Dominion City’s Mateychuk thriving on loaded Moose Jaw squad

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This article was published 29/01/2024 (1010 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A trip to Sweden to play for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships hasn’t slowed down Denton Mateychuk.

The Columbus Blue Jackets first round pick from Dominion City is in the middle of a historic season for the Moose Jaw Warriors, picking up points in every single game he’s played this year aside from one.

The defenseman started the season on a 23-game point streak, before he was finally held off the scoresheet in Brandon Dec. 8, his final game before joining Team Canada. Mateychuk has 43 points in 29 Western Hockey League (WHL) games so far this season.

“It gets to 16 or 17 (games), then you start thinking about it,” Mateychuk said before Moose Jaw’s back-to-back with Swift Current Jan. 19/20.

“For the first little bit you’re just playing, then you’ve got a lot of guys who are helping me with that on the team. It makes it easy when you’ve got a good group like this.”

While the results for Team Canada at the tournament were tough for Mateychuk, as the Canucks were dropped in a tough 3-2 decision in the quarterfinals by Czechia, getting to pull on the Maple Leaf at the tournament was a childhood dream come true.

“The experience was really awesome,” Mateychuk said.

“It’s obviously not the outcome you want, going home early. It’s games and moments you’re going to remember pretty much all your life.”

Mateychuk picked up right where he left off before the World Juniors, notching at least a goal and an assist in his first three games back, which were all lopsided victories for the Warriors.

Mateychuk has returned to a different-looking team than the one he left.

The Warriors made four trades in advance of the Canadian junior roster deadline Jan. 10, including picking up superstar forward Matt Savoie in a massive deal with the Wenatchee Wild.

“I think all the guys in the dressing room knew before those deals were done it was our year to make a push for a championship,” Mateychuk said.

“That’s what we’re going to do here. Get a couple good additions at the deadline, and see what we can do.”

Mateychuk credits his strong season to a good summer of skill development and playing a simpler game in the offensive zone.

“Sometimes all it takes is just moving the puck quick, or getting a shot off quick and it finds a way to get in the back of the net,” he said.

Part of that summer training involves playing baseball for the Altona Bisons, alongside his brother Maddux.

Mateychuk’s goal is to thrive as a professional in the NHL, and to that end, he’s been receiving extra coaching from Columbus’ staff in the two seasons since he has been drafted.

“I’ll chat with them quite often,” he said, noting the club’s skating coach has been assisting him this year.

“You keep a pretty close relationship. It’s been like that for the last couple years.”

Moose Jaw is currently third in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, behind Medicine hat and Saskatoon. Manitoba fans will need to head to Brandon on March 21 if they want to see Mateychuk in person in the province, as that will be last regular season match-up between the teams this season in Manitoba.