How acquired: Selected with No. 12 pick in 2022 draft
2021-22 season: Moose Jaw (WHL) 65 GP, 13-51-64
Mateychuk (5-11, 188) is perfect for a system that wants the defensemen to be active in the offensive zone, and he is an excellent skater who patterns his game after Kris Letang, Charlie McAvoy and Cale Makar.
There will be questions about his size, but having been drafted July 7, five days before his 18th birthday, he will fill out even more this season for Moose Jaw.
"I think that some people see him, maybe, as a small defenseman, we don't at all," Kekalainen said. "He's thick, he's strong, he's competitive. He's been dominant in games we've watched."
Projected NHL arrival: 2024-25