Blue Jackets’ Mateychuk making his Manitoba debut

Denton Mateychuk was confused.

It was just a few days before the Christmas break and the shifty blue-liner had arrived at the rink for an afternoon game with the Cleveland Monsters, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

There was only one problem: his name wasn’t on the lineup card for reasons unbeknownst to him.

As he prepared to walk into the office of Monsters head coach Trent Vogelhuber, the Dominion City product wasn’t sure what he had done to be a healthy scratch.

“I came into the rink and my name wasn’t on the lineup sheet, so I was wondering, ‘What’s going on?’” Mateychuk recalled on Tuesday morning.

He wouldn’t have to wonder much longer and any concerns quickly turned to outright jubilation as Vogelhuber informed him that he’d been recalled by the Blue Jackets and was set to make his NHL debut the following day at Nationwide Arena against the Montreal Canadiens.

The monumental moment had arrived for Mateychuk, the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft.

A phone call was made to his parents (Jason and Keela) and four siblings (Maddux, Brylee, Kasen and Crosby), who were thrilled by the news, quickly scrambled to find flights and ultimately made it to Ohio for the NHL debut.

“It’s kind of tough during the holiday season, they had to work a bit to get there,” said Mateychuk. “You want your family to be there for your NHL debut. It was very cool.”

By the time last season ended, Mateychuk had established himself as an NHL regular, suiting up in 45 games, recording four goals and 13 points — numbers that helped him earn a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.

Mateychuk, 21, is enjoying another first Tuesday as he is set to suit up in an NHL game for the first time in his home province against the Winnipeg Jets.

“All of my family would come to Brandon when we’d play and Winnipeg, but it’s a bit of a different stage,” said Mateychuk, who played in the Western Hockey League with the Moose Jaw Warriors. “I have a lot of family coming — and friends and people from my hometown. It’s pretty special to see the following that I have and that they’re coming out to support me is pretty cool.”

That support was evident at the rink, with more than 150 people from Dominion City and across the province showing up to cheer on Mateychuk — who is proud to be carrying the torch for his community of just over 300 people, which is located in the southeast part of the province, just 20 kilometres from the U.S. border.

“It’s pretty surreal,” said Mateychuk. “You always dream of playing in the NHL, coming out of where you came from. To be able to have that opportunity, it means a lot to me.”

Mateychuk recalled one of his first ‘welcome to the NHL’ moments taking place in a three-on-three overtime session against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team he grew up rooting for.

“I was out there against (Sidney) Crosby and he just laid me out and then I got stuck out there for two minutes,” said Mateychuk. “That was the ‘holy smokes’ moment. I admired (Crosby) a lot growing up. I was a big Pittsburgh fan.”

During a wide-ranging interview, Mateychuk reminisced about playing minor hockey for the Southern Steelers, where he originally dreamed of taking a different path to the NHL.

“I did my fair share of goaltending when I was younger. I loved Roberto Luongo, so I wanted to be a goalie. But that was shortlived,” said Mateychuk. “Where we played, we didn’t have a full-time goalie, so you kind of rotated. I wouldn’t play goalie every game. It was one of those things that I loved, it just didn’t work out for me.”

It may not have worked out between the pipes, but it ended up working out for the better.

After three seasons in the Eastman Selects AAA program, Mateychuk joined the Warriors, serving as team captain during his final two seasons.

He would also represent Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in 2024, chipping in four assists in five games.

Mateychuk returned to the Warriors and helped them win a WHL championship and a trip to the Memorial Cup along with Jets prospect Brayden Yager.

“We spent a lot of time together and we became really good friends,” said Mateychuk. “You learned how dedicated he was to his craft and you see what makes him tick when you’re around him every day. You see how much he loves the game. He’s going to be a hell of a player and I’m excited to see what he can do here.”

Mateychuk has already blossomed into an excellent player himself, as he’s averaging just over 19 minutes of ice time per game on a Blue Jackets team that features Zach Werenski, who was a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman last season.

“I’ve got to play a couple of games with him this year as D partners,” said Mateychuk. “You get to learn from him every day. You see his habits and everything. He’s a special player and a good human being, too. He’s an awesome guy to be around.”

Vogelhuber was impressed by Mateychuk’s ability to make an impact in the AHL as a young player.

“His maturity was most impressive,” said Vogelhuber. “He needed no direction as far as preparation goes and came in with habits that seven-year pros have. On the ice, he uses the first option out of the (defensive) zone and if he saw a shooting opportunity, he never passed it up. That maturity in those puck decisions helps him play at an NHL-level pace. He got our team into the offensive zone so efficiently, then his skill would take over.

“He was as polished a player as I’ve had in the American Hockey League.”

In an age of specialization, Mateychuk wasn’t someone who poured all of his efforts into hockey; he was a multisport athlete who also excelled in baseball and basketball.

“Baseball was in the summer, hockey in the winter,” said Mateychuk. “I knew from a pretty young age that I wanted to be a hockey player, but I still really enjoyed playing baseball and doing other things.”

Known for his skating ability and competitive spirit, Mateychuk isn’t just someone that excels in the offensive zone, even if he was a consistent point producer during his junior career — where he racked up 17 goals and 75 points during his final season before adding 11 goals and 30 points in 20 playoff games.

“It’s what you do with it,” said Mateychuk, who is five-foot-11 and 188 pounds. “For me, I want to go in there and battle, to beat guys off the puck. Those one-on-one battles, you want to win them. It doesn’t matter who you’re going up against.

“Sometimes you have to adjust, if you’re going up against a six-foot-five guy. It’s just a fact that you’re not going to outmuscle him, so you have to think of other ways, using your stick and through body positioning to make those plays.”

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