Mateychuk turning heads in leadup to WHL Prospects Draft

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/12/2024 (296 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There will be obvious comparisons to his famous older brother, Denton, but Crosby Mateychuk is forging his own path in the game.

The 14-year-old from Dominion City, a star defenceman with the Eastman AAA U15 Selects, is being touted as a top-10 pick for the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft and it’s not difficult to understand why.

He’s a powerful skater, possesses a blistering snap shot that can overpower a goaltender from almost anywhere in the offensive zone and he has a brain for the game coveted by WHL teams.

Oh, and he just happens to be the younger brother of a first-round NHL Draft pick, Denton, a defenceman who captained the Moose Jaw Warriors to a WHL championship last spring.

There is an obvious contrast between the brothers. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Crosby is an inch taller and 25 pounds heavier than Denton was in his WHL Draft season.

“Crosby’s hockey IQ is off the charts and his escape-ability and his deceptive manoeuvres, are very strong as well,” says U15 Selects head coach Gerald Tetrault. “He’ll never get a puck poke-checked off him. He always turns away from pressure and puts it into space so that pokecheck can’t get him even if they try.”

Crosby would like to emulate his brother’s success if he can. Twenty-year-old Denton, the 12th overall pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022, is averaging more than a point per game during his rookie pro season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.

“I’m a little bigger than he was, and we’re both offensive defenceman,” said Crosby, whose 17-year-old brother Kasen, a defenceman, is protected by the WHL’s Warriors. “I’d like to go to the WHL. I liked watching Denton and the development there was really good, too.”

Mateychuk favours offence but he developing as a defender.

“He’s not known for his physicality but he’s one of those kids, when you wake the beast, it’s probably not something you should be doing as an opposing team,” said Tetrault. “He has been physical. In the playoffs last year against the (Winnipeg) Bruins Gold, he was outstanding — physical, dominant, and really put the wood to their best player — and as a result, we won a series.”

Crosby and Denton also both represented by prominent hockey agent Gerry Johannson.

“The conversation we’ve had is you can either go in the first (round) of the draft or be a mid-round selection,” said Tetrault. “It’s entirely up to you. It’s on you to show the scouts that you can be quicker, that you can make faster decisions and that you can play physical. You have that element in your game. So we’ll see.”

Crosby, who is routinely called up for games with Eastman’s U18 squad, is piling up the offensive production this season. He has 16 goals and 31 points in 15 games with the U15 Selects.

“His release is outstanding,” said Tetrault. “He hides it. He disguises it well. When he does release it, it’s real quick and it comes off heavy. Very heavy. He’s kind of kid who can put the puck where he wants, which is interesting, because most kids that age don’t have that kind of control over where the puck is going.”

In recent physical testing, Tetrault said Crosby was off the charts when it came to his grip strength, which was 30 per cent better than all of his teammates and even superior to two members of the coaching staff.

Mateychuk’s chief competition for the title of top 14-year-old prospect in Manitoba is believed to be Reid Nicol, a dynamic forward with the Brandon AAA U18 Wheat Kings.

“Crosby’s straight line is quick but Denton was always really graceful,” said Jason Mateychuk, Crosby’s dad. “I think when you’re smaller, it kind of looks that way. It’s a little easier to look graceful than when you’re when you’re bigger. They definitely have similarities, but they have their own uniqueness to their games.”

Nonetheless, Crosby is fully immersed in the process of improving his game. Drills to improve foot speed are a regular feature of practice.

In the past year, he played for rep teams that travelled to Prague, Helsinki and Stockholm for off-season tournaments and he should be a lock to play for Manitoba at the upcoming WHL Cup.

“It was early on in the season and he said, ‘Dad, do you realize that I’ve been on the ice every day for two weeks?’” said Jason Mateychuk. “So I think he has that kind of barometer of when he’s had too much.

“But in the last little while here, he hasn’t complained at all, so I think he really enjoys it. There are really good coaches at both U15 and U18, so it’s kind of a good combination of learning.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca