Matt Pelech was born on September 4, 1987 in Toronto, Ontario. He is the nephew of Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis, though he was drafted by the rival Calgary Flames in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
After junior seasons in the OHL with Sarnia, London and Belleville, he joined the Flames AHL affiliate (Quad City) in 2007 and finally made his NHL debut in 2009. Though known more for his physical play than his scoring ability, in his first five NHL games, he registered three assists
