DENTON MATEYCHUK

Defense
5’11/192
Left
Moose Jaw Warriors/WHL

Related: Lian Bichsel

Denton Mateychuk plays for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL, and has been a stand-out defenseman upon his arrival on the team. Mateychuk arrived in Moose Jaw in the latter half of the 2020-21 season and finished the season with 9 points in 16 games while playing over 23 minutes per games. He stepped his game up another level this season, and tallied 7 goals and 23 assists in 34 games with Moose Jaw. With the way that Mateychuk has been rising in draft boards, he could end up getting drafted in the top 20 of the 2022 Draft.

Size/Strength Average
Skating Excellent
Shot/Scoring Average
Puckhandling Great
Physical Play Good
Offensive Play Great
Defensive Play Great
Hockey Sense Excellent
Competitiveness Great

Strength

1. Highly intelligent and smooth Skating, two-way defender.
2. He is so good at closing gaps, and skating pucks up the ice due to his great mobility.
3. Effective weapon in the offensive zone, able to distribute the puck or use his quick release to beat a goalie.

Areas of Improvement

1. Might be a bit undersized; lacks strength to handle bigger and stronger forwards.
2. Needs to be quicker with his decision making with the puck.

Scouting Report:

Denton Mateychuk is a well-rounded blueliner with good instincts at both ends of the ice. He is a smooth skater who can shake off opposing forecheckers before skating the puck up ice in offensive transition. He moves the puck quickly but rarely forces it, instead opting to use his mobility to retreat and regroup to create a more advantageous situation. Mateychuk is poised walking the offensive blue line and knows when to activate into space to make himself available or draw pressure away from a puck-carrying teammate. When his team doesn’t have possession of the puck, he utilizes shoulder checks to scan the ice around him and identify potential threats. Mateychuk isn’t the biggest player but he is strong on his feet and takes intelligent routes to cut players off along the boards and slow down the cycle game. He establishes good body positioning in defensive zone coverage and has excellent timing when tying up opposing sticks to disrupt passes into dangerous areas. Denton needs to play with a bit more quickness and assertiveness in his decision making but he has the tools to be a top 4 defenseman in the NHL someday. Mateychuk is a poor man Cale Makar; while he is not as dynamic as Makar is offensively, but he has all the raw tools to become the type of defenseman Makar is. Mateychuk has been a steady climber in scouting circles all season long and there is a chance he could hear his name called within the first fifteen picks of the 2022 draft if he maintains his strong play in the second half.

Skill: Intelligent, Smooth-Skating, Two-Way Defenseman with good puck-moving abilities

NHL Comparison: Cale Makar

NHL Potential: Top 4 Two-Way Defenseman

Season	Team	League	GP	G	PTS
2019-20	Moose Jaw Warriors	WHL	7	1	2
2020-21	Steinbach Pistons	MJHL	8	1	3
	Moose Jaw Warriors	WHL	16	2	9
2021-22	Moose Jaw Warriors	WHL	34	7	30