Last season, Pierce played in 49 games for the Ice Bears, a team that won the SPHL regular season and playoff championships. The 23-year old native of Arnprior, Ontario, Canada scored 22 goals during the regular season, adding 14 assists and 84 penalty minutes.

Pierce's 22 goals placed him in a tie for second place on the team roster for "red-lighters" and his 36 points had him sixth on the club in that category. Eight goals were scored on the power play and four were game-winners.

Matt's longest point streak of the season came in the stretch run of the Knoxville drive to the title, as he scored eight goals and six assists during an eleven game period from February 16th to March 20th. The Ice Bears were 7-4-0 in that period.

The six-foot, 205-pounder also played in eight playoff games for the Ice Bears, winning the league playoff title with a three-game sweep of Jacksonville in the final round. In the playoffs, Pierce tallied two goals and added an assist.

Pierce also played briefly in the ECHL last season with the Charlotte Checkers, where he scored one goal in four games. Prior to that, Matt played Canadian collegiate hockey for the Royal Military College, where he played four games and scored one goal.

Kaminski calls Pierce a "five o'clock player," someone who plays well in traffic. "Matt Pierce will bring everything, he's a great skater with lots of energy who loves to finish his checks to create turnovers," Kaminiski said. "He has a knack for the net and he knows how to win a championship, as he did with the Ice Bears."