The Vancouver Canucks prioritized defence and physicality on July 1 signing Carson Soucy, Ian Cole, and Matt Irwin to bolster their blue line for the 2023-24 season. All three are over 6 feet and aren’t afraid to put their bodies in harm’s way whether that be with a hit or dropping down to block a shot. In this edition of Meet the New Canucks, we’re going to focus on the only guy that hasn’t been featured yet, Victoria, BC’s own Matt Irwin.
Who is Matt Irwin?
Irwin began his hockey journey in Nanaimo with the Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) where he dominated the league to the tune of 41 goals and 111 points in 178 games. That included two seasons (2006-07 and 2007-08) where he scored a combined 38 goals and 102 points and won the BCHL (Coastal) Best Defenseman award in both seasons. In 2008-09, he committed to the University of Massachusetts (UMass) and continued to impress with seven goals and 18 points in his freshman season. Unfortunately, his success at both the BCHL and NCAA levels did not entice an NHL team to draft him – even in the seventh round.
Luckily, Irwin caught the eye of the San Jose Sharks who signed him on March 23, 2010, after his sophomore season with UMass where he put together another productive campaign scoring seven goals and 24 points in 36 games. He made his pro debut in the American Hockey League (AHL) that same season with the Worcester Sharks playing three games and recording two penalty minutes.
Irwin hit the ground running over the next two seasons, reigniting the same offensive prowess he showed in the BCHL. In his first full season in the AHL, he scored 10 goals and 31 points in 72 games and followed that up with a career-high 11 goals and 42 points in 71 games. It wasn’t enough to earn a call-up until 2012-13 where he played 38 games and scored six goals and 12 points, including his first NHL goal on Jan. 26 against the Colorado Avalanche.
After his NHL debut on Jan. 20, 2013, Irwin ended up playing the rest of the season with the Sharks averaging 19:06 in ice time and becoming one of their top defencemen. He even made his playoff debut and played 11 games as the Sharks went to the second round before falling to the Los Angeles Kings in seven games. Coincidentally, his first playoff game and series was against his favourite team growing up, the Canucks.
It was a good blend of guys, we had a good team that year, and we ended up losing in seven games to LA but there were a lot of pinch me moments playing in my first game, scoring my first goal. I remember playing in the first round of the playoffs in Vancouver against the Canucks. You know how much the fans are into the game and then to sweep (the Canucks) was something special.
– Matt Irwin
After that successful rookie campaign, Irwin played two more seasons with the Sharks where he continued to show a penchant for goalscoring recording a career-high eight goals in 2014-15. He then left the organization as a free agent, signing with the Boston Bruins for the 2015-16 season. Unfortunately, he only played two games that season, spending most of his time with the Providence Bruins in the AHL. After that, he bounced around the NHL between the Nashville Predators (195 games), Anaheim Ducks (9), Buffalo Sabres (24), and most recently the Washington Capitals (78).
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Apart from his time with the Sharks, Irwin’s most memorable season came when he was with the Predators in 2016-17. He played 74 games in the regular season and 22 in the playoffs as they went to the Stanley Cup Final and came within two wins of lifting the Cup.
You don’t realize what it takes to get to play for the Stanley Cup. The stress, travel, the injuries, and the support of the whole city were incredible. Going into May and June in Nashville, there are bachelor and bachelorette parties everywhere. I remember trying to take an afternoon nap and I couldn’t sleep because there was country music blaring everywhere and that atmosphere just seeped into Bridgestone Arena. They really pushed us. It was a remarkable run that finished two wins shy of the Cup.
– Matt Irwin
Now 35 years old, Irwin isn’t known too much for his goalscoring and offence – he has only scored nine goals and 43 points in 308 games since that career-high in 2014-15 – but for his physicality and shot-blocking. With 628 shot blocks and 719 hits in 461 career games, he isn’t afraid to lay his body on the line when needed. While he isn’t the same offensive dynamo he was back in his BCHL and AHL days, he knows his role and plays it well.
Irwin’s 2022-23 Season
Irwin spent the 2022-23 season with the Capitals where he scored two goals and five points in 61 games. He also eclipsed the century mark in hits (117) for the first time since the 2016-17 season when he was with the Predators and blocked 75 shots. Due to the plethora of injuries on defence, he played a bigger role than in previous seasons; the 61 games were the most he’s played since 2016-17 when he hit a career-high 74.
Irwin’s Fit With the Canucks
Unlike Soucy and Cole, Irwin isn’t expected to play a big role on the Canucks’ blue line in 2023-24. But as we all know with the NHL and the Canucks in particular, injuries happen – especially to defensemen. Last season, the team dressed 16 defensemen at various points throughout the year, so it stands to reason that Irwin will get a chance to play and play a lot. To start the season, however, he will likely battle Guillaume Brisebois, Akito Hirose, Christian Wolanin, Noah Juulsen and Cole McWard for the sixth/seventh defenceman slot or be the top call-up option up the freeway in Abbotsford. After that, all bets are off, as injuries will inevitably happen at some point.
Irwin’s veteran status and the fact that he fits the player-type head coach Rick Tocchet likes to see in his lineup will give him a leg up on the competition when training camp gets underway in the fall. Even if he doesn’t make it onto the starting roster in October, he will be an excellent mentor in the minors for Jett Woo, who the Canucks hope will turn into a defenceman like Irwin in the future.
All in all, this signing is a depth move that might turn into something bigger down the road. Who knows, Irwin could be the next Luke Schenn or Kyle Burroughs, someone that becomes a fan favourite and a mainstay in the lineup even though he was only expected to be a seventh/eighth defenceman. Having said that, if that happens, the Canucks are probably looking at another year out of the playoffs and in contention for yet another lottery pick. So with all due respect to Irwin, he better only be a depth option this season, not a regular in the top-six.
