Nicolas Mattinen Signs In Germany
Defenseman Nicolas Mattinen is heading back to Europe after one year in the Maple Leafs organization. Adler Mannheim of Germany’s DEL announced today they’ve signed him to a one-year deal for 2025-26.
Mattinen, an Ontario native, was a sixth-round pick by the Leafs in 2016. The 6’5″, 216-lb righty didn’t land a deal with Toronto when his time in juniors ended. Instead, he took the college route and spent three years at the University of Ottawa.
After COVID limited Mattinen to 42 college games over three seasons, he landed a tryout with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate to end the 2021-22 season. That didn’t result in a firm NHL or AHL contract offer, so he opted to head overseas instead.
It was an excellent decision for Mattinen, who spent two years tearing up Austria and Germany with Villacher SV and the Straubing Tigers. After posting 42 points in 46 games with Villacher in the ICEHL and being named a league All-Star in 2022-23, he signed on with Straubing in the more competitive DEL for 2023-24 and posted a 16-30–46 scoring line in 52 games with a +14 rating en route to being named the top German league’s Defenseman and Player of the Year.
Eight years after drafting him and six years after losing his exclusive signing rights, the Leafs were finally ready to offer the 27-year-old a contract. They signed him to a two-way deal last April to cover the 2024-25 campaign. He didn’t get an NHL call-up, though, and he was limited to just four assists in 22 games with AHL Toronto. With virtually no meaningful playing time, it was a presumably easy decision for Mattinen to pursue a return to a league where he’s had considerable success.
Maple Leafs Sign Nicolas Mattinen To One-Year Contract
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.