It’s been a crazy year for Matthew Phillips.

After lighting up the American Hockey League for the last few seasons, Philips finally earned a shot at the National Hockey League level.

To start the 2023-24 season, the Washington Capitals signed him to a one-way contract and plopped him on their NHL roster.

Phillips had spent years terrorizing the AHL. Back when he was with the Calgary Flames organization, he recorded several top notch AHL seasons. Three of his five seasons spent in the AHL saw him record 0.87 points per game or higher.

His best two seasons have been his most recent two. In 2021-22, Phillips racked up 68 points in 65 games for Calgary’s AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat. He followed that up with 8 points in 13 playoff games.

Last season, after Stockton relocated and rebranded themselves as the Calgary Wranglers, Phillips put up 76 points in 66 games. He had 7 points in 9 playoff games that year.

But Phillips was always a tricky player to figure out. A lot of scouts and teams dismissed him because of his small stature. At 5′ 7 (or 5′ 8, depending on the source) and only 140 pounds, Phillips lacked the physical abilities to impose his will on any opponents.

Part of that resulted in him falling all the way to the sixth round in his draft year, where his hometown Flames eventually snagged him.

He played 3 games for NHL Calgary during all his time there, but never got the chance to fully break out.

As a free agent in the summer of 2023, the Capitals came calling and signed him to a one year, one-way contract at $775K. Washington had given him his first real chance at the NHL, when he made the team out of training camp.

The Capitals had looked like they had gotten a steal early on when Phillips tallied 3 points in his first 4 games. The forward scored his first NHL goal against his hometown and former team, the Flames. Little did many know, that would still be his only NHL goal.

Though he would put up 3 more points in that opening stretch, they would all be assists, and the production overall would soon fall off a cliff.

Over his next 23 games, Phillips could only muster 2 assists, while averaging 9:52 a night.

On February 15th, the Capitals placed him on waivers, in the hopes of assigning him to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.

However, the Penguins claimed him and brought him to Pittsburgh. Phillips arrived in town at a buzzing time. He joined thee team during the weekend dedicated to celebrating Jaromir Jagr, was slated to make his Penguins debut on the night the team was retiring Jagr’s No. 68 jersey.

In his first ever practice with the team, Jagr was also on the ice.

Phillips called the whole experience “pretty crazy.”

He did indeed make his Penguins debut on Jagr Night, on the second line with Evgeni Malkin as his center. He had a few flashes, but never really made a large impact.

And that’s a statement that could apply to his entire Penguins tenure and really, his NHL career at large.

After three pointless games, Phillips became stapled to the press box. After February 22nd, he did not draw into another game for the Penguins.

On March 4th, the Penguins decided they were finished with the Matthew Phillips experiment, and waived him.

A day later, the Capitals claimed him back off of waivers from the Penguins. They re-assigned him to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, where he got into 4 games and registered 3 points.

Now, he is back in the NHL, with news that the Capitals have recalled Phillips to the big club. This move likely correlates to the impending suspension of Tom Wilson, who was offered an in-person hearing after a vicious high-sticking.

Phillips will have another chance to stick around in the NHL as the season enters its final month. For him, I’m wishing all the best.

(Featured photo by Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports)