Is Matt Dumba Filipino? Exploring the Minnesota Wild star's maternal ethnicity

The Minnesota Wild's fan-favorite defenseman, Matt Dumba, is a Canadian hockey star of Filipino descent on his mother’s side. He is also of Romanian and German descent on his paternal side. The innate star was born to Treena Dumba and Charles Dumba on July 25th, 1994, in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Matt Dumba initiated his hockey career as a minor leaguer in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Red Deer Rebels drafted him as a first-round selection in the 2009 WHL Bantam draft with the 4th overall pick. The star's exceptional performance on the ice earned him a position among the top prospects in the NHL entry draft, where he was ranked 11th by the NHL Central Scouting.

Dumba’s impressive records from the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship got him drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft with the 7th overall pick. However, he had to continue with the WHL 2012-13 team due to labor disputes in the NHL. Matt Dumba was given a chance to impress the coaching staff in training camp for the Wild, earning him a spot on the team's opening-night roster.

Regina native Matt Dumba became the first person of Filipino heritage to play in the NHL. The talented defenseman earned a spot in the Minnesota Wild's starting lineup for the 2013–14 NHL season. He made his professional debut on October 5th, 2013, against the Anaheim Ducks. On October 12th, 2013, he scored his first NHL goal against Dan Ellis of the Dallas Stars to celebrate his debut in the league.

Dumba could only score two points in the first 13 games of the season due to his early efforts. For the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, the Wild decided to lend him to the Canadian junior squad to sharpen his skills on the ice. Dumba proudly accepted and made a dashing return to the team as an alternate captain.

Matt Dumba’s fight against racism

Not only through his magnificent performances on the ice that Matt Dumba has been rolling waves, but also his prolific fight against racism. In several interviews, Dumba revealed his fierce battle against discrimination since the start of his career when he was bullied for his skin color and Filipino descent.

However, he showed respect to his NHL team, the Minnesota Wild, for providing a secure ambiance in the whitest sport by judging Dumba for his talent, not color. Dumba became an inaugural executive board member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance on June 8th, 2020. The Hockey Diversity Alliance is a collective of professional ice hockey players that aims to combat and eliminate intolerance and racism in the sport.