AMERKS SIGN PECA TO TWO-YEAR AHL DEAL
Veteran forward and former AHL All-Star joins Rochester on multi-year contract
Jul 2, 2026Rochester Americans General Manager Stacy Roest announced today that the team has signed veteran forward Matthew Peca to a two-year American Hockey League contract.
Peca, 33, joins the Amerks after splitting last season between the Springfield Thunderbirds and Syracuse Crunch, totaling 47 points (12+35) in 63 combined games at the AHL level. A three-year captain at Springfield, Peca set the Thunderbirds’ franchise scoring record prior to being acquired by Syracuse at the AHL trade deadline in March.
During the 2024-25 campaign, he posted a career-high 31 goals to go along with 32 assists and was named to the AHL First All-Star Team.
Peca has skated in 544 career AHL games with Syracuse, Springfield, Belleville and Laval, amassing 404 points (128+276) across 11 pro seasons. He’s also added 42 points (14+28) in 58 playoff contests, including a pair of trips to the Calder Cup Finals in 2017 with Syracuse and again in 2022 with Springfield.
The Petawawa, Ontario, native has also appeared in 83 career NHL games with the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning from 2016 to 2022 earning six goals and 15 assists.
Prior to his professional career, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound forward played four seasons at Quinnipiac University, where he posted 42 goals and 102 assists in 157 games for the Bobcats from 2011 to 2015. He was named to the ECAC All-Rookie Team as a freshman following the 2011-12 season and concluded his collegiate career by earning All-ECAC Hockey First Team honors while serving as co-captain.
Peca was originally a seventh-round selection (201st overall) of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2011 NHL Draft.