Ducks Ink Matt Beleskey to Two-Year Extension

[Thrillhouse]

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed left wing Matt Beleskey to a two-year contract extension through the 2012-13 NHL season.

Beleskey, 22 (6/7/88), appeared in 60 games for Anaheim in his rookie NHL season in 2009-10, collecting 11-7=18 points with 35 penalty minutes (PIM). Among NHL rookies, Beleskey ranked tied for 10th in goals, tied for third in game-winning goals (3), seventh in hits (94) and 10th in shots (123). He also finished sixth among team leaders in goal scoring and tied for fourth in game-winners.

A native of Windsor, Ontario, Beleskey earned 5-1=6 points last January, ranking tied for second among NHL rookies in goal scoring for the month. He scored his first career NHL goal against Jimmy Howard on Jan. 5 vs. Detroit to spark a season-high three-game point streak (3-0=3) from Jan. 5-9. Beleskey also appeared in 15 American Hockey League (AHL) games with San Antonio and Toronto last season, earning 2-5=7 points with a +5 rating and 21 PIM.

Selected in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Beleskey made his NHL debut on Jan. 9, 2009 vs. Tampa Bay, recording a +1 rating in 13:53 TOI. He made his professional debut with Iowa (AHL) in 2008-09, scoring 11-24=35 points with 58 PIM in 58 games. Beleskey ranked fifth among Iowa leaders in scoring, tied for third in assists and tied for second in power play goals (6).