Coachella Valley Firebirds sign California native Matt Tennyson

The Coachella Valley Firebirds announced the signing of the team's third player, defenseman Matt Tennyson.

Tennyson, 32, joins the Firebirds after spending the last season with the NHL's Nashville Predators.

A message from Matt himself! We're so #FiredUp to have you on the team!🔥 #IgniteTheSeason #Hockey #BuildingAnOasis #CVFirebirds #CoachellaValley #AHL pic.twitter.com/MJqI0gp8Dj

— Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) September 2, 2022

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The Bay Area native skated in eight games in the National Hockey League last year for the Predators and appeared in 53 games for the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals (3 goals, 11 assists, 14 points).

Tennyson has played a total of 173 NHL games in his career. He's previously played with the San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, and the New Jersey Devils.

Meet The Coachella Valley Firebirds First Two Players

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound righty has 358 games of AHL experience over his 11-year career, lacing up his skates for the Worcester Sharks/San Jose Barracuda, Charlotte Checkers, Rochester Americans, and Binghamton Devils.

Tennyson played college hockey for three seasons at Western Michigan University. In 117 games with the Broncos, Tennyson netted 22 goals and tallied 32 assists, totaling 54 points in his college career.

Meet the Firebirds Head Coach and Assistant Coach

Prior to his time at the NCAA D-I level, Tennyson spent the 2008-09 season with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the United States Hockey League.

“It’s awesome to be back in the Coachella Valley,” Tennyson said. “My grandparents lived in Palm Springs and my parents live in Rancho Mirage, so the opportunity to be closer to family made the decision to sign here extremely easy for me. I grew up playing hockey in California and the youth hockey scene here has come quite a long way since then. I am looking forward to being able to give back to and play in front of this great fan base and community.”

The Firebirds will kick off their season in the Seattle area while they wait for Acrisure Arena in the Coachella Valley to be completed.

The team's Home Away from Home Series in Seattle in October will see the Firebirds take on the Abbotsford Canucks and Calgary Wranglers. The four games will take place at three different venues in the Seattle area.

For more ticket and matchup information, visit https://cvfirebirds.com/schedule/home-away-from-home/

The Firebirds' first game at Acrisure Arena is scheduled to take place on Sunday, December 18, 2022, against the Tucson Roadrunners.

KESQ News Channel 3's group of stations will be your go-to place to watch firebirds games on television. As the team's partner, we'll bring you exclusive:

• Special programming
• Player profiles
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Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.