Now in his third year in the Blue Jackets organization, Denton Mateychuk has the best chance he has ever had to be wearing a Union Blue jersey come Oct. 10.
Mateychuk was drafted by the Blue Jackets with the 12th overall pick in the 2022 draft and has become one of the team's top prospects. The 20-year-old defenseman has spent the past three years playing with his junior team, Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League, where he was the captain of the Warriors the past two years. He was the WHL's defenseman of the year a season ago, totaling 17 goals and 75 points in 52 games and adding 30 points in 20 postseason games.
After leading the Warriors to the franchise's first-ever WHL title as well as the semifinals of the Memorial Cup, he joined the Cleveland Monsters for the team's Calder Cup run, where he played four games and helped them force a Game 7 after being down 3-0 in the conference final against the Hershey Bears.
Mateychuk met with BlueJackets.com on Friday after CBJ practice. The conversation has been edited for length.
How does it feel to get back to playing some hockey? It was a shorter offseason for you compared to most of the guys, but getting the legs warm again?
“I mean, it's always exciting coming in here. And, you know, seeing all these guys and being with the pros, it's exciting. It's fun to get out there with them”
What kind of things you do on the offseason, maybe away from hockey, that keeps you kind of fresh in your mind?
“I think probably get on the golf course, and go fishing. Fishing is a big one for me. I love fishing in the summer. Just kind of get away and just be with your thoughts and stuff like that.”
Do you pay attention to any other professional sports outside of hockey?
“I’m a big baseball guy. Diehard Toronto Blue Jays fan. Whenever they're in Minneapolis, I normally go watch.”
What do you do through the training camp that you've learned from the previous years to push for an opening night spot?
“Just come to the rink to get better every day. It just starts with your habits, your details, and away from the rink, you're kind the rank, your recovery and all that stuff like, it contributes to what you can do on the ice so much. And, you know, try to keen in on that, and I feel like I've done a good job of that. You know, seeing it from these guys."
Is there a specific aspect of your game that you're looking to improve on for this upcoming season?
"Fine tuning stuff like my shot, to working on a lot these last two years. I feel like there's still room for improvement. That's something to keep working on. I like to work with skating and stuff like that also."
What kind of experience did you gain from playing in playoff games with the Cleveland Monsters last year?
“Playing at the pro level, you're gonna gain a lot, and just seeing what the competition's like. We get the preseason stuff and that, but coming into the playoffs, that’s something we get excited for. Just want to take away as much as you can and go out there and try and win. I think I did a pretty good job, for sure.”
Coming straight from the Memorial Cup run with Moose Jaw, what was the difference in speed level, talent level that you saw?
“I think just the structure. I mean, they are very controlled, they're not just giving the puck away. Guys on the wall, they're strong, they don't want to give you the puck, and you got to be ready to take a little bump because they are going to do whatever they can to get that puck.”
