Matt Nieto Bio
Matthew Evan Nieto, born on November 5, 1992, in Long Beach, California, is an American professional ice hockey left winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League while under contract to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. Across his career, Nieto has suited up for the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche in two separate stints with each club. He first entered professional hockey after being chosen by the Sharks in the second round, 47th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Standing 6 feet tall and weighing 187 pounds, Nieto built his reputation as a versatile forward whose speed and two-way reliability have helped him last more than a decade in professional hockey. He is of Mexican-American descent and credits his family in Long Beach for shaping his early drive to compete.
Early Life and Background
Nieto grew up in Long Beach, California, in a tough neighborhood his mother has described as a place where drive-by shootings were not uncommon. He has joked that the rapper Snoop Dogg lived around the corner, a story his mother has confirmed, though she notes the family had already moved on before Nieto was born. His father, Jesse, worked as a longshoreman, while his mother, Mary, worked as a Nordstrom makeup artist.
Nieto became interested in skating at the age of two when he watched his sister rollerblading inside the family home. His grandfather later bought him a hockey stick, and by age three he was playing roller hockey at the local YMCA. As a youth, he played in the 2004 and 2005 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the Los Angeles Hockey Club minor ice hockey team, where his teammates included future NHL players Emerson Etem and Rocco Grimaldi.
Nieto has a sister with Down syndrome and autism, and his mother has battled advanced breast cancer. Those family challenges have been part of the personal story behind his path through the sport.
Path to Hockey
After beginning his high school years at Salisbury School, a preparatory school in Salisbury, Connecticut, Nieto moved quickly onto the national radar. In one season with the school’s hockey team, he scored eight goals and added ten assists in 28 games, a performance that caught the attention of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
He relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to join the Program, where he suited up for both the under-17 and under-18 teams. During the 2008–09 season, he scored 20 goals and 33 assists at the under-17 level and added six goals and eight assists with the under-18 squad. The following year he played for the Program’s United States Hockey League team, recording 15 goals and 14 assists while also returning briefly to the under-17 lineup.
Although he was offered a chance to play major junior hockey for the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League, Nieto chose the college route and attended Boston University on a full scholarship. After weighing Boston University against Boston College, he joined the Terriers and posted 10 goals and 13 assists in his first year, then produced 16 goals and 26 assists with a plus-minus rating of plus-19 the following season. As a draft-eligible prospect, he was ranked 43rd overall and second-best in Hockey East by NHL.com.
Matt Nieto Career
Early Career (2013–2017)
Nieto signed a three-year entry-level contract worth $2.3 million with the San Jose Sharks on April 1, 2013. He spent time with the Sharks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Worcester Sharks, playing 11 games and recording two goals and four assists. He also had a brief stint with the ECHL’s San Francisco Bulls in December 2013 before being recalled after an injury to Tomáš Hertl.
He made his NHL debut on October 3, 2013, against the Vancouver Canucks, and scored his first NHL goal five days later against New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. On April 22, 2014, he netted his first Stanley Cup playoff goal, an empty-net marker against the Los Angeles Kings. By the 2016–17 season, he had slipped down the Sharks’ depth chart, appearing in just 16 games with two assists before being claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche on January 5, 2017.
San Jose Sharks Breakthrough (2013–2017)
Nieto opened his NHL career in San Jose as one of the franchise’s top young forwards, contributing on the penalty kill and using his speed to create transitions. He scored his first NHL goal on October 8, 2013, and added a playoff goal against the Kings the following spring. During his first stint with the Sharks, he appeared in more than 200 regular-season games while rotating between San Jose and Worcester.
Colorado Avalanche First Stint (2017–2020)
After joining the Avalanche on waivers, Nieto signed a one-year, $1 million contract on July 25, 2017, avoiding arbitration. The 2017–18 season became his breakout campaign, as he set career highs with 74 games played and 15 goals scored, prompting the Avalanche to sign him to a two-year, $3.95 million extension in July 2018. In Colorado, he became a reliable two-way presence in the bottom six and helped the team push toward playoff contention.
San Jose Sharks Second Stint (2020–2022)
As a free agent after the 2019–20 season, Nieto returned to the San Jose Sharks on a one-year, $700,000 contract signed October 13, 2020. He appeared in 25 games during the 2020–21 season, recording five goals and seven points before injuries cut his year short. On March 19, 2021, he played his 500th NHL game against the St. Louis Blues, becoming just the third California native to reach that mark, joining Brooks Orpik and Jason Zucker. On June 21, 2021, he signed a two-year, $1.7 million extension to remain with the Sharks.
Colorado Avalanche Second Stint (2022–2023)
Back at full health in 2021–22, Nieto posted six goals and 17 points in 70 games as San Jose missed the postseason for the third straight year. The following season he scored eight goals and 15 points in 48 games before being traded back to the Avalanche on January 25, 2023, alongside Ryan Merkley in exchange for Martin Kaut and Jacob MacDonald. Combining both clubs that year, he finished with 12 goals and 24 points, then went scoreless in seven playoff games as the injury-depleted Avalanche were eliminated in the first round by the Seattle Kraken.
Pittsburgh Penguins Era (2023–Present)
Following the 2022–23 season, Nieto left Colorado and signed a two-year, $1.8 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1, 2023. He spent time with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, while remaining under contract with the parent club. His Penguins deal was set to run through the end of the 2024–25 season, after which he became an unrestricted free agent.
Driving Style and Strengths
Scouting reports from Hockey’s Future described Nieto as possessing explosive speed, strong puck-handling, and confident passing while in motion. NHL.com scouts praised his offensive ability on the rush and noted his willingness to play penalty-kill and bottom-six defensive roles. Across his career he has been valued more for skating, work ethic, and versatility than for top-line scoring.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the milestones in his career, Nieto scored his first NHL playoff goal against the Los Angeles Kings in 2014 and reached 500 NHL games in 2021. He also represented the United States at the IIHF World U18 Championships in 2009 and 2010, helping Team USA capture gold medals in both tournaments.
Matt Nieto Career Wins
Nieto’s trophy case is built more on longevity and consistency than on major individual hardware. His most significant honors came at the international level with consecutive gold medals at the IIHF World U18 Championships in 2009 and 2010. He has not been named to a major NHL All-Star team and has yet to win the Stanley Cup, though he did appear in a playoff round with the Avalanche in 2023.
International Highlights
At the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships, Nieto scored four goals in seven games to help the United States win gold. He was reselected the following year and again helped Team USA defend the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World U18 Championships, an early signal of his two-way upside on a national stage.
Other Wins and Performances
At the junior level, Nieto was a productive scorer with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s under-17 and under-18 teams and the USHL squad. At Boston University, he totaled 44 goals and 102 points across 115 games for the Terriers. His single-season NHL career high of 15 goals came during the 2017–18 campaign with the Colorado Avalanche.
Matt Nieto Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Nieto is of Mexican-American descent and was raised in Long Beach, California. His father, Jesse, is a longshoreman, while his mother, Mary, has worked as a Nordstrom makeup artist. Hockey does not run deep through his extended family, but his parents supported his move across the country to attend Salisbury School and later Boston University.
Personal Life
Nieto’s sister lives with Down syndrome and autism, and his mother has battled advanced breast cancer, circumstances Nieto has credited with shaping his outlook. He grew up rollerblading and playing roller hockey at the local YMCA before transitioning to ice. Beyond his immediate family, his longtime partner and marital status are not publicly confirmed.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into 2025, Nieto was skating for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL while under contract to the Pittsburgh Penguins. His two-year, $1.8 million deal signed in July 2023 was set to expire at the end of the 2024–25 campaign, putting him on track for unrestricted free agency that summer.
With Pittsburgh deep in a transitional phase, the veteran winger has continued to provide speed, penalty-killing, and bottom-six reliability at both the NHL and AHL levels. His blend of experience and skating has made him a useful call-up option for the Penguins whenever injuries thinned their forward group.
Looking ahead, Nieto’s focus is on staying healthy and productive through the remainder of his Penguins contract. If he does not reach a new deal with Pittsburgh, his track record of contributing on special teams and in a checking role should keep him in demand as a depth forward on the open market.