Blue Jackets’ Denton Mateychuk Continues to Impress at Camp

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Denton Mateychuk is on the verge of breaking through to the NHL full-time. His performance at Training Camp is a big reason for this.

No matter what he’s been asked to do, Mateychuk has had an answer. Thanks to his performance in his last two outings this week, he’s making it very difficult on the Blue Jackets to not include him on the opening-night roster.

The team wanted to have some tough decisions. Thanks to Mateychuk, they’re going to have exactly that. His case will provide an early test to new management on their mindset when it comes to roster composition.

Mateychuk’s Been Here Before

Turn back the clock to last training camp. Mateychuk was in the same position of trying to make the team. As a 19-year old defenseman then, the odds were stacked against him.

Yet, Mateychuk played well enough to become one of the last cuts of camp. A serious argument could be made that he did enough to make the roster. Thanks to contract status and waiver eligibility, keeping Mateychuk then would have required another move.

Going back to junior didn’t faze Mateychuk out one bit. In a situation where he would be expected to dominate, he did. He won WHL Defenseman of the Year. His team the Moose Jaw Warriors won the league and advanced to the Memorial Cup.

But that’s not all. Right after their Memorial Cup run was over, Mateychuk entered the AHL Playoffs in the Eastern Conference Final. Down 3-0 in their series to the Hershey Bears, the Cleveland Monsters came roaring back and forced Game 7 overtime.

Although the Monsters eventually lost in that overtime, Mateychuk’s impact was visible. He immediately entered the lineup and did not look out of place. He showed unusual patience and poise for someone not yet 20 years old. A serious argument could be made that his presence alone almost flipped the series around.

Short Offseason No Bother

With the Monsters’ season ending later in June, this meant Mateychuk didn’t have a full offseason like most everyone else did. After getting a little bit of rest, he ramped things back up and started getting ready for 2024-25.

Just like last offseason, Mateychuk is in the conversation to make the Blue Jackets. Consider for a moment how impressive his year has been.

In the span of a year, Mateychuk could have been an NHL’er at 19 years old. He won his league’s highest honor as a team captain. His team won their league and represented them in the Memorial Cup. Then he helped almost knock out the AHL’s defending champions in a historic way.

Denton Mateychuk Columbus Blue Jackets
Denton Mateychuk’s historic year has him in the conversation to make the Blue Jackets. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Certain players have that “it” factor to them. You know it when you see it but you can’t exactly describe what “it” is. Mateychuk has that “it” factor. He’s done everything possible to make his case to the Blue Jackets he’s ready right now.

Last Two Preseason Games

The Blue Jackets split their last two preseason games. They lost 3-2 to the Washington Capitals on Monday and defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Tuesday.

Mateychuk played in both games. He impressed in different ways showing off his two-way ability in the process.

On Monday against the Capitals, Mateychuk scored a goal from the left circle in which his shot beat Logan Thompson clean. In the moment, he had to decide on a 2-on-1 rush if he was going to shoot or make the pass. What was his thought process?

“I like to be a pass-first player,” Mateychuk said. ” On that one, it got in my feet so I really didn’t have time to look across to see what I had and how the D was reacting. The first thing I’d seen when I looked was shot so that’s what I went with.”

Mateychuk’s ability to process the game like that stands out for someone yet to play in a regular season game. He was able to determine shot was the best play and then made an NHL-quality shot to boot.

Later in the game, Erik Gudbranson left the game due to a minor injury. Mateychuk then had to play with different D-partners as the Blue Jackets played 5D in the third period. That didn’t faze him either.

“You got to be able to adapt on the fly, right? It’s unpredictable. I think we did a pretty good job of that. It’s tough to lose a guy like that but you got to go out there and finish for 20 minutes.”

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Mateychuk took shifts with Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov at times in that third period. Most notably, he played on the right which is his offside.

Despite that, Mateychuk was the best Blue Jacket on the ice. He’d get an immediate chance on Tuesday to build off that. What does he do? Not only was he the best player on the ice, he did it in a different fashion than Monday.

Mateychuk didn’t record a shot on goal Tuesday in St. Louis. But what he did do was play the most of any Blue Jacket while providing a positive impact on the game defensively.

Mateychuk’s awareness and execution shined on Tuesday. He made the correct reads and was able to get the puck where it needed to go. He helped break up plays. Most notably, he was on the ice late in a 2-1 game when the Blues pulled Joel Hofer. He helped shut things down in a crucial situation.

Jordan Kyrou is one of the Blues’ best skaters. With the puck on his stick speeding down the right side, Mateychuk was able to disrupt him enough to force the puck away. These are the kind of plays that won’t hit a scoresheet. But they’re the kind of plays that help you win hockey games.

For two games, Mateychuk was the Blue Jackets’ best player. He showed in different ways how he was their best player. Now the big question. Will it be enough for him to make the team? It’s not quite as easy as it sounds.

Proceed With Caution

This is where an overall look at the situation is required to make the most informed decision. While Mateychuk’s play easily puts him in a position where he should make the team, the question must be asked. Is it in his best interest to be on the Blue Jackets right here, right now?

If you’re basing it on performance alone, the answer is a resounding yes. But other questions have to be considered. Is Mateychuk ready for the rigors of an 82-game regular season? Is he physically ready for the pounding he would take on a nightly basis?

Then there’s the part of Mateychuk having limited pro experience so far. While he was excellent in his limited AHL stint last year, he still hasn’t had the chance to play against pros for an extended length of time. In other words, is he good enough to completely skip the AHL? Would he benefit from not learning more of the pro game before coming to the Blue Jackets?

Then there’s the roster composition part of things. Only David Jiricek doesn’t need waivers of the perceived top defensemen on the Blue Jackets. Jiricek played well Tuesday night and appears to be in line to make the team as he’s a righty.

However going into Tuesday, an argument could be made that Mateychuk had outplayed Jiricek. Is that enough to elevate one over the other? These are the tough questions the Blue Jackets now face.

It is worth noting that Mateychuk was in the AHL group practicing before this last set of games. It seemed to point to him going to Cleveland to start the season. That may still happen. But this week may give the team second thoughts.

Here’s Evason on Mateychuk from Monday night.

“He’s a good player, right? He’s young, right? So let’s see what shakes out here. We still got some games. But what he has shown clearly, he’s been that guy for a long time. And he’s going to be an NHL player for a long time. If he starts here, wonderful. If he doesn’t, his development is going to be just continually steady because of what we’ve seen and how he’s played. He’s gotten better and better. His career is going to go like that as well.”

What’s Next?

The Blue Jackets are off Wednesday and then end their preseason with a pair of games against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team has until Oct 7 at 5 P.M. eastern to finalize their opening-night roster.

Let’s see if they give Mateychuk one more opportunity to make a last impression before they have to decide. At minimum, he’s done enough that the Blue Jackets need to really think about how to proceed here.

Personally, I’d still start him in Cleveland. It comes down to one thing. What is the rush? Let him continue to develop where he plays 20-25 minutes a night and gets that pro experience while playing every important situation including the role of a number-one defenseman.

In the NHL, Mateychuk’s a bottom-pair guy getting less ice time to start. Certainly if an injury comes up he’s on the short list for a call up. But he needs to be playing a lot. Putting him in Cleveland gives him the best chance to play a lot and in meaningful situations.

Take nothing away from what Mateychuk has done. He’s earned his playing time. He’s earned the right to potentially make the opening-night roster. But all things considered, there’s no need to rush him. It’s always good to be over-ready rather than under-ready.

We’ll see soon enough what management decides. It will be interesting no matter what they decide at this time.