The Nanaimo Clippers have acquired 20-year-old Matthew Nastasiuk from the Trenton Golden Hawks of the OJHL for future considerations. In the 2019-2020 season, Nastasiuk, the son of an ex-CFL football player (Paul Nastasiuk), produced 34 points including 18 goals in 46 games. He is a 145 game veteran of the OJHL over three years, thus bringing some much-needed Junior A experience to the current roster of the Clippers. He was also the #45 overall draft pick for the Ottawa 67’s in the OHL priority draft in 2016 but decided to go the college route instead.
Colin Birkas, Associate Coach of the Clippers, coached Nastasiuk in the OJHL and commented, “Matthew is a very well respected teammate. He plays hard and can contribute on any line. In this year’s roster, we are missing a bit of grit and Matthew will definitely bring that to the table. He can also produce points and likes to get into the greasy areas on the ice.“
Darren Naylor, Head Coach and GM of the Clippers added; “We’ve had success over the first 10 games of the exhibition season but like every team, we can definitely do better by filling a few minor holes in our roster. One hole is that we simply are too young on the front end and need to bring in some significant grit and experience to the lineup. I’m very confident that Matthew will add an extra element to our roster not to mention plenty of Junior A experience. I’m looking forward to coaching him.”
