The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed forward Matthew Phillips off of waivers from the Washington Capitals, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.
Phillips is signed through the 2023-24 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level.
Phillips, 25, has spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Washington Capitals where he’s appeared in 27 games, recording one goal, four assists and five points. He scored his first-career NHL goal and notched his first multi-point effort (1G-1A) on Oct. 16 against the Calgary Flames.
The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Phillips has played parts of three seasons in the NHL, split between Washington and the Calgary Flames. Phillips has notched five points (1G-4A) in 30 career NHL games.
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Phillips has excelled at the AHL level, having played parts of six seasons with the Stockton Heat and Calgary Wranglers. He’s recorded 237 points (103G-134A) in 265 AHL games, with his best season coming in 2022-23, where he established AHL career highs in goals (36), assists (40) and points (76). Phillips was named an AHL All-Star in both 2020 and 2023.
Prior to being drafted by Calgary in the sixth round (166th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft, Phillips enjoyed a successful junior career in the WHL with the Victoria Royals from 2015-18, where he served as team captain in 2017-18. Overall, he recorded 136 goals, 145 assists and 281 points in 215 career WHL games.
