Denton
Mateychuk
D · CBJ · Balanced · Excellent
- PAL
- 80
- WAR
- 2.6
- Value
- 92
- PTS
- 31
2025-26№ 11 / 325
Denton Mateychuk (Columbus Blue Jackets) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Denton Mateychuk
HEIGHT : 180 cm · WEIGHT : 84 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : July 11, 2004 · Winnipeg, Canada
Drafted : 2022 · CBJ · round 1, pick #12
Contract : $950,000 · 2022-23 → 2026-27 · Entry-Level Contract · RFA · Signing bonus $95,000
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 15 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| 2025-26 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 75 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 8 |
| 2024-25 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 45 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 20 |
| NHL totals | 135 | 21 | 30 | 51 | 34 | |
Denton Mateychuk: our analysis
2025-26 season: 75 GP, 13 G, 18 A, 31 PTS, +12 +/-, 19:11 TOI. WAR 2.6 (11th of 325) · PAL 80, excellent.
In 2025-26, Denton Mateychuk, 22, posts a PAL Rating of 80 out of 100 (excellent), and his WAR of 2.6 ranks 11th among 325 regulars, among the league's elite.
His strengths: shooting (95, among the best in the league), discipline (90, among the best in the league) and offense (87, among the best in the league).
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: finishing (+7.4).
A clear step forward: his PAL went from 38 in 2024-25 to 80; his WAR went from 0.4 to 2.6.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 92 (exceptional value) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Denton Mateychuk's story
Growing up in Winnipeg, Denton Mateychuk moved through local minor and AAA circuits before earning a spot in major junior hockey; his skating and puck skills marked him early as a defence-first playmaker. He developed in Manitoba’s youth tournaments and junior ranks, then joined the Moose Jaw Warriors where he refined a two-way offensive game from the blue line.
Mateychuk’s junior progress led to the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, when the Columbus Blue Jackets selected him 12th overall. The organisation signalled a commitment to his development by inking him to a three-year entry-level contract on July 13, 2022, setting the stage for a transition to the professional ranks in the seasons that followed.
The 2023–24 campaign with Moose Jaw was a breakout: 17 goals and 58 assists in 52 regular-season games, the highest points-per-game mark among WHL defencemen. He carried that form into the playoffs with 11 goals and 19 assists across 20 contests, a performance that powered the Warriors to the Ed Chynoweth Cup and earned him WHL Playoff MVP honours. Individual accolades that season included the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the league’s top defenceman, a spot on the CHL First All-Star Team, and recognition at the Memorial Cup with the George Parsons Trophy and a place on the tournament’s all-star roster.
Mateychuk made his first professional appearances with the Cleveland Monsters late in the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs, then began the 2024–25 season in the AHL (27 games, 9 goals, 16 assists). Columbus recalled him and he debuted in the NHL on December 23, 2024; he registered his first assist on December 31 and scored his first NHL goal on January 9. He appeared in 45 of the club’s final 48 games of the season, logging the second-most ice time among rookie defencemen in that stretch, and after Columbus missed the 2025 playoffs he was returned to Cleveland. Following that first full professional season, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.
On the ice, Mateychuk is defined by an ability to generate offence from the back end and by composure with the puck in transition. Those traits, visible throughout his junior success and in his early pro impact, explain why he rose to be a top draft pick and why the Blue Jackets have continued to entrust him with significant minutes. He is also a second cousin of fellow 2022 first-rounder Owen Pickering.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 22:31
- PP TOI/GP
- 1:06
- SH TOI/GP
- 1:37
- Pts/GP
- 0.47
- EV points
- 7
- Hits
- 3
- Blocks
- 24
- Takeaways
- 4
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 52.7 %
- Off. zone starts
- 29.7 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
32between 18 and 44 (80% range)
- Goals
- 14
- Assists
- 18
- Games
- 72
So far: 7 pts in 15 games. The team has played 15 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.44 pts per game (last season: 0.41).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
Trend
Trending up
- Points per game: 0.29 in 24-25, 0.41 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 38 → 80
Outlook, age included
↑ Trending upAge 22: usually still improving
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 68 %
84
Very good
- SK
- Skating
- 82
- Confidence 57 %
- ST
- Strength
- 73
- Confidence 73 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 77
- Confidence 67 %
- DU
- Durability
- 71
- Confidence 57 %
- CK
- Checking
- 64
- Confidence 73 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 73
- Confidence 42 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 89
- Confidence 73 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 79
- Confidence 68 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 89
- Confidence 68 %
- DF
- Defense
- 74
- Confidence 64 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 48
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating82
- Top speed (35 %)35.4 · 75
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)2.726 · 83
- Distance /60 (20 %)14.9 · 89
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.8 · 77
ST — Strength73
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)6.684 · 88
- Body mass (50 %)-1.05 · 58
EN — Endurance77
- Ice time per game (45 %)18.8 · 75
- Total ice time (20 %)1,414 · 76
- Shift length (15 %)51.4 · 85
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)17.6 · 76
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)2.181 · 73
DU — Durability71
- Share of games played (100 %)0.789 · 71
CK — Checking64
- Hits /60 (70 %)1.811 · 63
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)1.756 · 67
- Season volume (10 %)3.296 · 64
FG — Fighting73
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.79 · 73
DI — Discipline89
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)0.005 · 89
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.365 · 89
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.395 · 76
PA — Passing79
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.447 · 80
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.32 · 62
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.038 · 79
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)3.916 · 69
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.364 · 84
SC — Scoring89
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.442 · 90
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.231 · 79
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)1.261 · 98
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.145 · 81
- xG per shot (10 %)0.036 · 84
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)9.163 · 71
DF — Defense74
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.034 · 77
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.032 · 76
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.638 · 74
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.006 · 75
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-2.32 · 65
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)57.7 · 77
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)4.238 · 73
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience48
- Career regular-season games (65 %)68
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)37
OV — Overall84
- DF · Defense (30 %)74
- PA · Passing (22 %)79
- SK · Skating (12 %)82
- SC · Scoring (12 %)89
- EN · Endurance (9 %)77
- ST · Strength (6 %)73
- DI · Discipline (5 %)89
- CK · Checking (4 %)64
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 84 | 82 | 89 | 74 |
| 2024-25 | 76 | 82 | 80 | 75 |
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
2.6
wins above replacement
11 of 325
PAL Rating
80/ 100
Performance · Excellent
46 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
92/ 100
Exceptional value
0.89 M$ · expected PAL 38
ProfileBalancedNeither end dominates
- Offense
- 83
- Defense
- 59
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 87
- Creation
- 61
- Shooting
- 95
- Possession
- 75
- Defense
- 51
- Discipline
- 90
- Power play
- 75
- Penalty kill
- 64
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CBJ | 2.6 | 80 | 92 | 0.89 M$ |
| 2024-25 | CBJ | 0.4 | 38 | 61 | 0.89 M$ |
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
79/ 100
Very good
better than 79% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
80/ 100
Very good
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
73/ 100
Very good
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 47 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 69
- Shot selection
- 91
- Penalties drawn
- 50
- Puck management
- 33
Defense
- Takeaways
- 24
- Discipline
- 97
- Safe zone exits
- 38
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
| Season | Team | IQ | Off. | Def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CBJ | 79 | 80 | 73 |
| 2024-25 | CBJ | 92 | 91 | 78 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
2.6
wins above replacement
1.3 to 4.5 — 90% interval
11 of 325 defensemen
+13.5 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +1.4
- EV defense
- +0.9
- Power play
- -0.0
- Penalty kill
- -0.0
- Shooting
- +7.4
- Penalties
- +0.9
- Average → replacement
- +3.0
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CBJ | 75 | 2.6 | 1.3 to 4.5 | 11/325 |
| 2024-25 | CBJ | 41 | 0.4 | 0.0 to 1.0 | 107/314 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 131.4 km/h18th percentileleague avg. 139.7 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 35.3 km/h79th percentileleague avg. 34.0 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 3097th percentileleague avg. 8
- Offensive zone time
- 42.5 %64th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 82.6 km79th percentileleague avg. 56.1 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 7.16 km97th percentileleague avg. 4.98 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 42.6 %61st percentileleague avg. 42.8 %
- Neutral zone time
- 18.2 %55th percentileleague avg. 16.9 %
- Defensive zone time
- 39.3 %63rd percentileleague avg. 40.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 2785th percentile | 497th percentile | 14.8 %95th percentile |
| High danger | 287th percentile | 198th percentile | 50.0 %91st percentile |
| Mid range | 992nd percentile | 399th percentile | 33.3 %95th percentile |
| Long range | 1280th percentile | 077th percentile | 0.0 %67th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
BUF
DAL
COL
CAR
PHI
VGK
TOR
MIN
NYR
FLA
STL
PIT
UTADenton Mateychuk: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Denton Mateychuk have in 2026-27?
Denton Mateychuk has 4 goals and 7 points (3 assists) in 15 games in 2026-27.
How old is Denton Mateychuk?
Denton Mateychuk is 22 years old: he was born on July 12, 2004.
How tall is Denton Mateychuk, and how much does he weigh?
Denton Mateychuk is 5'11" (180 cm) and weighs 185 lb (84 kg).
Where is Denton Mateychuk from?
Canada: Denton Mateychuk was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
What team does Denton Mateychuk play for?
Denton Mateychuk plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL, at D, wearing number 5.
Is Denton Mateychuk injured?
No: Denton Mateychuk is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Denton Mateychuk?
Denton Mateychuk produced 2.6 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 11th of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 80 out of 100: excellent for his position.
How much does Denton Mateychuk make?
Denton Mateychuk earns $887K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 92 out of 100 (exceptional value): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Denton Mateychuk's contract end?
Denton Mateychuk's contract runs through the 2026-27 season; he will then be a restricted free agent.
Is Denton Mateychuk overpaid?
No, he gives more than he costs. His Value rating is 92 out of 100 (exceptional value), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Denton Mateychuk a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 11th of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Denton Mateychuk getting better?
Yes: his PAL rating went from 38 in 2024-25 to 80 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Denton Mateychuk played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Denton Mateychuk has 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists).
What are Denton Mateychuk's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Denton Mateychuk has 135 games, 21 goals, 30 assists and 51 points. His best season: 2025-26, with 31 points in 75 games.
Where was Denton Mateychuk drafted?
Denton Mateychuk was drafted 12th overall (round 1) by Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022.
Is Denton Mateychuk better at home or on the road?
No real difference: in 2026-27, he averages 0.44 points per game at home (4 in 9 games) and 0.50 on the road (3 in 6 games).
How does Denton Mateychuk perform in the playoffs?
Denton Mateychuk has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
Which player is most similar to Denton Mateychuk?
Nick Blankenburg: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Nick Blankenburg's page →Is Denton Mateychuk a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 32 points in 2026-27, or 0.44 points per game.
Is Denton Mateychuk related to anyone famous?
Yes: Owen Pickering (second cousin, both selected in the first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft).
What is Denton Mateychuk's nationality?
Denton Mateychuk is Canadian.
What awards has Denton Mateychuk won?
Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy (WHL's top defenceman) — 2023–24 season ; Canadian Hockey League First All-Star Team — 2024 ; WHL Playoff MVP — 2024 ; George Parsons Trophy (Memorial Cup most sportsmanlike player) — 2024 ; Memorial Cup All-Star Team — 2024 ; NHL All-Rookie Team — after his first full professional season.
How many championships has Denton Mateychuk won?
1: Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL champions) — 2024.
Where did Denton Mateychuk play before turning pro?
Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL), final junior season 2023–24.
How many points is Denton Mateychuk projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 32 points in 72 games in 2026-27 (18 to 44 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Columbus Blue Jackets teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)