[News] With the 126th OA pick Flames select C Mitchell Mattson

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by bigrangy

Janko 2: The Mattsoning

Luckily he's a 5th rounder this time so we won't have to endlessly debate him.

[GKDarts]

http://www.litterboxcats.com/2016/6/...orida-panthers

Big and really can skate well., and advances the puck well. Displays a strong stride, nice passing skills, and is committed to playing a 200 foot game. Needs to build his underdeveloped frame. Looks like he might rpoject as the big cntre teams look for. Committed to the University of North Dakota.

Another scouting report also noted his more recent uptick:

Mattson is a long-bodied pivot who continues to add lower (and upper) body strength. The term can get thrown around a lot but he has a serious upside. He looks to be the next big star out of the legendary Grand Rapids high school program. He’s able to make a sharp play in stride under duress with a 6’3 frame and does a good enough job protecting the puck in tight areas to create opportunities for himself or teammates on a consistent basis.

Still, Mattson is more of a raw talent that is being projected to be an impact player:

"He’s only really coming into what he’s going to be now with his body and it looks like it could be unbelievable. He will be one to watch for sure in a couple years."

[killer_carlson]

Sounds like Riley Bruce 2.0

[sureLoss]

UND has a great history of pumping out NHLers. should be good for his development.


Ha. Says his biggest strength is Hockey IQ.... theme of the draft.

[bax]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Sounds like Riley Bruce 2.0

What? Bruce is a D man from the OHL

[Red Menace]

Originally Posted by neo45

Craig's list is gold

Kind of hard to deny that he has a similar list to his brother.
I think all our picks are in his top 100, and perhaps all rated higher than we actually got them ( except for maybe Parsons)

[cracher]

My eyelid was starting to twitch until I realized Jesper has an extra "s" in the last name.

[GranteedEV]

Guy I had us taking him at 56 or 65

[dammage79]

Just listening to the Fan interview with Mattson here. Very articulate person. Going back to HS he thinks was the best option for his development. I like that he recognized he wasn't quite up to speed for the USHL and went back and worked on his game at High school. Sometimes taking step back is the biggest step forward IMO.

UND seems like a great fit.

[devo22]

apparently staying in the USHL for another year.

[Stay Golden]

Going to be a while before we see him. He will get good development. Decent, like the pick.

[sureLoss]

Red line report from February

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...epth/80668094/

It has long been accepted that the gargantuan Riley Tufte (five goals, six points) is the player to watch out of the Minnesota high school ranks this year; it’s easy to be smitten with a player who is unstoppable when he makes those power moves down the wing. However, Red Line’s man in Minnesota is starting to feel that Grand Rapids pivot Mitchell Mattson (one goal) has the same upside, if not moreso, than Tufte.

A casual glance at his pedestrian stats while with the USHL’s Bloomington Thunder earlier in the season would be a mistake, as their draconian system did not allow his offensive talents to flourish.

But now that he’s back in Grand Rapids, we’ve been able to see the lanky 6-4 center showcase his creativity and skill in all three zones, and he strikes us as being similar to Blake Wheeler at the same age. We acknowledge that Mattson will lack some urgency at times, but we do like his development path.

He’ll be heading to North Dakota next season, and that program has a long history of breaking down bad habits and turning players into monsters — just look at Nick Schmaltz, who in his draft year gave little effort.

Mattson is showing surprisingly effective lateral movement and the ability to slow the play down. So yes, it is a sight to behold when Tufte is barreling down the wing, but we think there might be even more substance to Mattson’s game.

Lots of upside with this pick

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by devo22

apparently staying in the USHL for another year.

So he will have the "Schultz window" after his 3rd year of college (4 years from now) should he wait that long to go pro.

[SanFranFlamesFan]

Wow, Craig Button and him ranked at 24! Huge boom/bust pick. Hoping for a boom