Tnias Mathurin has NHL-ready size and was able to physically impose his will on opponents this past season. As more of a traditional defensive defenseman, he knows how to throw his weight around and play a conservative style. He plays within his means and defends well in his own end with solid awareness of where his man is as well as where the puck is. As should be expected for a player of his size playing at the junior level, he is excellent in front of the net, making life difficult for forwards who choose to fight for position there. He’s aggressive and his wide skating base allows him to hand out big open-ice hits across the neutral zone. Because of his stay-at-home style, he doesn’t show off his skating ability and top-end speed in open ice as much as he likely could, which has limited his impact on offense and in the transition game. Another area where he could get better is in his urgency when in control of the puck. Mathurin flashes some decent stickhandling ability and can beat forecheckers with fakes and using his wingspan to skate around opponents. Poise and patience can be a good thing but he has moments where it’s as if he doesn’t expect the attacker to reach him as soon as they do, forcing him into bad decisions. Better processing of the speed of forecheckers will help him be more effective at moving the puck out of his end and up to teammates. There may not be a future where he turns into a driver of offense at even strength, but his size and simple game can be appealing to an NHL club. Honing his skills and offensive instincts and gaining more confidence with the puck on his stick is crucial for his development as he already has the one thing – size – that cannot be taught.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide