Denton Mateychuk named WHL’s top defenseman

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This article was published 15/05/2024 (451 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If the selection committee had any question they picked the right winner for the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) top defenseman, they have been answered in the playoffs.

Dominion City’s Denton Mateychuk was named as the league’s Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy winner for the 2023/2024 season.

A stint with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey championships and a few pre-season NHL games meant he didn’t top the point total charts, but Mateychuk was excellent when he was playing for the Moose Jaw Warriors this regular season. He posted 17 goals and 58 assists across 52 games, leading all defensemen in points-per-game.

In a video posted to the WHL’s social media, Mateychuk congratulated the other nominees and thanked his current teammates for supporting him.

Mateychuk spent three seasons playing for the Eastman Selects program, needing to travel at least an hour from Dominion City to Landmark to play U15, Ste Anne to play U17 and Beausejour to play U18.

“It was pretty cool to be able to tell my family that I won the award after all we’ve been through together and all they’ve done for me,” he said.

It’s been Mateychuk’s best overall season for Moose Jaw. He was selected in the first round of the NHL draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022, and posted three assists in pre-season games for the NHL club this season.

When he did join the Warriors, he immediately made an impact, posting an impressive 23-game point streak. His overall numbers this season saw him break the all-time record for most points by a defenseman in Moose Jaw history. Across his career in a Warriors’ jersey he has 215 points.

While those regular season numbers appear eye-popping, Mateychuk has been even better in the playoffs, leading Moose Jaw to an appearance in the league finals.

With 30 points in 19 games, he’s just one point behind the league lead for all skaters, only sitting behind forward and teammate Jagger Firkus.

Mateychuk was key as the Warriors managed to knock off the favoured Saskatoon Blades in their semi-final series, with Moose Jaw needing consecutive overtime victories in game six and seven to win the series. Six of the seven games in the series needed overtime.

The Warriors are taking on the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL finals, with Moose Jaw winning the first three games of the best-of-seven series. Mateychuk saved his best performance of the series for game three, scoring two second-period powerplay goals to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 advantage. He was given first star of the game honours for his efforts.

“I think I was trying to pass a little bit to much in the first,” Mateychuk said during a second-intermission interview on TSN.

“I let a couple rip, and they found the back of the net.”

Despite Portland tying the game in the third period, the Warriors were able to strike first early in overtime, with Brayden Schuurman knocking home a rebound to put Moose Jaw on the precipice of their first WHL championship.

Game four of the series was played after press time on May 15. If a game five is necessary, it will take place May 17 in Moose Jaw with puck drop at 9 p.m. The WHL finals are being broadcast on TSN in Canada.

The Bill Hunter Trophy is named for the co-founder of the league. Born in Saskatoon, Hunter was the owner, general manager and coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, and was key to leading the league in its early years.