# Michael McCarron

Michael McCarron (born March 7, 1995), sometimes called by the nicknames Big Sexy or Big Show, is an American professional ice hockey player for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 25th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2013 NHL entry draft.

## Playing career

As a youth, he played in the 2008 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Detroit Belle Tire minor ice hockey team.
McCarron was rated as a top prospect who fulfilled the expectation to be a first round selection at the 2013 NHL entry draft. He trained with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) team from 2011 to 2013, and won a silver medal at the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships.
McCarron initially committed to play for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Western Michigan University Broncos, before opting out to continue his development through Canadian junior ranks with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Originally playing (and drafted) as a right winger, McCarron made the switch to center during his first OHL season. On July 11, 2013, McCarron was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
In the midst of the 2014–15 season, McCarron was traded by the Knights to OHL contenders, the Oshawa Generals, on January 1, 2015, with whom he won the J. Ross Robertson Cup and Memorial Cup.
After a good start in his first professional year in 2015–16, he was called up by the Canadiens and played two games in the National Hockey League (NHL), though without picking up any points. As a result of his good play in the American Hockey League (AHL), McCarron was named to the 2016 AHL All-Star Classic. He was later called up again by the Canadiens on February 26, 2016, after forwards Dale Weise and Tomáš Fleischmann were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. On February 27, he recorded his first NHL point, an assist on a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, in a 4–1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He scored his first NHL goal in a 4–1 loss to the Calgary Flames on March 20, 2016.
While playing with the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, during the 2018–19 season, McCarron underwent a season-ending surgery on his left shoulder in February 2019.
McCarron became a restricted free agent after the 2018–19 season. On July 27, 2019, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canadiens.
Continuing with Laval, McCarron entered the 2019–20 season, contributing with five goals and 14 points in 29 games. Having been passed on the depth chart and with limited prospects with the Canadiens, McCarron was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Laurent Dauphin on January 7, 2020.

## Personal life

While playing for the Predators' AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, he was given the nickname "Big Show", which was later changed to "Big Sexy" by then teammate Matt Benning.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2010–11 | Honeybaked 18U AAA | T1EHL | 38 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011–12 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | USHL | 35 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 112 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2011–12 | U.S. NTDP U17 | USDP | 53 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 128 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | USHL | 19 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | U.S. NTDP U18 | USDP | 59 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 182 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | London Knights | OHL | 66 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 120 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 22 |
| 2014–15 | London Knights | OHL | 25 | 22 | 19 | 41 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 31 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 70 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 33 |
| 2015–16 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 58 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 32 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 66 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2016–17 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 31 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017–18 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 54 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 121 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 32 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 29 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 27 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 14 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 51 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 70 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022–23 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 32 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 16 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 28 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| 2023–24 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 70 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 100 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 228 | 23 | 25 | 48 | 320 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |

### International

| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2012 | United States | U17 | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2013 | United States | U18 | | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 |
| Junior totals | Junior totals | Junior totals | Junior totals | 12 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 16 |

## Awards and honors

| Award | Year |
| OHL |||
| J. Ross Robertson Cup champion | 2015 |
| CHL |||
| Memorial Cup champion | 2015 |
| Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2015 |
| AHL |||
| AHL All-Star Classic | 2016 |