Forward named alternate captain for Saint John of QMJHL after playing for native Latvia
© Michael Hawkins / Saint John Sea Dogs
By Adam Kimelman
@NHLAdamK NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor
The 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 28-29 at Sphere in Las Vegas. The first round will be June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and round 2-7 are on June 29 (11:30 ET; ESPN+, NHLN, SN, SN1). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a profile on Saint John forward Eriks Mateiko. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.
Eriks Mateiko was a part of history this season, and he'll have a chance to create some more at the 2024 NHL Draft.
The 18-year-old forward scored Latvia's first goal at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship and helped his country reach the quarterfinals for the first time since the tournament adopted its current format in 1996.
Latvia lost to Sweden, Canada and Finland by a combined score of 20-0 in its first three preliminary-round games. But just 2:46 into its final opening-round game against Germany, Mateiko jumped into the offensive zone, took a pass in the high slot and scored to give Latvia a 1-0 lead in a game it went on to win 6-2.
Latvia takes the lead with the first of the tournament!🇱🇻🚨 @lhf_lv #WorldJuniors #GERLAT pic.twitter.com/7As7t0Cimo
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 30, 2023
"It means a lot for the team, because we didn't score the three first games," Mateiko said. "But I think we started that game really good with that goal and we just kept going from that moment and won the games that we had to."
It was Mateiko's only point in five games at the tournament, as Latvia was eliminated with a 7-2 loss to the United States in the quarterfinals. But overall he counts the tournament as a win for him.
"It was a great experience," he said. "I mean, I played against the best juniors in the world. It was definitely a good experience playing against the best."
Mateiko (6-foot-5, 208 pounds) kept up that level of play when he returned to Saint John of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He was second on the team with 43 points (23 goals, 20 assists) in 49 games, and is No. 33 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters for the 2024 draft.
"His skating came around quite a bit from last year, so you can see that skating is not going to be an issue," Central Scouting's Jean-Francois Damphousse said. "He's going to be the type of player that can forecheck, that can be on top of plays and generate some offense.
"I like the projection for the size, the scoring ability and a player that I think knows what he is, and probably can fit in really well on the third, fourth line at the NHL level as far as killing penalties with his long reach and stick. He's using his body way more now. I really like this prospect."
Improving Mateiko's skating has been a focus during his two seasons with Saint John.
"I remember at the beginning of camp last year being very concerned about his skating," Saint John coach Travis Crickard said. "And it got to a point right before the beginning of the season where I had a meeting with Eriks and I said ... 'You're skating the same distance on the ice as an efficient skater, you're probably going to be working 3-5 times harder to cover that same distance than an efficient skater would be, and as a result, I fear that when we play several games a week, you're going to be physically exhausted. So for your development, I'm going to start you with two games a week and we'll progress to playing three and four as your skating improves.'
"And Eriks is the kind of guy that doesn't take no for an answer. And hearing that was all the motivation he needed."
In addition to his growth as a player, Mateiko also has evolved into a leader during his two seasons with Saint John. When captain Peter Reynolds and alternates Mathis Gauthier and Noah Reinhart were traded in January, Mateiko was named an alternate captain when he returned from World Juniors.
"I spoke to Travis about it but I already knew that since I saw the trades and I already knew that I have to step up now even more for a new role," Mateiko said. "We talked about it but it's naturally there."
Crickard said he considered naming Mateiko captain at the start of the season but held off so as not to add any pressure during his NHL draft season. But after the January shift into a rebuild, it became an easy decision.
"I remember meeting with him about that and getting his thoughts because I had told him at the beginning of the year that I want him to just focus on playing and not worry about that," Crickard said. "And when I regrouped with him on that halfway through the year after the trade period, he was the one who kind of said to me, 'No, I need to do this now. I need to do this for my team.' He was more than willing to accept that role.
"I don't think he needed to change anything to have the respect or ear of his teammates just based on the way that he plays and the way that he carries himself. I think that everyone in our room respected him tremendously."
© Michael Hawkins / Saint John Sea Dogs
As a leader and a forward with good size, it's not a surprise that Mateiko looks at Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry(6-5, 210) as a player he watches to learn from.
"Me and coaches talk about it, who am I even similar to in the NHL," Mateiko said. "So we're talking about Adam Lowry. He's also a big guy, and he's maybe more physical than me now, but I think I still can develop that and I think he's also a big power forward that can go to the net. He's a good team player and team leader."
Lowry didn't reach 30 points until 2022-23, his ninth NHL season, as he learned how to use his physicality to create space for himself to be more productive offensively. That's the next step for Mateiko.
"He spent so much time working on his skating and now he's way faster in straight lines, he's able to attack defenders with net drives with the puck," Crickard said. "Now what I'd like to see him be able to do is, it's kind of adding the power, using his body physically. I want to see him add a new dimension to his skating where he's able to change directions and change speeds while simultaneously using his body to shield the puck. I think that would be the next biggest thing for him to continue to trend in producing offense."
