Armstrong, Matt

BORN AUGUST 9TH 1982 in Orleans ON Canada, Armstrong started hockey at 3, and played minor hockey in Ottawa. The Kitchener Rangers drafted him in the fourth round of the 1999 OHL Priority Selection, 65th overall, from the Cumberland Grads in the Central Junior Hockey League.

The 183cm 90kg left winger spent four years in the OHL (1999-02) with four different teams: Kitchener, Peterborough Petes, Plymouth Whalers (6) and Barrie Colts (2). In that time, he scored 42 and assisted on 55 for 97 points over 204 regular season games. In 18 playoff games, he added 14 points.

Undrafted to the National Hockey League, he played two years in the OUA with the Concordia University Stingers, straight out of junior. He began his professional career in the IHL and SPHL before heading to Europe to play in Germany and the Netherlands. He played for ESV in Germany's Overliga and Tier 4, plus a few games in North America (IHL, SPHL).

From 2006, Armstrong played in the Netherlands Eredivisie, with HIJS Calco Wolves (2006) and ESV Hügelsheim (2007). He led Den Haag with 35 goals and 37 assists for 72 points while playing all 40 regular season games. Den Haag finished last in the six team league. Armstrong tied fourth in goals, and finished eighth in assists and fifth in points.

In 2009, Armstrong won the Dutch Beker Cup competition with the Nijmegen Devils. Then came three different teams: Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL), Quad City Mallards (IHL), and Deggendorfer SC Fire of Germany's Oberliga, on the way to the Melbourne Ice for the 2010 Australian Ice Hockey League.

Coached by Paul Watson, the Ice had reached the post season every year since 2006, hunting the coveted trophy that had eluded them since their formation in 2002. But the season they arrived on the new home ice of Melbourne's Docklands was different to anything that had come before in the sport here. There was a huge will in the stands. The top locals were great too, but it seemed Armstrong and Jason Baclig had brought success with them, igniting an inspirational attack that had been smouldering for years.

The pair dominated League scoring for 6 seasons, setting a new benchmark for imported marquee players. Armstrong twice led on points (2012, '14), missing two other seasons by a few points. Baclig led four times, but there was very little difference between their scoring results, year after year.

The Ice strode the Australian continent for years in the 2010s, generating more loathing than worship. Armstrong won four Goodall Cups (2010-12, 2017), and his club won the Inaugural Trans Tasman Champions League in 2012. The core group of players in those years demanded and received the grudging respect of opponents, despite the aggravation of Club promotions exaggerating self-worth. Armstrong was an Alternate Captain.

In 2016, Armstrong was the sixth player in AIHL history to pass 300 points. Over 10 seasons, he played 227 games for 156 goals, 225 assists, an average of 1.68 points per game, and 1.36 in 14 play-off games. He represented Australia in two Division 2A IIHF World Championships, winning Silver (2017) and Bronze (2018) medals.

A certified IIHF Level 2 hockey coach, he coached the Melbourne Ice women with teammate Tommy Powell, winning the 2015 McKowen Trophy. A director of the Icehouse Hockey Academy in Melbourne, he continues to develop hockey players from entry-level, and still plays hockey with the Melbourne Demons.

Armstrong married Sara in Canada. The couple first met at university in Ottawa and are now raising a young family in Melbourne.