A sixth-round pick of the Leafs in 2016 -> four years in the OHL spanning London, Flint, and Oshawa -> two years of Canadian university hockey (U. of Ottawa) -> a cup of tea in the AHL with Laval -> Austrian league -> German league -> a one-year, two-way NHL deal worth $775k with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the age of 26.
ud83dudd8a 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 former London Knight was a big-bodied “project” pick of then-Leafs assistant GM Mark Hunter in the 2016 draft when the Leafs picked him last of their three selections on defense who all stood 6’5 or taller (J.