2022 NHL Draft Profile: Denton Mateychuk

When Denton Mateychuk began the 2021-22 Western Hockey League season, he knew it was an important one.
Every move the Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman made would be evaluated - after all, it was his draft year.
But the mentality he brought into the start of the season helped him navigate all the outside pressure and had him 14th on the NHL Central Scouting's list of North American skaters by the end of it all.
That mentality?
"I just said to myself 'you have to play the hockey to get to the draft, so show yourself there,'" said the Winnipeg product. "That outside noise, you can think about it but don't let it be your centre of attention and know that the hockey is what matters."

The 17-year-old, who turns 18 just a few days after the NHL Draft in Montreal, had 13 goals and 64 points in 65 regular season games with Moose Jaw. The 64 points were the fifth most among WHL defenceman, while his 51 assists were the sixth most among the league's blue liners.
He added another 10 points in 10 playoff games, and on top of it all, he was the captain of the victorious Team White at the 2022 CHL Top Prospects Game in March.
"I was really excited to be able to go and play against top CHL players eligible for the draft," Mateychuk said of the Top Prospects Game, where he had an assist in a 3-1 final score. "I was just trying to take it all in, be at my best for that game, and enjoy the process, and have fun. I really enjoyed playing with different players, not a lot of players I'd played with a lot, and a couple guys I hadn't played with ever."

A knee injury prevented the 5'11", 195-pound Mateychuk from taking part in all the fitness testing at the NHL Combine, which was held May 30-June 4 in Buffalo, NY.
He did the upper-body exercises though, finishing fifth in left hand grip strength (153 pounds), 17th in right-hand grip strength (140 pounds), and 20th in bench press.
It's one thing to do those exercises in the gym on a typical workout day, but when 32 NHL strength and conditioning coaches are staring from a table just a few feet away, it feels different.
He also felt that the interview process, which makes up the majority of the first few days in Buffalo, took some getting used to, but he became more comfortable as the week went on.
Mateychuk estimated he spoke to between 20 and 25 teams. The Winnipeg Jets were included in that list.
"I think they just wanted to get to know me more," he said. "I didn't talk to them too much throughout the year. That was my first or second interaction, so I think they wanted to get to know me a little bit, see how I think the game, and things like that. It went well, I really enjoyed talking to them."
He's also enjoyed going through this draft process with his cousin, Owen Pickering.
Mateychuk and Pickering played on the same Eastman Selects AAA team in minor hockey, but are now rivals in the WHL with Pickering a member of the Swift Current Broncos.
The two are close, and that even holds true in Central Scouting's rankings.
Mateychuk is 14th and Pickering is 15th.
"No I haven't brought that out yet," Mateychuk laughed when asked if that gives him any bragging rights. "We're pretty different players. He's good at using his stick, things like that in the defensive zone. He's got that offensive side to him, he's a good defender. He plays in all those situations. I'm a bit more of an offensive defenceman than he would be."
It will be a family affair at the NHL Draft. Pickering estimated that between friends and families, there will be a group of close to 25 people with them in Montreal.
Mateychuk is looking forward to that family time, and a memorable weekend that now seems so close - especially when at the beginning of the season, there was such a long way to go.
He showed himself well all season, now it's in the hands of the 32 NHL teams.
"I think I did a pretty good job of managing (this season)," Mateychuk said. "It was an awesome experience."