On Sunday, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that defenseman Nicolas Mattinen had signed a contract. One of Treliving’s biggest acquisitions is the right-shooting defenseman, who stands 6’6″ and 225 pounds. Former Leafs draft pick Mattinen never committed to an entry-level contract (ELC) following his junior season.
With the 179th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL draft, Mattinen was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Instead of accepting a contract with the Leafs when his junior career ended, Mattinen chose to play for the University of Ottawa. He played for two seasons at the University of Ottawa during his three years there, as the pandemic forced the school to cancel their 2020–21 season.
After graduating from the University of Ottawa, Mattinen traveled to Europe to play. He played for the DEL’s Straubing Tigers in Germany during the previous season. In 52 games, Mattinen scored 16 goals and provided 30 assists for 46 points. Mattinen offers the Leafs much to be pleased with. He is large and capable of offensive play. Next season, he will sign a one-year, two-way contract earning $775,000.
(EliteProspects.com provided all statistics.) (Capfriendly.com salary information)
Mattinen is on a professional tryout (PTO) with the Toronto Marlies for the remainder of the current season. Mitch Marner, a forward for the Leafs, was a teammate of Mattinen’s when he played for the London Knights. Although Mattinen struggles in his own defensive zone, he excels in the offensive and neutral zones. If he wants to have any chance of ever being called up to the Leafs, he has to improve his defense.
Chas Sharpe Signs with the Toronto Maple Leafs
On Sunday, the Toronto Marlies announced that defenseman Chas Sharpe had signed a contract.
He signed a two-year AHL contract with them, which starts with the upcoming campaign. Sharpe, like Mattinen, will spend the rest of the season on a professional tryout with the Marlies.
Orillia, Ontario, native Sharpe is a 6’3″ (194 Lbs) right-shooting defenseman. In 67 games this season, he totaled 53 points with the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League, with 19 goals and 34 assists. You can never have too many defensemen in your squad, so it’s good to see the Leafs and Marlies addressing that need.
The Leafs defensive group is very unknown for the next campaign. For the next season, only Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, Conor Timmins, and Simon Benoit have contracts. Having Mattinen and Sharpe will ease the pain if the Marlies lose a prospect like Topi Niemela to the Leafs the following season.
