page_title: Olli Määttä
section_title: Pittsburgh Penguins
hierarchical_section_title: Olli Määttä / Playing career / Professional / Pittsburgh Penguins
caption_attribution_description: English: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta during a game against the New York Islanders, December 7, 2017, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.
context_page_description: Olli Määttä is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, playing with them from 2013 to 2019 before being traded to the Blackhawks.
  Määttä was the first overall selection in the 2011 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, and played for the Finnish junior team at the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championships and the 2011, 2012 and 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Known for his shot-blocking ability and hockey IQ, Määttä was named to Finland's roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics as a 19-year-old.
context_section_description: Määttä's solid performance during the Pittsburgh Penguins' training camp, buoyed by an injury to defenceman Kris Letang, earned him a spot on the team's NHL roster to begin the 2013–14 season. He scored the first points of his NHL career on 8 October 2013, assisting on two goals by Jussi Jokinen in the Penguins' 5–2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. On 19 October, Määttä then scored his first career NHL goal against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo. Through the Christmas holiday, Määttä had appeared in every game the Penguins had played in and, through the first two months of the season, was playing typical minutes for a third-pair defencemen (usually under 20 minutes per game). However, due to a rash of injuries suffered by other Penguins' blueliners (notably the broken legs by Rob Scuderi and Paul Martin), Määttä saw an uptick in his ice time, going from an average of just over 16 minutes in October and November to 21-and-a-half minutes a game through four weeks in December. This increased time was not wasted, as Määttä increased his point production from five points in 28 games in the first two months to seven points in 12 games in December. As a member of the top defensive pair for Pittsburgh (alongside either Kris Letang or Matt Niskanen), Määttä played a key role in the Penguins' 10–2 run in the absence of much of their defensive corps, allowing more than three goals only once in that 12-game span.
  On 6 March 2014, Määttä scored his first multi-goal game in the NHL with two tallies in the Penguins' 5–3 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
  On 9 October 2014, in the Penguins' first game of the 2014–15 season, Määttä recorded three assists in a 6–4 win over the Anaheim Ducks. During a press conference on 27 October, it was announced that Määttä would undergo surgery to remove a tumor from his neck that could be a low-grade thyroid cancer. On 4 November, he underwent successful surgery and was expected to make a full recovery, and on 18 November, just two weeks after his surgery, it was announced that he would be returning to the Penguins lineup to play that night against the Montreal Canadiens. On 6 December, Määttä re-injured the same shoulder he had surgery on during the off-season—he would go on to miss 16 games before the Penguins would announce, on 13 January 2015, that he would miss the remainder of the season to have another surgery to repair the shoulder. During this time he was also diagnosed with the mumps.
  On 18 November 2015, Määttä was slammed from behind into the Minnesota Wild's bench door by Minnesota Wild's right wing Nino Niederreiter, causing him to miss 3–4 weeks with an upper body injury. Määttä experienced soft tissue and muscle damage to his midsection from the boarding. Niederreiter was not suspended for the hit.
  In Game Two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Washington Capitals, Brooks Orpik delivered an illegal and late hit to Määttä's head. Orpik was suspended 3 games for the late hit. Määttä returned a few games later and finished the series. Määttä won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 playoffs.
  Määttä left a game against the Winnipeg Jets on 17 February in the second period due to an undisclosed injury. It was later confirmed that Määttä would be out for 6 weeks after undergoing surgery for a broken hand. Määttä returned to the Penguins lineup for the last game of the 2016–17 regular season after missing 24 games.
  During the 2017–18 season, Määttä played in his 300th career NHL game against the Washington Capitals on 1 April 2018. He ended the regular season playing in all 82 games and recording 29 points, tying his career high.
  Määttä recorded 1 goal and 13 assists for 14 points in the 2018–19 season, placing third on the team with 116 blocked shots and 97 hits in 60 regular-season games.
caption: Määttä (right) races John Tavares for the puck in a game against the New York Islanders in 2017.
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