Tnias Mathurin – 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

Tnias Mathurin

2021-22 Team: North Bay Battalion
Date of Birth: Jan 15, 2004
Place of Birth: Ajax, ON, CAN
Ht: 6-foot-3 Wt: 201 pounds
Shoots: L
Position: D
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2022 first-year eligible

Rankings

There are going to be plenty of underrated players that will be selected in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. North Bay Battalion defender Tnias Mathurin could be one of those picks that could be a player that shows a lot of promise as a late round selection that will make any NHL team happy.  

Related: THW 2022 NHL Draft Guide

Mathurin plays a very steady and reliable defensive game. He has the blend of a throwback shut down defender, but still has the ability to be a factor offensively from time to time. He’s physical, has great gap control, possesses great instincts without the puck and is rarely caught out of position on the rush or in his own end. He doesn’t do anything over the top as he executes plays effectively in a responsible manner. 

Tnias Mathurin, OHL, North Bay Battalion
Tnias Mathurin, North Bay Battalion (Terry Wilson / OHL Images)

Mathurin’s strength lies in his play within his own zone as he’s very competitive, doesn’t quit on plays and possesses great strength. He’s got a great reach in order to make timely poke checks along with the awareness to get into the lane to break plays up or block a shot. He’s strong in one-on-one situations and doesn’t panic as he’s very composed. He has tremendous size to box out attacking forwards, making sure that they got nowhere to go in front of the net for second chance opportunities. 

Mathurin’s extremely physical in puck battles and is capable of making solid open ice hits. He does a great job at separating players from the puck with his body positioning in order to get the inside edge on his opponents and regains control. He’s got average speed, but a long and smooth stride to carry the puck out of dangerous areas with the ability to quickly transition the play the other way. 

While Mathurin has the play style of a stay-at-home defenseman, he has some offensive elements that could surprise the opposition. He isn’t afraid to jump into the rush offensively and lead an attack when carrying the puck or even find the open lane for a timely cross ice pass. He does a great job of picking his spots to pinch up and keep plays alive in the offensive and when to back off and shift his focus to defense. While he may not seem flashy, he isn’t afraid to make and execute high degree plays and get in on the score sheet. 

Mathurin may not find the score sheet often as he’s looking to improve on his production. When he does, you notice him when he makes a play.

Other THW Draft Profiles

Tnias Mathurin- NHL Draft Projection

Mathurin isn’t on many draft lists as he’s only ranked just inside the top 130 on Central Scouting’s list of North American skaters. However, he does have a lot of potential and promise as he already possesses a strong defensive game that teams love. He isn’t going to be a high pick, but he could be a really great selection in the sixth or seventh round. There’s always that slight chance that he could go higher.

Quotables

“In transition, he collects the puck quickly and when given time and space Mathurin uses that to go on the offense with his skating or a very good first pass. But if you take that time and space away, he chooses to make the safe play and chip it out of his zone. But he can also be prone to a turnover here and there.”– Dominic Tiano, OHL Writers 

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“Tnias is a big mobile defenceman who’s very difficult to play against in his own end. He also has the ability to join the rush and can move pucks efficiently.”– Adam Dennis, general manager of North Bay Battalion 

Strengths 

  • Responsible defensive game
  • Work ethic and compete level
  • Awareness to get into lanes
  • Physicality and strength
  • Transitional play

Under Construction- Improvements to Make

  • Continue to improve on speed and skating
  • Improve offensive output 
  • Continue to show underrated offensive game

NHL Potential

Mathurin could very well be a solid bottom six defender, given his ability to play a smart defensive game in his own end. If his offensive game comes around, there’s a lot of untapped potential for him to be an effective two-way defenseman. He could be a steady top-four defender that could play in all situations. He has a heavy shot that could be valuable on the power play and his defensive play is what you want in a penalty killer.

Risk- Reward Analysis

Risk- 2/5, Reward 3/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense- 4/10, Defense 7/10

Awards/ Achievements

Mathurin was drafted 41st overall by the North Bay Battalion in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection Draft. 

Tnias Mathurin Statistics

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