Prospect Info: Denton Mateychuk 12th Overall, 2022 NHL Draft

[squashmaple]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1793680792109166831

That’s some Jonathan Toews-level shark eyes. Really leaning into the Captain Serious thing.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Fair to say he has surpassed Jiricek and is CBJ #1 prospect? Unless Demidov falls, I'll probably be voting for him there in the polls his summer.

 

[majormajor]

Mateychuk running around so far vs Saginaw. He's got to settle down and pick his spots. Moose Jaw as a whole has to adjust first.

 

[tunnelvision]

Mateychuk running around so far vs Saginaw. He's got to settle down and pick his spots. Moose Jaw as a whole has to adjust first.

They barely got past neutral zone in the 1st thanks to Saginaw's aggressive forecheck. Saginaw sure has more depth in the lineup but they also look more prepared.

 

[tunnelvision]

So Saginaw completely dominates the game for about first 38 minutes with a 4-0 lead but then MJ get one quick strike from the top line and suddenly momentum is shifted. 4-3 Saginaw after 40 but MJ scored 3 goals in the 2 final minutes of 2nd. Mateychuk showing excellent patience and poise on the last two goals. It was probably a good idea to put Savoie on top line with Yager and Firkus.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1794178772721414283

https://x.com/i/web/status/1794177557971001819

 

[MissADD]

 

[majormajor]

Fair to say he has surpassed Jiricek and is CBJ #1 prospect? Unless Demidov falls, I'll probably be voting for him there in the polls his summer.

It's not super obvious to me.

Yes Mateychuk is putting together a sterling junior run but Jiricek already did that a while ago. He was D MVP of the World Juniors.*

I think I might vote Mateychuk just because he's a safer pick, he's filled out and has so much polish in his skating. There's not as much to worry about with him.

*I was checking this fact and noticed in the list of World Junior D MVP's that Gavrikov won in 2015 and Werenski did in 2016. Gavrikov won in January 2015 and was still only drafted by us in the 6th round in June of 2015! That's weird.

 

[Aaaarrgghh]

Fair to say he has surpassed Jiricek and is CBJ #1 prospect? Unless Demidov falls, I'll probably be voting for him there in the polls his summer.

What Jiricek is and has been doing in the AHL is still impressive enough for him to be ahead for me at the moment. But Mateychuk is exciting, for sure.

 

[thebus88]

Fair to say he has surpassed Jiricek and is CBJ #1 prospect? Unless Demidov falls, I'll probably be voting for him there in the polls his summer.

I’ve always thought he was better and always will be better than Jiricek.

What about Jiricek actually makes him a better prospect/player or his “ceiling” any higher? 5 inches in height and a harder shot? Draft position?

He can’t skate or think the game.

 

[thebus88]

Mateychuk running around so far vs Saginaw. He's got to settle down and pick his spots. Moose Jaw as a whole has to adjust first.

They barely got past neutral zone in the 1st thanks to Saginaw's aggressive forecheck. Saginaw sure has more depth in the lineup but they also look more prepared.

They didn’t look very good the 1st half of the game and I stopped watching near the end of the 2nd at 4-0.

I thought about travel having an impact also. Another thing to consider, that I have personal experiences with, is the DOW Event Center (the Saginaw Spirit rink they are playing in) does NOT have great ice. Very soft, especially this time of year, along with a full crowd with the tournament going on I can imagine it’s even worse than normal. Just another thing MJ probably had to adapt to also.

I’ve put some feelers out for some free tickets for the MJ games next week, fingers crossed.

 

[tunnelvision]

I’ve put some feelers out for some free tickets for the MJ games next week, fingers crossed.

Good luck. There appeared to be some empty seats in the stands last night, fwiw.

MJ gotta collect points from the last round robin games in order to advance to the tiebreaker/semifinal game on Thu/Fri. As of now I don't have high hopes for the London game but hopefully Drummondville won't be too hard of a matchup.

 

[CBJx614]

I see Mateychuk as the safer bet to hit his potential, which is slightly lower than Jiriceks. Jiricek will likely take longer to adjust and hit that potential but if he does I think he's still the better player.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

It's not super obvious to me.

Yes Mateychuk is putting together a sterling junior run but Jiricek already did that a while ago. He was D MVP of the World Juniors.*

I think I might vote Mateychuk just because he's a safer pick, he's filled out and has so much polish in his skating. There's not as much to worry about with him.

*I was checking this fact and noticed in the list of World Junior D MVP's that Gavrikov won in 2015 and Werenski did in 2016. Gavrikov won in January 2015 and was still only drafted by us in the 6th round in June of 2015! That's weird.

Yeah, skating is what i comes down to for me. Comparing how they move, Mateychuk will be my 1st choice for 1PP and OT every time. Jiricek can (and has to) still improve there, but I dont think he'll ever get close to Mateychuk.

Also notable that Mateychuk seems to have elite leadership qualities. Wouldn't be shocked if he was A, and even C someday.

 

[CBJx614]

Yeah, skating is what i comes down to for me. Comparing how they move, Mateychuk will be my 1st choice for 1PP and OT every time. Jiricek can (and has to) still improve there, but I dont think he'll ever get close to Mateychuk.

Also notable that Mateychuk seems to have elite leadership qualities. Wouldn't be shocked if he was A, and even C someday.

I agree about Mateychuk getting a letter, but there's no reason they couldn't both be out there at the same time. Jiricek was only capable of putting up the points he did in Cleveland last year because of his skill and threat from the point on the PP. I'm sure you've seen all these clips, but that shot is good enough to make a living off of alone.



doesn't matter what side of the ice he's on, if you give him time and space to unleash, he's going to make you pay. I think peoples opinion around here would be different if Vincent had given him some PP time last season while he was on the Jackets.





And don't forget, Jiricek wears a letter as well...it just might be harder for him to get one on the Jackets since he still has a heavy accent,

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

I agree about Mateychuk getting a letter, but there's no reason they couldn't both be out there at the same time. Jiricek was only capable of putting up the points he did in Cleveland last year because of his skill and threat from the point on the PP. I'm sure you've seen all these clips, but that shot is good enough to make a living off of alone.



doesn't matter what side of the ice he's on, if you give him time and space to unleash, he's going to make you pay. I think peoples opinion around here would be different if Vincent had given him some PP time last season while he was on the Jackets.





And don't forget, Jiricek wears a letter as well...it just might be harder for him to get one on the Jackets since he still has a heavy accent,

I kinda meant it as if I had to choose one for the normal a 4F-1D PP / 2F-1D OT setup.

I do agree that both could definitely play at the same time i the end. From what I've read and seen Mateychuk's PP role in CHL hasnt always been the normal blueline Dman. Played more like a forward at some point, which is something they could try out in NHL as well.

 

[CBJx614]

Hey this guy is pretty good.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1795241360947110113

Moosejaw rallies late, but falls short...again.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[CBJx614]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1794050511316103651