Jason Mateychuk’s phone rang Sunday afternoon and the name of his son, Denton, flashed on the screen.
It was just three days before Christmas, so Jason had a feeling he knew why his son was calling.
He couldn’t have been more surprised – or grateful – to be wrong.
“I thought he was going to get me to check him in for his flight to come home (for the holidays),” Jason said Monday in Nationwide Arena. “And he said, ‘Dad, I’m going to the big club.’ I said, ‘What?!’ I just said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’
“We talked a little bit after that, but yeah, I told him how proud I was, and I know how hard he works. I said, ‘You deserve it.’”
Indeed, he does. Denton has been on a steady path to the top of the hockey world the past few years, dominating the Canadian junior ranks the past couple seasons and then standing out in the American Hockey League in his rookie campaign.
And then Monday delivered a holiday gift the Mateychuk family is sure to remember forever. Mateychuk made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets last night, and he certainly showed he belonged, logging 18:36 of ice time – including power-play minutes – and never looking out of place in a 5-4 CBJ win over Montreal.
From his solo rookie lap to being part of the starting lineup to taking a regular shift in the NHL for the first time, Denton got to live out what he called a childhood dream.
“It was an awesome moment,” he said. “I think going out for warmups there were probably more nerves, but just starting the game, getting that first one out of the way, I think it’s good. I think probably the third or fourth shift, I was like, ‘All right, I’ve settled in a little bit.’ You’re kind of riding the high at the start of the game, so I think once I got a couple under me, I was more settled down.”
Mateychuk’s first game was impressive, and the fact that he’s playing one of the hardest positions in the sport at age 20 makes it even more so. While he may be named after baseball’s famous cyclone – legendary pitcher Denton True “Cy” Young – Mateychuk was calm, cool and collected the entire night, using a good stick to break up passing chances for the Canadiens, winning battles along the wall, rarely getting out of position and even joining the rush when the time called for it.
Given the first-round draft pick’s accolades coming in, though, that could hardly be a surprise. Mateychuk was a standout on Canada’s World Juniors team a year ago and dominated junior hockey with Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League, posting a combined 28 goals and 105 points in 72 regular-season and playoff games in 2023-24 on the way to being the league’s top defenseman and playoff MVP.
He was one of the last cuts of CBJ training camp and showed no sign of slowing down in 27 games with Cleveland of the AHL, posting a 9-16-25 line that places him atop the league among defensemen in both goals and points.
“He’s super solid,” said CBJ alternate captain Zach Werenski, who knows a thing or two about reaching the highest level as a young defenseman. “He’s been that way both camps he’s been here. Obviously what he’s doing in the American League right now is special. He just plays the right way all over the ice, makes plays, he’s never out of position, and he has success doing it.
“I’m really happy for him to get this game in. Obviously he had some family here, which is awesome.”
Indeed, it’s not easy to get from his home of Dominion City, Manitoba – a few short miles north of the Canadian border with Minnesota – to Columbus. The family was a bit scattered because of their own athletic ventures, but Jason, Mateychuk’s mother Keela, his brothers Maddux, Kasen and Crosby, and sister Brylee were all at Nationwide Arena in time for warmups.
“It’s amazing,” Jason said. “Something like this is always in the back of your mind. You hope that it happens, but you never know. To be here, it’s just unbelievable. We’re beaming with pride.”
And Jason is right; Denton has certainly put in the work. While he’s blessed with excellent hockey sense and skating skills, he’s developed quite a bit from the time the Blue Jackets took him 12th overall in the 2022 draft. Mateychuk said he’s improved his shot immensely, worked on studying the game to know when to join the rush or stay back, and cleaned up his gaps in the defensive zone to be better at shutting down opposing teams.
You can never quite be ready for the speed of the NHL game, but one contest in, Mateychuk said he felt he held his own at the highest level.
“I think everything elevated a little bit,” he said. “In preseason, guys are trying to make teams, but once you get all your systems and everything set, it’s definitely a bit quicker. I knew it was going to be quick coming in. I was ready to make that adjustment, and I felt like I did a pretty good job of that.”
