Matt Villalta

Matthew Villalta (born June 3, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Tucson Roadrunners in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Utah Hockey Club of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the third round (72nd overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career
Villalta played for the Greater Kingston Gaels U16 team in 2014–15 and for the club's U18 squad in 2015–16. At age 15 in 2015, he was the only person from Greater Kingston to receive an invite to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) combine. However, he was not selected in the OHL Draft and signed with the junior-B level Westport Rideaus.

Villalta began playing in the OHL for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds starting in 2016, after having impressed at a Greyhounds tryout. He appeared in 33 games with 28 starts in the 2016–17 season, having a 25–3–0–0 record with a .918 save percentage while having a team record 2.41 goals against average (GAA) mark. He received a league rookie of the month honor and became the winner of the F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy for having the best GAA in the league among first-year players.

Villalta was selected in the third round (72nd overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. He returned to the Greyhounds for the 2017–18 season and had a 40–5–2–2 record while playing 49 games, having a save percentage of .908 with a GAA of 2.58. He was named third-team All-OHL and was the recipient of the Dave Pinkney Trophy for best GAA. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Kings on April 27, 2018. In the 2018–19 season with the Greyhounds, Villalta had a record of 33–15–5–0 in 51 games played, having a .903 save percentage and 3.03 GAA.

Villalta played for the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2019–20, playing 22 games while having a record of 10–6–2–0, a save percentage of .899 and a 3.27 goals against average. He also saw action in eight games with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL, recording a save percentage of .864. He returned to the Reign in 2020–21 and had a 8–8–1 record while being one of the members of the Kings' taxi squad. The following season, he ranked third in the league with 28 wins and was fourth with 2660:32 minutes played; in 46 games played his record was 28–10–7, and he helped the team reach the AHL playoffs while having a .903 save percentage.

Villalta signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with Los Angeles on July 1, 2022. He played in 22 games and had a record of 12–8–1 in the 2022–23 season. He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Arizona Coyotes. He was sent to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, and became the team's top goaltender and one of the best in the league. He started the season with a record of 22–11–1 with a 2.58 GAA and .913 save percentage, being named an AHL All-Star before being recalled to the Coyotes. He made his NHL debut on February 16, 2024, stopping each of the four shots he faced while playing most of the third period in a 5–1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Three days later, he made his first start against the Edmonton Oilers, resulting in a 6–3 loss.

Personal life
Villalta was born on June 3, 1999, in Kingston, Ontario. His twin brother, Wyatt, played ice hockey as well, while his sister, Rachel, played college soccer.