Matt Nelson

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

Photo by: Princeton Athletic Communications

Position:
Defenseman
Height:
6-0
Weight:
200
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Edina, Minn.
High School:
Edina HS

Senior Year (2017-18): Skated in 32 games and scored three goals and eight assists ... blocked 43 shots and took 32 ... had 10 penalties ... earned an assist in a 6-2 win at Rensselaer on Nov. 11 ... set up the game-winning goal in a 5-4 win over Yale on Nov. 17 ... had an assist in a 9-2 win against Dartmouth on Dec. 1 ... collected an assist in an OT loss to Arizona State on Dec. 9 ... scored in a 5-4 overtime win versus St. Lawrence on Feb. 2 and added an assist in a 4-3 win over the Saints on the road on Feb. 23 ... scored a goal in a 7-1 win over Brown in Game 2 of the ECAC first round series ... tallied two assists in a 5-3 win at No. 16 Union in Game 2 of the ECAC quarterfinals ... scored a goal and assist in a 4-2 los to No. 5 Ohio State in the NCAA regional semifinal.
Awards
• ECAC All-Academic Team

Junior Year (2016-17): Played in 33 games and scored two goals and four assists … blocked 44 shots and had 52 shots on goal … scored the game-winning goal over No. 7 Quinnipiac on Dec. 9 in a 5-3 game … tallied an assist against No. 19 Minnesota State on Dec. 17 … scored in a 3-3 tie at Brown on Feb. 4 … had a helper in a one-goal loss at Rensselaer on Feb. 17 and had another in a 7-2 win over Brown on Feb. 24 … assisted on the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over Colgate in Game 3 of the ECAC first-round series.
Awards
• NCAA #3 Play of the Week (Dec. 13)
• ECAC All-Academic Team

Sophomore Year (2015-16): Saw action in 29 games ... tallied two assists and took 25 shots ... had an assist in a 4-4 draw with Union on Jan. 8 ... collected an assist in a 2-1 loss at Rensselaer on Feb. 20.
Awards
• ECAC All-Academic Team

Freshman Year (2014-15): Played in 29 games and had two points ... collected his first collegiate point in his first collegiate game, a 2-2 tie with Yale at the Liberty Hockey Invitational at the Prudential Center on Oct. 31 ... scored his first goal against Dartmouth on March 6 during the ECAC playoffs ... finished with 22 penalty minutes.
Awards
• ECAC All-Academic Team

Before Princeton: Played three years at Edina High School where he won the 2013 Minnesota state championship ... appeared in 89 games, including 17 playoff games, and collected eight goals and 35 assists ... captain of Edina his senior year when they won the state championship ... competed for state title in 2012 and 2011 ... two-time all-conference honoree ... tabbed a 2013 all-metro defender to watch, earned a scholar-athlete award and was a nominee for the Reid Larson Award ... played on the Metro Southwest and Team Southwest teams in the Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League ... put together 3 goals and seven assists in 34 games with the two UMHSEHL teams ... joined the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) in 2012-13 and played in four games ... traded to Omaha Lancers in 2013-14 and played in 54 games, scoring eight goals and 11 assists with a +14 on-ice rating and 70 penalty minutes ... named USHL Defender of the Week twice ... also played lacrosse at Edina.

Personal: Full name is Matthew Bradley Nelson ... born August 4, 1994 ... parents are Bradley and Terri Nelson ... Bradley (St. John's Minnesota) is an orthopedic surgeon and played hockey at St. John's ... Terri attended Minnesota Mankato ... has an older sister Hannah (Carleton College '14) and two younger sisters Emma and Claire.

Season	Team	GP	G	A	Pts.	+/-	P-PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	HAT
2010-11	Edina High	29	1	3	4		-22
	Metro Southwest	15	1	3	4		-8
2011-12	Edina High	30	3	16	19		-59
	Team Southwest	22	3	4	7		-22
2012-13	Edina High	30	4	16	20		-45
	Green Bay (USHL)	3	0	0	0	-1	-2
2013-14	Green Bay (USHL)	1	0	0	0	E	-2
	Omaha (USHL)	54	8	11	19	+14	-70

	Career Highs	Career Firsts
Goals	1, 6x MR vs Ohio State (3/24/18)	at Dartmouth (3/6/15)
Assists	12 at Union (3/9/18)	vs. Yale (10/31/14)
Points	2, 2x MR vs Ohio State (3/24/18)	A vs. Yale (10/31/14)