| Matt Kiersted | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | April 14, 1998 Elk River, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Minnesota Wild Florida Panthers | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Matthew Kiersted (born April 14, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Kiersted was born on April 14, 1998, in Elk River, Minnesota, [1] to parents Bob Kiersted and Candace Hartwig. He grew up as the middle child between brothers Mitch and Drew. [2] His father was friends with former ice hockey player Mark Parrish, who convinced them to let their children play the sport. [3] Kiersted graduated from Elk River High School in 2016. [4]
While attending Elk River High School, Kiersted committed to play collegiate ice hockey for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey team. [5] As a junior, he left Elk River to play for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL). [2]
As a free agent, Kiersted signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers on April 1, 2021. [6] [7] He made his NHL debut two days later, in the Panthers' 5–2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. [8] [9] On June 28, 2024, Kiersted signed a one-year, two-way contract to return to the Panthers. [10]
Following five seasons within the Panthers organization, Kiersted left as a free agent and signed to a two-year, two-way contract with homestate club, the Minnesota Wild, on July 2, 2025. [11]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2013–14 | Elk River High | USHS | 24 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Elk River High | USHS | 25 | 8 | 28 | 36 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 57 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Chicago Steel | USHL | 23 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | University of North Dakota | NCHC | 29 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | University of North Dakota | NCHC | 36 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | University of North Dakota | NCHC | 33 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | University of North Dakota | NCHC | 29 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 63 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 64 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 49 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 44 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | ||
| 2023–24 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 57 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 53 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2024–25 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 64 | 1 | 28 | 29 | 40 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 2024–25 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 39 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| USHL | ||
| Clark Cup champion | 2017 | |
| College | ||
| NCHC Second All-Star Team | 2019–20 | [12] |
| NCHC First All-Star Team | 2020–21 | |
| AHCA West Second Team All-American | 2020–21 | [13] |