Leafs sign reigning German-league Player of the Year to NHL contract
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they had signed German-league defenceman Nicolas Mattinen to an NHL contract.
Mattinen is a former sixth-round pick of the Leafs back in 2016 and has spent the last season playing with the Straubing Tigers of Germany’s DEL. The one-year, two-way deal carries a cap hit of $775,000 and takes effect next season.
🖊 We’ve signed defenceman Nicolas Mattinen to a one-year, two-way contract beginning in 2024-25
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 14, 2024
The 26-year-old defender had quite an impressive season in Germany. He scored 16 goals and 46 points in 52 games with the Tigers. Mattinen was also named the player of the year in the DEL this season.
Standing at six feet five inches and 216 lbs, the Ottawa native is an opposing figure on the blue line. Add that to his recent offensive prowess, and the Leafs now have an interesting player at their disposal for next season.
After being drafted by the Leafs, Mattinen returned to the OHL, where he had stints with the London Knights, Flint Firebirds, Hamilton Bulldogs, and Oshawa Generals. After his junior career, he went unsigned by the Leafs and opted to play two seasons of U Sports hockey with the University of Ottawa.
He appeared in eight AHL games with the Laval Rocket in 2021-22 before heading overseas to play a season in Austria before eventually going to Germany, where he is currently.
Mattinen is not expected to jump directly into the NHL once his contract comes into effect. The more likely scenario is for him to go into Leafs training camp in the fall with the hopes of making the NHL club start the season.
Otherwise, Mattinen will most likely be spending the first part of his Leafs tenure with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
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