Denton Mateychuk

Denton Mateychuk (born July 12, 2004) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted twelfth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL entry draft.

Playing career Following his selection at the draft, Mateychuk was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 13, 2022.

During the 2023–24 season, his final year in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Mateychuk had 17 goals and 58 assists in 52 games, leading all league defencemen in points per game. He received the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the WHL's choice for best defenceman, and was later named to the Canadian Hockey League's First All-Star Team. In the postseason, he led the Warriors on a deep run to the WHL Finals, where they swept the Portland Winterhawks to claim the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Mateychuk had 11 goals and 19 assists in 20 playoff games, and was named WHL Playoff MVP. As WHL champions, the Warriors then played at the 2024 Memorial Cup. Mateychuk was given the George Parsons Trophy as the tournament's most sportmanslike player, and was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team. Following the Memorial Cup, he was called up to make his professional debut with the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs, playing games in the Eastern Conference Final against the Hershey Bears.

Mateychuk began the 2024–25 season with the Monsters, appearing in 27 games, and in that span registering 9 goals and 16 assists. He was called up to make his NHL debut on December 23, 2024, thereafter appearing in 45 of the Blue Jackets' final 48 games of the NHL season and logging the second-most icetime for rookie defencemen over that span. He recorded his first assist on December 31 against the Carolina Hurricanes, and scored his first goal on January 9 against the Seattle Kraken. Following the team's failure to qualify for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, Columbus returned him to the Monsters for the Calder Cup playoffs. After his first full professional season, Mateychuk was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2019–20 Eastman Selects MU18HL 30 13 17 30 0 6 1 2 3 2 2019–20 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 7 1 1 2 0 — — — — — 2020–21 Steinbach Pistons MJHL 8 1 2 3 4 — — — — — 2020–21 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 16 2 7 9 8 — — — — — 2021–22 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 65 13 51 64 15 10 1 9 10 2 2022–23 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 63 8 57 65 28 10 3 5 8 0 2023–24 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 52 17 58 75 31 20 11 19 30 2 2023–24 Cleveland Monsters AHL — — — — — 4 0 3 3 0 2024–25 Cleveland Monsters AHL 27 9 16 25 10 5 3 2 5 4 2024–25 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 45 4 9 13 20 — — — — — 2025–26 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 75 13 18 31 8 — — — — —NHL totals 120 17 27 44 28 — — — — —

International

Awards and honours Award Year RefCHL First All-Star Team 2024 George Parsons Trophy 2024 Memorial Cup All-Star Team 2024 WHL Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy 2024 Ed Chynoweth Cup champion 2024 WHL Playoff MVP 2024 NHL All-Rookie Team 2025