I have a confession to make as a Blue Jackets fan. I bought a Denton Mateychuk jersey in the Union Blue colors before he ever stepped on the ice in Columbus.
I was so completely certain that he would be a fulltime NHLer almost immediately that I didn't really hesitate after his final season in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors. I don't think I was far off. Denton Mateychuk has already proved he belongs at the NHL level, despite his relatively young age and relatively small size compared to many top-four defenseman in the NHL.
While he hasn't quite reached the heights yet of fellow 2022 draftees Lane Hutson and Pavel Mintyukov, there's a legitimate argument that he's not only well on his way, but can easily elevate himself to that tier of defenseman. There's also an argument to be made that he could earn some Norris trophy votes sooner rather than later.
I'm not just hyping him up: Denton Mateychuk legitimately has Top-15 NHL Defenseman upside.
Out of all of the U-23 defenseman in the NHL that played legitimate minutes in the NHL last season, there was only one skater that played on his off-hand side in the top-four and still drove positive Net Goal +/- minutes for his club. Denton Mateychuk.
He was 21 years old. Twenty-one. He turned 22 in July.
Out of 327 pairings in the NHL that played at least 100 minutes with one another, the pairing of Ivan Provorov and Denton Mateychuk were sixth place in the entire National Hockey league in expected Goals For %, two places behind Werenski - Severson in fourth place. There's really no way around it: when they're all on the ice, the Columbus Blue Jackets have one of the best top-four combinations in the National Hockey League.
Mateychuk tallied a 13-18-31 line in 75 games played over the 2025-26 campaign, posting just eight penalty minutes (he took four minor penalties over the entire season) and a +12 rating.
Frankly, if Denton even elevates his game to an 0.50 points per game level, it'll be astonishing. For a guy in a second-pairing role to put up those kinds of numbers as an U-23 D-Man in the NHL playing on his off-side is almost unthinkable.
Mateychuk will be counted upon to play a very similar role in this upcoming season: playing efficient two-way hockey as a high-end second pairing defenseman that thrives in all situations and roles. He plays intelligently, with poise and leadership ability that's unheard of for someone his age.
Mateychuk will exhaust his entry level contract after this season and will be looking for a big raise as he earns his first big NHL payday. There's little reason to believe the Jackets won't qualify and extend him come 2026-27, and he will hopefully remain in Cbus for a long time coming.
Add us as a preferred source on Google