Matt Kassian has seen it all throughout his hockey journey.  From rising through the Junior ranks to moving up hockey’s professional ladder from the ECHL to AHL to NHL, Kassian’s on ice professional career spanned eight seasons before he became a TV analyst, and now a financial advisor with Raymond James Ltd.  It’s the experiences he learned along the way which render him uniquely positioned to provide sound financial advice to current and former professional hockey players, and a valuable resource for players in Canada to turn to discuss their financial situation.

Kassian grew up Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and has fond hockey memories playing the game with his friends on the frozen outdoor rinks.

“I was not one of the better players on my team, ever,” recalls Kassian.  “Yet some of my best hockey memories are my earliest.  Just the joy of playing and skating on the outdoor rink.  There was no pressure.  We were just having fun.  That’s what I remember the most.”

As he progressed through minor hockey, he would be drafted by the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he played for a season and half before being dealt to the Kamloops Blazers.  His natural ability, along with a 6’4, 230-pound frame, soon caught the attention of NHL scouts. 

“For me, my Junior career was a wonderful experience, but two very different environments.  At the time, Vancouver was gearing up toward a run for the Memorial Cup, while Kamloops was rebuilding.  It was challenging to move away from home at the age of 16 and uproot your life, but a lot of what I learned during those formative years helped me later on.”

Kassian would be drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the second round, 57^th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.  Although it was a dream come true to be drafted by an NHL club, his draft experience was somewhat clouded due to the NHL-NHLPA lockout.

“The biggest disappointment was that I was drafted during the lockout draft.  The draft wasn’t televised beyond the first round, so I was sitting in front of a computer constantly hitting re-fresh to see if I had been selected.  I went higher than expected and recall a lot of communication with the team afterwards focused on fitness training and power skating.”

Following his final season with Kamloops in 2007, Kassian made the jump to the professional ranks.  However, he endured a mentally grinding rookie season split between the American Hockey League with the Houston Aeros and ECHL with the Texas Wildcatters where his mental resolve would be tested. 

“That year was really hard.  I was young and needed the opportunity to play more minutes.  However, at the time, the focus seemed to be more on winning than development.  It was emotionally and mentally challenging to stay positive when I wasn’t getting the ice time I would have liked.  My mindset at the time though had to be to keep the drive, stay positive, and prove that I deserve to be here.  I never lost that drive even though things were getting frustrating.” 

Kassian’s hard work and resolve would pay off.  He climbed back to the AHL the following year where he would remain for nearly three seasons before earning a long-awaited opportunity to make his NHL debut with the Minnesota Wild.

“Getting into my first game with Minnesota was a surreal moment.  We were playing Calgary and I had my family there.  It was special and something you work toward your entire life.  It was a ton of fun and an amazing and exciting moment.  Once you achieve that moment, you want to work hard to stay there and get into more games, which I did.  I grew up playing against Carey Price and got to know him over the years.  To score my first two NHL goals in the same game against Carey Price, in Montreal, on Hockey Night in Canada was just pure elation and joy.”

Throughout his career, Kassian had always taken an interest in finance and wealth management.  While playing Junior hockey, he began taking classes toward a business degree.  As his hockey career progressed, which also included two seasons with the Ottawa Senators, he enjoyed navigating through the financial challenges of cross border banking and investments.

“I always knew I would get into the business world.  Finance always made sense to me.  I understood it and was good at it and I really started to enjoy learning the financial side which went along with playing professional hockey, first in the US then in Canada.  Some of my teammates struggled and had difficulties with that aspect.  One day, shortly after I had retired from playing, I ran into an old friend who was working in wealth management and who happened to be hiring.  They brought me in on a trial basis and I really liked it.” 

Kassian joined Raymond James Ltd, in 2018 as a Financial Advisor and began establishing his own client base which included several professional hockey players. 

In 2022, Raymond James and Associates in the US became the Official Financial Advisor of the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA).  As part of the relationship, Kassian was tabbed as the Wealth Management Advisor to assist players and Alumni Members residing in Canada. 

“I love finance and love working with hockey players.  Players have different stories and come from different backgrounds, but they all shared the same emotions and challenges that players go through.  I always prided myself on being a good teammate and helping guys on the ice.  Now I enjoy helping players off the ice and want them to have success and financial health.  I certainly don’t want to see anyone struggle.  The transition stage to a post hockey career can be challenging and I can help walk players through this period from a financial management perspective.”

Kassion notes that players tend to ask a host of different questions.  Some common, while others not so much.  However, he’s always ready to provide sage advice and can lean on his own experiences to help provide an answer, thought, or recommendation.    

“Should I spend X on Y?  That seems to be the most common question I get asked.  But players also tell me about unique ideas and opportunities that have come their way, and one of my functions is to help filter through the idea and help them stay disciplined and provide balance.  I’m like a safe space for players to talk through from a career perspective.  I’m outside the game but I know all about it and understand what they are going through when it comes to financial circumstances such as cross-border banking, immigration, coordinating with accountants, wills, residency, contract types, and more.  Each player has their own unique personal circumstances.  The standard experience of a professional hockey player is very different than that of a non pro athlete.  It feels common for me because I lived it.” 

In the US, Kassian’s counterpart is JP Witkop from Raymond James and Associates.  The two have formed a bond and solid working relationship to provide sound financial advice to current and former professional hockey players. 

“JP is fantastic and a really smart guy.  He is also specialized on the growth and administration of the 401K.  We trust each other and have a good working relationship.  I have a ton of respect for him and how much he cares for all of his clients, especially the professional hockey players.” 

Kassian is happy with how Raymond James has developed a program with the PHPA to advise current and former players, though he admits he should have taken the time to utilize the programs put in place by both the PHPA and NHLPA when he was an active player.  

“I always went to the fall enrollment meetings where the union would explain everything, but now I wish I would have taken the time to know which programs would have helped me, like the PHPA’s partnership with Raymond James.  I should have been more active early on, especially as I was still growing and learning.  The older players always told me that and now I suggest that to all my player clients.”

Reflecting back on his on-ice career, Kassian had a hard time choosing just one of his favorite memories

“Going to the Calder Cup Finals with Houston in 2011.  Although we lost, it was incredible run with great teammates which made it that much more special.  Then in 2013 while playing for Ottawa, we knocked off Montreal in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  We were the underdog seventh seed against the second seed Canadiens and it was a heated series.  We lost to Pittsburgh in the next round but the feeling of winning that series was so much fun.”

Although Kassian had a firm grasp of his financial knowledge during his playing career, he also knew that he didn’t know everything.  In hindsight, there are some things he would have done different and offers those lessons to today’s players.

“I wish I would have treated looking at my expenses the same way in which I analyzed film for a game.  I should have asked more questions and made sure I got good answers.  I should have invested a lot more time into what I was doing off the ice and been more involved.  At the time, I convinced myself I didn’t have time for things like that, even though in reality I had lots of time.  I should have paid more attention to the off-ice aspect of being a professional hockey player.  I’m glad any time I can help a current or former player and educate and navigate them through their finances.  The exact thing I should have done when I was still playing.”