Denton Mateychuk is the newest member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The club selected Mateychuk, a defenseman, 12th overall, and the second of two first-round picks the Jackets made tonight (they selected David Jiricek sixth). Mateychuk is a Canadian and spent parts of the previous three seasons playing for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL, scoring 16 goals and 75 points across 88 regular-season games in that span. He's also posted one goal and 10 points in 10 WHL playoff games.
Here's an excerpt from 1OB's own Dan Greene's piece on Mateychuk in our 'Names to Know' series (click here for the full piece):
Amazingly, according to EliteProspects, 71.4% of his total offensive output was from primary points, something that is almost unheard of for a D-man. He can be found right in the thick of it, putting the puck in the back of the net or coming up with the primary assist.
Coming in at 5-foot-11, 188 pounds, he is not the biggest defenseman in the draft, but as one of the youngest prospects at only 17 years old, he will continue to bulk up. He does have his limitations defensively, but he also knows how to use his cerebral play, speed, and aggressiveness to be an asset on that end of the ice
"OHHHH BABY. Denton Mateychuk! Roll The Highlight Reel!"@MJWARRIORS | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/wAvuozYgio
— The WHL (@TheWHL) July 7, 2022
