Michael Pezzetta (born March 13, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the sixth round, 160th overall, by the Canadiens in the 2016 NHL entry draft.
Playing career
Early years
As a youth, Pezzetta played with both the Toronto Nationals and Mississauga Senators of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) and participated with the latter at the annual OHL Cup during his midget year.[1][2]
Junior
Originally selected 11th overall by the Sudbury Wolves in the 2014 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection draft,[3] Pezzetta made his OHL debut during the 2014–15 season.[4] During his overage season with Sudbury, he would be named as team captain[5] prior to being traded to the Sarnia Sting on January 9, 2018.[6]
Professional
Following his OHL career, Pezzetta signed a three-year, entry-level contract in March 2018 with the Montreal Canadiens,[7] the team that selected him during the sixth round (160th overall) of the 2016 NHL entry draft.[8] Thereafter, he would make his professional debut during the 2018–19 season with the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket.[9]
During the 2021–22 season, Pezzetta was recalled by the Canadiens and made his NHL debut versus the Detroit Red Wings on November 2, 2021.[10] In his rookie season with the Canadiens, he collected five goals and six assists across 51 games played, and led the team in penalty minutes (PIM) with 81.[11] In the midst of a terrible season for the team overall,[12] Pezzetta endeared himself to many fans with his passionate style of play.[13]
In advance of the 2022–23 season, he signed a one-year, $750,000 deal to remain with the Canadiens organization.[11] Initially seeing limited ice time as the team's thirteenth forward, a spate of injuries eventually moved him regularly into the lineup. Appearing in 63 games, Pezzetta managed seven goals and eight assists, while leading the team in hits (239) and total PIM amongst team forwards.[14] In a March 27, 2023 game against the Buffalo Sabres, he drew headlines for scoring the shootout-winning goal and then celebrating in the style made famous by notable NHL enforcer, Tiger Williams.[15][16]
On June 2, 2023, Pezzetta was signed to a two-year extension with the Canadiens. He expressed enthusiasm for the organization, saying "there's so much history and the fans are wild and it's such a loud and just fun atmosphere to be a part of. You want to stick around in this atmosphere for as long as you can."[17][18]
International play
Internationally, Pezzetta represented Hockey Canada as part of team Canada White at the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge,[19] where his team ultimately finished in fifth place.[20]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2013–14 | Mississauga Senators | GTHL | 29 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 32 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 18 | ||
| 2014–15 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 61 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 64 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 54 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 88 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 17 | ||
| 2017–18 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 35 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 27 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 26 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15 | ||
| 2018–19 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 55 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Maine Mariners | ECHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 32 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 20 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 51 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 63 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 61 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 175 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 217 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Canada White | U17 | 5th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| OHL Scholastic Team | 2015, 2016 | [21][22] |
References
- ^ Carafa, Nicholas (December 4, 2015). "Breakout Star of the Month: Michael Pezzetta". Greater Toronto Hockey League. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ "NHL Honour Roll - OHL Cup". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via CHL.ca.
- ^ Sweetland, Josh (April 5, 2014). "2014 Priority Selection First Round Recap". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via CHL.ca.
- ^ "Wolves Sign Pezzetta". Sudbury Wolves. May 31, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2021 – via CHL.ca.
- ^ Sweetland, Josh (October 25, 2017). "Wolves name Michael Pezzetta captain". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via CHL.ca.
- ^ "TRADE ALERT: Sting Add High Compete & Experience in Michael Pezzetta". Sarnia Sting. January 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2021 – via CHL.ca.
- ^ Braverman, Dan (March 7, 2018). "Canadiens agree to terms with Pezzetta, Bitten". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved November 9, 2021 – via NHL.com.
- ^ "Pezzetta and Sokolov Selected in NHL Draft". Sudbury Wolves. June 25, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ "THREE MARINERS HEADED TO AHL". Maine Mariners. October 29, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
- ^ "DET@MTL: Game Recap". Montreal Canadiens. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021 – via NHL.com.
- ^ a b "One-year contract extension for Michael Pezzetta". Montreal Canadiens. July 11, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2023 – via NHL.com.
- ^ Potvin, Blain (April 30, 2022). "Montreal Canadiens 2021–22 Season: Learning Lessons in Failure". TheHockeyWriters.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
- ^ Stephens, Mike (July 11, 2022). "Canadiens sign Pezzetta to one-year extension". The Hockey News. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ "Canadiens sign Pezzetta to two-year contract extension". Sportsnet.ca. June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ Cowan, Stu (March 27, 2023). "Pezzetta pays tribute to Tiger Williams with his shootout celebration". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ "Tigers Williams on Michael Pezzetta's celebration: 'I should've given him a lesson before he did it'". Sportsnet.ca. March 29, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ Cowan, Stu (June 2, 2023). "Canadiens' new two-year deal with Michael Pezzetta is a win for both sides". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ "Michael Pezzetta: "I love it here"". Montreal Canadiens. June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023 – via NHL.com.
- ^ "Canadian Rosters for 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge". Canadian Hockey League. October 2, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via CHL.ca.
- ^ "Game Summary - 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge - Canada White - Canada Red". Hockey Canada. November 7, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ "2015 OHL Academic Players of the Year". Ontario Hockey League. April 30, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via CHL.ca.
- ^ Heidman, Bruce (April 29, 2016). "Wolves' Pezzetta named to OHL Scholastic Team". The Sudbury Star. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database