One open-ice hit during a 2016 game could sum up Mathew Dumba as a hockey player.

His thunderous but clean hit left both Dumba and his opponent flat on the ice, and it was not so much the "how" of the play, but the "who" -- the recipient was Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks -- that was telling.

A risk-taking defenseman with a big shot and puck-moving ability, the Regina, Saskatchewan, native was selected at No. 7 by the Minnesota Wild in the 2012 NHL Draft. Dumba, the Western Hockey League Rookie of the Year in 2010-11, had his first pro training camp delayed by the 2012-13 NHL lockout.

When the lockout ended, the Wild invited Dumba to leave his junior team, Red Deer, so they could see him play against training-camp competition. He ended up making the Wild's opening-night roster at age 18, but did not play in a game for Minnesota before being returned to Red Deer.

The next fall, Dumba made the Wild roster out of training camp and made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2013, in a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. A week later, Dumba scored his first NHL goal in a 5-1 win against the Dallas Stars.

But once again there was not enough NHL ice time available for Dumba and he was released to play with Canada at the IIHF 2014 World Junior Championship. Cut by Canada for the World Juniors in both 2012 -- when he was the youngest player invited to the team's selection camp -- and 2013, Dumba finally achieved a lifelong dream when he made the national team for the 2014 tournament.

Dumba had one assist in seven games for the fourth-place Canadian team. When the tournament ended, Dumba returned to the WHL to play with Portland, which had acquired his junior rights from Red Deer. With Dumba playing a key role, Portland won three playoff rounds before falling short of the Memorial Cup, losing to Edmonton in the WHL finals.

Dumba's professional career began to take off in 2014-15 when he had eight goals and 16 points in 58 games with the Wild. In the playoffs, Dumba tied for the team lead among defensemen with four points and helped Minnesota win its first-round series against the St. Louis Blues.

He reached double figures in goals from 2015-16 through 2018-19, when he was leading all NHL defensemen with 12 goals in 21 games before tearing a pectoral muscle and having season-ending surgery. He returned in 2019-20, scoring 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 69 games. Dumba also won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player or players who best exemplify leadership qualities on and off the ice and have made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in their communities.

Dumba signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Coyotes on Aug. 2, 2023. The previous season, he was third on the Wild in ice time per game (21:17), and with defenseman Jake Middleton was one of two Minnesota players with at least 100 blocked shots (116) and 100 hits (104). He had 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 58 games for the Coyotes before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 8, 2024.

He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 10, 2025, after playing 63 regular-season games for the Dallas Stars.