The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Nicolas Mattinen to a one-year, two-way contract that’s set to begin in 2024-25 (Twitter link). The Leafs originally drafted Mattinen in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, though they lost his rights in 2018 after not signing him.
Mattinen has since had a bit of a journeyman career. After four years in the OHL, he moved to USports in the 2019-20 season, playing at the University of Ottawa until 2022, though he lost one season to COVID-19 cancellations. He played eight AHL games with the Laval Rocket at the end of the 2021-22 season, recording three goals in eight games, though he opted to move overseas for the last two years – playing in both Austria and Germany. He’s been incredibly productive in the new setting, recording 16 goals and 46 points in 52 DEL games this season – a mark that led all DEL defensemen in scoring and earned Mattinen the DEL’s Player of the Year award.
Mattinen has now earned his way back into the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, inking a deal that makes him eligible for an NHL call-up, should he earn it. The Leafs have certainly shown no shyness towards their minor-league defenders this season, awarding each of Simon Benoit, Conor Timmins, Marshall Rifai, and Maxime Lajoie a chance at routine ice time. Benoit has proven the proudest of the bunch, with his stout defense and play along the boards earning him a daily lineup role. Mattinen will fight to join their ranks next season, playing in his first full year of North American pros.