Matt Stajan

Matthew Stajan (born December 19, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Matthew is of Slovenian descent and holds dual citizenship of Canada and Slovenia.
==Hockey career==
===Minor leagues===
Stajan attended St. Timothy's Elementary School and Iona Catholic Secondary School. As a young hockey player, Stajan played for such minor organizations as The Toronto Red Wings and Mississauga Senators. 
He was drafted 79th overall by the Belleville Bulls in the 2000 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) priority selection. After scoring 33 goals and 52 assists with the Bulls, he was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft with the 57th overall selection. Stajan played one game in Toronto at the end of the junior campaign, in which he scored his first NHL goal on his first shot against the Ottawa Senators' goalie Martin Prusek.
===NHL===
At the age of 20, Stajan was able to make the Maple Leafs' roster. In his first full NHL regular-season, he was selected to the NHL All-Star Young Stars team as a forward. Stajan had two points (1 goal, 1 assist) in the game.
While the 2004–05 NHL season was canceled due to the lockout, Stajan played for the St. John's Maple Leafs, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
During the 2005–06 season, Stajan tied Marián Hossa for first place with eight shorthanded points (four goals, four assists). On September 13, 2006, the Leafs signed Stajan to a two-year deal worth $1.75 million.
On July 7, 2008, Stajan re-signed with the Leafs inking a two-year, $3.5 million deal. 
 
During the 2008–09 NHL season, Stajan passed a career high on an assist with his 40th point of the season in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on February 19, 2009.
Stajan wears the uniform #14 which he selected in honour of his uncle Robert. Robert wore #14 during his basketball career before dying of cancer at the age of 22. Leafs legend Dave Keon, who played for the Leafs during their last Stanley Cup victory in the 1966–67 NHL season, also wore #14. Keon distanced himself from the franchise during the Harold Ballard era, and held a grudge because his number was never retired. Stajan stated that if the Leafs wanted to retire the number, he would immediately surrender it.
During the 2008–09 season, he scored a career high in points, leading the team in points for most of the season until Jason Blake passed him near the end of the season. 
On January 31, 2010, Stajan was traded along with Jamal Mayers, Niklas Hagman and Ian White to the Calgary Flames for Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjöström and prospect Keith Aulie.
==International play==
Stajan was a member of Team Canada in 2003 World Junior Championships.
==Awards and achievements==
*2003–04 NHL YoungStars team
==Career statistics==
 	 	 		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
2000–01 	Belleville Bulls 	OHL 		57 	9 	18 	27 	27 		7 	1 	6 	7 	5
2001–02 	Belleville Bulls 	OHL 		68 	33 	52 	85 	50 		11 	3 	8 	11 	14
2002–03 	Belleville Bulls 	OHL 		57 	34 	60 	94 	75 		7 	5 	8 	13 	16
2002–03 	St. John's Maple Leafs	AHL 		1 	0 	1 	1 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2002–03 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 		1 	1 	0 	1 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2003–04 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 		69 	14 	13 	27 	22 		3 	0 	0 	0 	2
2004–05 	St. John's Maple Leafs	AHL 		80 	23 	43 	66 	43 		5 	2 	2 	4 	6
2005–06 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 		80 	15 	12 	27 	50 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 		82 	10 	29 	39 	44 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2007–08 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 		82 	16 	17 	33 	47 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2008–09 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 		76 	15 	40 	55 	54 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2009–10 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 		55 	16 	25 	41 	30 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2009–10 	Calgary Flames 	NHL 		27 	3 	13 	16 	2 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2010–11 	Calgary Flames 	NHL 		76 	6 	25 	31 	32 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals		547 	96 	174 	270 	277 		3 	0 	0 	0 	2
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
==References==
==External links==
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Category:Born in 1983
Category:Belleville Bulls alumni
Category:Calgary Flames players
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:St. John's Maple Leafs players
Category:Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks
Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players