Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Denton Mateychuk only needed a couple of periods to pick up his first assists of the season after returning to the team from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Those points were barely even a highlight when it came to the overall impact he had on the game, though, and the final Warriors’ goal of the third period offered a good example of what he was up to throughout the night.
Mateychuk wheeled away from a Hitmen forward, carried the puck around the zone and worked his way past a couple of defenders before driving the net and finally losing control. The puck would go right to Jagger Firkus at the top of the crease, though, and a split second later the Warriors had a three-goal lead.
Control in his own zone, control in the Calgary zone and the kind of ice vision and puck-carrying skill that made him the 12th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft were all on display every shift he was on the ice.
None of that was a surprise, of course, especially after the camp he had in Columbus. Still, seeing Mateychuk once again doing his thing on the Moose Jaw Events Centre ice was a welcome sight.
“The first thing is his competitiveness,” head coach Mark O’Leary said. “We even saw it in the morning skate, and we saw it on full display during the game. He brings pucks out on his own, he’s dynamic and when he’s on the ice he just makes everybody else better. He’s the captain and he means a lot to this team.”
Mateychuk himself admitted it took a couple of shifts to get back to WHL speed, but once that was out of the way, it was a matter of just playing his game and letting things happen. And now that his focus is fully on the Warriors, it’s all systems go.
“I think I was pretty happy with my camp, now I just have to keep building to that next level and it starts now that I’m back here in Moose Jaw,” Mateychuk said. “I just have to play with pro habits and just keep playing my game.”
Mateychuk had a solid showing in camp with Columbus, putting up points in three of the four pre-season games he played. Part of that was a product of an off-season filled with hard work, and beng far more comfortable with NHL environment was also important.
“For sure. I think this year it started to kind of rub in and you feel more like you belong, where last year it was kind of a surreal moment going into your first NHL camp and seeing all those guys,” Mateychuk said. “Then you get into the first preseason and it takes a bit of getting used to, but this time around I was ready for it and it’s what I prepared all summer for.”
The 19-year-old fourth-year WHL veteran even drew plenty of media attention during his time in Blue Jackets camp, with some onlookers wondering if he was ready to crack Columbus’ deep defensive roster this season.
“I saw a couple things, but I try to stay away from that and not focus on what other people think and that sort of thing,” Mateychuk said. “But it’s good to have that recognition, it always helps with the confidence.”
It looked as if Mateychuk might make his regular-season NHL debut this week, but with the Jackets depth on defence, the team opted to return him to Moose Jaw with their final set of cuts before the regular-season opener.
That’s not to say the team wasn’t impressed with what he showed them.
“They said that I had a good camp and made it a hard decision,” Mateychuk said. “That’s what I was trying to do, and I want to be there next year or the year after and I just have to keep working towards that.”
For now, though, it’s a matter of fully getting back into the WHL swing of things.
“It’s going to take a couple of games to get back to playing with these guys and getting that chemistry built up with the new guys who are here,” Mateychuk said. “It’ll take a couple games but it’ll all be in stride for sure.”
There’s also Mateychuk’s leadership role to take into account, as he enters his second season as the team’s captain.
“It’s always a privilege to have that honour and wear the C for this team,” he said. “ I’m just going to try and lead by example and keep positive and stay positive on the bench and in the room, all those things.”
The Warriors continue their four-game homestand on Friday night when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
