Player Profile – ECHL All-Star: Matt Stephenson

STOCKTON, CA – Several ECHL players are preparing to depart for the City of Reading, Pennsylvania to play in the 17^th Annual ECHL All-Star Game on Jan 21^st in the Sovereign Center. Defenseman Matt Stephenson of the Idaho Steelheads is one of the National Conference ECHL All-Stars.

Idaho Steelheads teammates Matt Stephenson and Mark Bomersback went straight to Reading from Stockton California, while the rest of their teammates went bak to Idaho for a short break. Matt Stephenson is a 25 year old rookie defenseman from Midland Ontario. He played college hockey with St. Cloud State (WCHA) and was the team captain his senior year, playing in 35 games, scoring 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists). He led the team in penalty minutes with 83. Following graduation, he appeared in five games for the Iowa Stars (AHL) and was acquired by the Manitoba Moose (AHL) in August 2008, and was ultimately assigned to the Steelheads at the start of the season. “I was surprised when they told me I was selected,” Stephanson said as he gave most of the credit to his teammates. “I called my dad right away to tell him. He was really excited.” Matt says his parents are very supportive. His dad is a police officer in his hometown, and Matt’s success on the ice sort of fulfills his dads dreams too. As a child, his dad had to give up hockey time and work to help support the family, so his dream of professional hockey was cut short. Matt added, “At least they released the roster information quickly” so his dad could share his excitement to other family and friends. Stephenson said he had to sign up for the pre-game competitions, but didn’t know what he’d have to do yet, but was looking forward to it and hoped he will perform well. Stephenson has played in 38 games this season, leads all Idaho’s defensemen with 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists), and is looking forward to the opportunity to play in this week’s All-Star game. Stephenson went on to say that even though the travel is long, that it will be worth it. He’s doing what he loves to do, and that makes everything worth while. Contact the author at shellie.lima@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at jack.lima@prohockeynews.com