Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey co-captain Matthew Peca has signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League, the organization announced today.
The contract runs through the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. Additionally, Peca signed a contract to try out to play the remainder of the 2014-15 season with Tampa’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
Peca was the second highest scorer for the Bobcats this season with 36 points, and led the team with 29 assists. In his four seasons at Quinnipiac, Peca put up a total of 143 points in 157 games. He helped lead the team to two ECAC regular-season championships, a victory in the Frozen Four, an NCAA Championship appearance, and three consecutive trips to the NCCA tournament. Peca also holds the record for fastest natural hat trick in NCAA tournament history.
He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning organization in the seventh round, 201st overall, in the 2011 NHL draft.
