Breakout Season for Stars’ Matthew Seminoff Fueled by Work Ethic

By Dylan Pescatore

Jan 21, 2026

Matthew Seminoff spent the first five years of his life in Leesburg, Virginia, moving to Coquitlam, British Columbia just as he was entering elementary school. Although he moved more than 2,000 miles to the other side of the continent, it was a place that would fall right in line with his dreams.

Seminoff’s dad played hockey himself, spending a few years in the British Columbia Hockey League before calling it a career, but his love for the game has never wavered. He has supported Matthew and his brother Dominic in every way, from teaching them the game to even getting in on some of their mini-sticks competitions.

“He has been my biggest supporter and mentor, he and my mom,” he said. “My dad was playing mini sticks with us in the basement and coming to all of our games.”

While growing up in minor hockey, Seminoff advanced through the levels with a familiar name to Stars fans: Logan Stankoven. The second round pick of Dallas in the 2021 NHL Draft and Seminoff were one and two on almost every single team they played on.

When he turned 15, Seminoff attended Burnaby Winter Club Academy. A program that has developed countless NHL names, including Matthew Barzal, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and current Texas Stars captain Curtis McKenzie.

He spent two seasons there, getting stronger and refining his game before being drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 WHL Draft by the Kamloops Blazers. Seminoff packed up his bags and drove three hours northwest for the first time he would be living away from home.

Nerves were evident as Seminoff left the place he called home since he was five years old, but a familiar face followed right behind him into his billet house, Stankoven.

The two best friends on and off the ice lived together for one year and played together in Kamloops for four, which Seminoff describes as some of the best times of his life so far.

“It was a great part of my life. It was tons of fun, and even bigger, it was a big part of making me the player I am today, he said. “They knew what we needed to do to make it (professionally).”

After his third year in the WHL, Seminoff was drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars.

He had lived in places where he was an hour or so from the beach, looking at two different oceans, but he had never been to the Lone Star State before.

Seminoff went to a new level in his fourth and final season with the Blazers, putting up 82 points in 62 games while donning the ‘A’ for Assistant Captain. He signed with the Stars after the season, turning pro at just 19 years of age.

Seminoff’s first two seasons in Texas have been similar to his first two in Kamloops, playing a sound defensive game, but not seeing his name on the stat sheet as much as he would like. At the end of last season, when he had his exit meetings with the organization, he was in full agreement with what he needed to work on. He worked hard, got stronger, but also changed his mentality. He credits his success this season to changing how he thinks, thanks to his teammates.

“It was more of a mentality. You don’t want to leave anything up to chance, " he said. “Going through the summer, it was personal, soul searching as well. Curtis (McKenzie) and (Cameron) Hughes have helped me so much.”

Seminoff is self-aware of what type of player he needs to be to succeed at the next level. Although he would love to fill the stat sheet every night, he is not afraid to do the little things that make him a complete player.

“You want to be able to contribute in any way that you can,” he said. “Be physical, hardworking, and play the right way. Everyone wants to have those types of guys on the team.”

Seminoff scored on opening night against Grand Rapids and has not looked back, scoring 10 goals and earning 10 assists, both career highs in just 39 games. One of the best games of his career coincidentally came on his birthday, December 27th, when he scored two goals in a professional game for the first time.

The winger from British Columbia has not only seen an improvement in his game on the ice, but also his activities away from the rink. He loves the outdoors and will boast about how much he hikes and rides his mountain bike in the Western Canada landscape during the summer. He also has teamed up with Stars defenseman Gavin White for a new hobby: learning the guitar.

White, who Seminoff will admit is a better guitarist than him, is the professor in this friendship. The defenseman sends Seminoff different songs to learn on the guitar, and they have even played together on some occasions.

Whether or not the music that comes from the guitar sounds pretty, Seminoff will keep working at it. The phrase “hard work pays off” has been instilled in his mind from his dad since he was a kid. It’s the mindset he attacks everything with, and now in his third season in Texas, Seminoff is finally seeing the fruits of his labor.

Photo Credit: Rick Crossman