NCAA tournament, junior playoffs begin this week

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Certainly, the Detroit Red Wings weren’t tabbing Tnias Mathurin with the 137th pick of the 2022 NHL entry draft due to his dynamic offensive skills.

Every so often, though, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound shutdown defender does something to lift the fans out of their seats.

Over 90 Ontario Hockey League games, the North Bay Battalion defenseman has accounted for 30 points. Among those 30 points are a scant six goals.

Oh my, though, he’ll never forget tallying number six. No one who sees it will.

Every once in awhile, big 6'3", 195Ib. shutdown guy Tnias Mathurin really turns on the charm @OHLBattalion | @DetroitRedWings | #LGRW pic.twitter.com/6A3ig7HRdf

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) March 8, 2024

His given name is Saint spelled backwards and saints preserve us, Mathurin’s breakaway goal against the Windsor Spitfires looks as though it was taken right out of the Connor McDavid bag of tricks. It was the kind of stuff, as the Canadian Hockey League was pointing out in declaring it their play of the week “that not many d-men can do.”

Red Wings Pick Goes Between The Legs

Jumping up to join the rush and slipping behind the Windsor defense, Mathurin accepted a pass from teammate Justin Ertel. Bearing down on Spitfires goalie Joey Costnazo, Mathurin was making a shift to the netminder’s glove side.

This was so nasty, @TniasMathurin pic.twitter.com/jiCFtNDkmB

— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) March 8, 2024

Skating away from the net, Mathurin passed the puck through legs. Next, slipping his stick back through his skates, the hulking defender whipped a between-the-legs shot past Costanzo.

The shorthanded marker would prove to be the game winner as North Bay was dumping Windsor 7-2.

Mathurin Known For His Defense

A plus-20 on the Battalion blueline this season, Mathurin’s game without the puck is the aspect that could potentially turn him into an NHLer.

“He’s a good-sized defender, he’s got a good stick, and he’s pretty mobile defender,” Red Wings assistant GM and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper said.

That being the case, the Red Wings have also taken notice of Mathurin’s ability to come out with the sensational on occasion.

“He moves well for a big man and is a pretty athletic defenseman,” Draper said.

The post Gotta See It: Red Wings Prospect Scoring Highlight Reel Goal appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Tnias Mathurin is ready to step up this season for the North Bay Battalion of the OHL after spending last season on the sidelines.

Mathurin, a fifth-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2022, originally injured his shoulder during the 2021-22 season after landing on the joint shortly after the NHL Draft in July 2022.

“It was definitely a long year,” he said in a recent phone conversation with Detroit Hockey Now. “The coaching staff was great with me and the rehab place was very intense and extensive.”

In addition, Mathurin worked on skating during practice and began light stick-handling drills 12 weeks after surgery. He focused on being ready for the OHL playoffs.

He sat out the first nine playoff games for North Bay. Mathurin was cleared before game 4 of North Bay’s second-round series with Barrie and was put to the test in the Battalion’s 4-3 double-overtime win.

Mathurin finished with four assists in 11 playoff games. 

“The plan was not to use him a ton,” North Bay general manager Adam Dennis said. “But double overtime comes up an you keep seeing him come out, and he was comfortable in the moment.”

In retrospect, Mathurin was glad to be tested early.

“It was a tough first game, but I almost liked that better,” he said. “I got to see, first-hand, what it was like to play again in a real game. And then I got two extra periods. It was kind of like two games in one.”

Looking forward

Mathurin is looking forward to taking a leadership role this season.

“I think we could have a great team,” he said. “I’d like to play a role in leading the younger guys and leading the defense and the team to the (OHL) championship. I also want to have a healthy year. I want to get into the flow of the lineup and not be in and out of the lineup. And I want to have a huge impact on the season this year.”

Dennis, who played in the AHL and in Europe before settling in North Bay, says Mathurin had an impact on his team last season.

“I’d say about 90 percent of players wouldn’t have played last year,” he said. “But (Mathurin) was determined, and they way he stepped in was just impressive, including all the work he put in behind the scenes.”

Dennis lauds Mathurin’s maturity on and off the ice.

“He’s got  great hockey sense,” Dennis said. “He’s miserable to play against and has a really long reach and a long skating stride so he can close really quickly. He doesn’t take a lot of penalties, but he doesn’t back down from anybody.”

About the name

Tnias is “saint” spelled backwards. Simple as that.

“That’s where my parents got it from,” Mathurin said. “They just liked the idea.”

He is the youngest of four, with three older sisters — Destiny, Justyce and Trinity.

“When I was younger, there was a lot of bullying, for sure. Now, they’re very nice to me,” he said, laughing.

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Dennis, for one, expects Mathurin to leave juniors after this season.

“We certainly think he will be ready to play pro hockey,” Dennis  said. “He’s always had a pro-like approach. Now that he’s fully recovered, he’ll have a full season to really build on that. We’re expecting big things next year as a 19-year-old.”

Here’s more on Tnias Mathurin.

The post Red Wings Draftee Mathurin Healthy, Ready To Go After Lost Season appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Red Wings of Tomorrow is assessing every prospect in the Detroit Red Wings system and what they are projecting to be in the future. We’ll be looking at the strengths and weaknesses of their game, as well as what the future holds for them as they advance through the Detroit organization. Today, we look at defenseman Tnias Mathurin

Tnias Mathurin

Position: Defense

How Acquired: 137th overall pick (5th round) in 2022 Draft

2021-22 Stats: (GP-G-A-Pts) 44-3-12-15 (North Bay Batallion, OHL)

Contract Status: Unsigned

Anticipated 2022-23 Team: North Bay Batallion (OHL)

Prospect Synopsis

When Tnias Mathurin takes to the ice, he likes to be kicking it old school. His game is about playing responsibly in his own end, taking care of the shutdown role and being a physical presence between the boards.

At 6-foot-3, 201 pounds, Mathurin, 18, already is equipped with the physical size of an imposing NHL defender.

“Big D-man out of North Bay,” was how Red Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper began his assessment of the rearguard for the Ontario Hockey League’s North Bay Batallion. “I was able to see him quite a bit in the playoffs.

“We like his size. He moves well for a big man and is a pretty athletic defenseman.”

While defense is his forte, Mathurin does display some offensive instincts. Interestingly, his 15 points last season as an OHL rookie weren’t far off the 19 points he gathered the previous season with the Ajax/Pickering Raiders AAA U16 squad. Mathurin was captain of that club. Mathurin was also +17, an impressive number for an OHL rookie. In 13 playoff games, he dished out four assists.

He displays vision in the offensive zone, and makes an astute first pass. Mathurin shows some zip in his shot and displays a knack for getting into shooting lanes.

“He’s got a good stick, and he’s pretty mobile defender,” Draper said.

Estimated Time of Arrival in Detroit

Mathurin, who was ranked 126th overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting presents an interesting case study for the Red Wings. While the club is currently deep in defensive prospects from Simon Edvinsson to William Wallinder and Shai Buium, there aren’t a plethora of old-style, stay-at-home types who are capable of delivering physical punishment as their forte.

That certainly offers the potential for him to find a place within the club’s defensive prospect pecking order.

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The Red Wings will have to make their mind up quickly on whether Mathurin fits into their plans. All CHL draft picks must be signed by June 1 of the year following their draft year. Otherwise, they go back into the draft pool.

If Detroit does opt to sign him, look for Mathurin to be turning pro in time for the 2024-25 season.

The post Red Wings of Tomorrow: Tnias Mathurin appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Making nine selections during the 2022 NHL entry draft, the Detroit Red Wings frequently centered their attention on the middle of the ice. Centers were the position of choice for four of those nine picks.

While admitting it was an organizational need, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was quick to point out that it wasn’t necessarily centers that the team was specifically targeting.

Welcome to Hockeytown, boys! #DRWDraft pic.twitter.com/6Rz4oXGGJE

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 8, 2022

“Obviously, we need some help at center, at least in the prospect pool,” Yzerman acknowledged. “As it got into the later rounds, the players that we had in the later rounds were centers.

“I’m guessing some of these kids have played wing, too. It wasn’t all that important. It’s just kind of the way the list worked out for us.”

Red Wings Center On Kasper

Starting out by selecting Marco Kasper of Rogle with the eighth overall pick, the Red Wings were beginning their pursuit of centers. Three more would be selections on the second day of the two-day draft.

In total, the Red Wings made eight selections on Day 2. Left wingers Dylan James (40th overall) and Dmitri Buchelnikov (52nd overall) were second-round choices.

Here are capsule looks at the remainder of Detroit’s Day 2 picks.

105th Overall: Anton Johansson, D (Leksand J20)

Johansson is big (6-foot-4, 179 pounds) and has NHL bloodlines. His cousin is Seattle Kraken forward Alexander Wennberg.

“We really like the path that he’s on,” Red Wings director of scouting Kris Draper said. “I saw him play in the SHL. He played a lot in the J-20 and we like the size, the right shot, puck-moving defenseman.

113th Overall: Amadeus Lombardi, C (Flint Firebirds OHL)

When you share names with a famous composer (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) and a legendary football coach (Vince Lombardi) is it wrong that there will be expectations of greatness?

With the 113th pick, the @DetroitRedWings select Amadeus Lombardi

A playmaking C who can drive play with good hands and creativity. Duel threat

Best assets: very good skating, very good playmaking, very good hockey IQ

Potential: 3C#2022NHLDraft #OHL pic.twitter.com/px1qW9VDmI

— Dylan Krill (@dylan_krill) July 8, 2022

“I almost went off script and did the Rock Me Amadeus when I was going to introduce him but I backed out of that,” Draper said. “He’s a very competitive centerman, a guy we were able to see a lot being up in Flint. He’s a skater, he’s a worker and he’s very competitive

129th Overall: Maxmillian Kilpinen, LW (Orebo J20)

Seeing his first action in the Swedish U20 league, the 6-foot-1 Maxmillian Kilpinen accounted for 14 goals and 25 points in 27 games.

“He was hurt the first half of the season, which talking to (European scouting director) Hakan (Andersson) and (European scout) TC (Carlsson), we think might have hurt some of his opportunities to play at the World Championship with Sweden,” Draper said. “But the position, the skating and the hockey sense were the things that attracted us to him.”

137th Overall: Tnias Mathurin, D (North Bay Batallion OHL)

Tnias Mathurin projects as a shutdown defender. He’s steady and reliable but won’t contribute much offensively.

“He’s a good-sized defender, he’s got a good stick, and he’s pretty mobile defender,” Draper said. “We like his size. He moves well for a big man and is a pretty athletic defenseman.”

201st Overall: Owen Mehlenbacher, C (Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL)

Mehlenbacher collected 17 goals and 41 points for Muskegon in 2021-22. He’s heading to play college hockey at Wisconsin in the fall.

Owen Mehlenbacher is a player I really like in this range. Skating improved a lot over the USHL season. Plays a power game. Great at net front and tough to separate from the puck. Could be a great support player at the next level. #NHLDraft

— Brock Otten (@BrockOtten) July 8, 2022

“Another centerman, a big kid, strong kid, plays a heavy game below the top of the circles,” Draper said. “Owen’s first half of the season, if you were to ask him, probably a little disappointing. Didn’t get off to the start he wanted to, but the USHL is a hard league

“Then I think the second half of the season he kind of got a little more comfortable, got into more of a defined role and played well.”

212th Overall: Brennan Ali, C (Avon Old Farms)

Seven players drafted from Avon Old Farms made it to the NHL. It’s a list that includes Brian Leetch, Jonathan Quick, Nick Bonino and Cam Atkinson. His physical tools are sound. However, Red Line Report rated Ali as having the second-worst hands in the draft.

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“We did not know Brennan was here and all the sudden over my shoulder you kind of hear some excitement, which is pretty special,” Draper said. “I know his mom and dad are here. It’s just an incredible moment for the family. Everyone knows how much mom, dad and brothers and sisters sacrifice for their brothers and sons.

“It’s a very special moment. When he came around the table you could see the joy he had. So it was a very special for him.”

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