three-year, entry-level contract.[4]
Poitras impressed in his first preseason with the Bruins, and as a result, earned a spot on the NHL roster as a 19-year old.[5] Poitras earned his first NHL point in his first NHL game, an assist on a goal by Trent Frederic. Poitras scored his first and second NHL goals on October 22, 2023, in a 3–1 win against the Anaheim Ducks.[6] On October 31, the Bruins announced that Poitras was staying on the NHL roster rather than sending him back to the OHL, therefore burning a year of his entry-level contract.[7]
On December 18, 2023, the Bruins announced that they had loaned Poitras to Team Canada for the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[8] Poitras registered two goals and two assists in five games in the tournament, as Canada finished 5th in the standings. Poitras returned to the NHL club on January 6, 2024.
On January 9, 2024, just three games after returning to the NHL lineup, Poitras exited a game late against the Arizona Coyotes with a shoulder injury.[9] Poitras would return to game action on January 20, but would only play three more games before the Bruins announced on February 7 that Poitras had undergone shoulder surgery and would miss the rest of the season. [10] Poitras ended his rookie season with five goals and 15 total points in 33 games.
Poitras is the second of three children born to Phil and Tricia Poitras. His older brother, Adam, is a lacrosse player for Loyola University Maryland, and was selected second overall by the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in the 2023 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft, while his younger sister, Abby, is committed to play hockey at Merrimack College.[11]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2019–20 | Whitby Wildcats U18 AAA | ETAHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Guelph Storm | OHL | 68 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 58 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2022–23 | Guelph Storm | OHL | 63 | 16 | 79 | 95 | 40 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 33 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 33 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||