SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the team has signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Matt Irwin to an entry-level contract. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Irwin spent the last two seasons at the University of Massachusetts and finished the 2009-10 season with career-highs in games played (36), assists (17) and points (24) while tying his career-high in goals (7). Irwin accumulated 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) in 67 collegiate games.

“Matt is a pro-style defenseman with an excellent blend of offense and defense,” said Wilson. “He has a great work ethic and UMass Head Coach Don Cahoon and his assistants, Red Gendron and Len Quesnelle, have done a tremendous job in preparing him for the next step in his career.”

The six-foot-one, 200-pound native of Brentwood Bay, British Columbia spent four seasons in the BCHL with the Nanaimo Clippers (2004-08) prior to attending UMass and posted 111 points (41 goals, 70 assists) in 178 career games with Nanaimo. The two-time BCHL All-Star was also named the Coastal Conference Defenseman of the Year two years in a row (2006-08).