Detroit Hockey Now’s Tim Robinson profiles Red Wings prospect defenseman Tnias Mathurin this morning. The big (6’3,” 201-pound) defenseman from the OHL’s North Bay Battalion was beset by a shoulder injury that cost him all but 1 regular season game last year, but Duff reports that Mathurin is finally healthy and ready to make an impact:
“I think we could have a great team,” he said. “I’d like to play a role in leading the younger guys and leading the defense and the team to the (OHL) championship. I also want to have a healthy year. I want to get into the flow of the lineup and not be in and out of the lineup. I want to have a huge impact on the season this year.”
[North Bay GM Adam] Dennis, who played in the AHL and in Europe before settling in North Bay, says Mathurin had an impact on his team last season.
“I’d say about 90 percent of players wouldn’t have played last year,” he said. “But (Mathurin) was determined, and they way he stepped in was just impressive, including all the work he put in behind the scenes.”
Dennis lauds Mathurin’s maturity on and off the ice.
“He’s got great hockey sense,” Dennis said. “He’s miserable to play against and has a really long reach and a long skating stride so he can close really quickly. He doesn’t take a lot of penalties, but he doesn’t back down from anybody.”
Continued; Mathurin doesn’t project to be a puck-mover, but he’s still growing into a big body, and he’s simple and steady.
