Prospect Info: Matvei Gridin - 2024 Draft #28 Overall

[Ace Rimmer]

Matvei Gridin - 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers Latest News, Analysis & More

With the draft just over two months away, here is a profile for Matvei Gridin, who is eligible for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

thehockeywriters.com

Matvei Gridin

June 2024 - Gridin was selected 28th overall by the Flames. Pat Quinn April 2024 - Continually frustrating, Gridin's not really shaken things up much this year. Still the ever impressive playmaker, Gridin's passing game is deep and complex, with a wide repertoire to account for his good...

dobberprospects.com

2024 NHL DRAFT: EARLY SEASON FAVOURITES - Video Scouting - Matvei Gridin, Konsta Helenius, Zayne Parekh, Anton Silayev

McKeen's Director of Video Scouting, Josh Bell, provides deep profiles with video on four early season favourites for the 2024 NHL Draft.

www.mckeenshockey.com

Why does he look taller than 6'1"?

Click to read more...

 

[Fig]

Some of his game clips reminds me of Sharangovich. Is Suniev this style of player too?

Some of the write ups and away from puck clips remind me a little of huberdeau.

 

[Bounces R Way]

I don't hate the pick honestly but god damn the lack of top 6 natural center prospects for this franchise has stretched on for way too long. It's the most important skater position ffs.

Some of his game reminds me of Sharangovich.

Is Suniev this style of player too?

Yes.

If Treliving's type was smallish hands and IQ then Conroy is Russian size and shot

 

[Fig]

After a bit more reading, he's got a great package of skill, iq, speed and size. But it's compete and puck watching that's the concern. Typically a player like that doesn't just randomly start to develop compete, but if he does, it could be a huge hit.

Whats weird though is it says he sorta shys from contact on the boards, but then is hard to move when he's net front. That's... Kinda Bizarre. Maybe the scouts think he's teachable and that some of this might have to do with the north America transition? Time will tell.

 

[JPeeper]

I don't hate the pick honestly but god damn the lack of top 6 natural center prospects for this franchise has stretched on for way too long. It's the most important skater position ffs.

If there are no good centers when we're picking, stick to BPA according to your list.

Conroy re-iterates in most interviews the same sentiment of getting C's so if they're drafting guys who aren't C's then clearly the Flames don't see any of the center prospects that good where they are picking.

 

[User1996]

I had him in my 1st on my personal list, so tough to be upset here. Really good upside, but a lot more playmaking and dynamic skill than the Sharangovich comparison. Exciting player if he ever learns to compete regularly. Leading scorer in the USHL

 

[super6646]

I don't hate the pick honestly but god damn the lack of top 6 natural center prospects for this franchise has stretched on for way too long. It's the most important skater position ffs.



Yes.

If Treliving's type was smallish hands and IQ then Conroy is Russian size and shot

Almost got Catton but alas. There just weren’t any options available after that.

It sucks, and I agree it’s an organizational crisis right now. They have absolutely nothing in the pipeline down the middle for another season when they already had nothing in the pipeline. It looks like we’ll have to wait until 2025 for that hole to be fixed. In the meantime, I expect pospisil and Zary to get time at centre next season.

Thankfully the flames seem to be gathering a load of riches on defence. They might have one of the better pools on that front right now. Parekh, Morin, Poirier, and bruz is an excellent group of high end talent.

 

[Bounces R Way]

If there are no good centers when we're picking, stick to BPA according to your list.

Conroy re-iterates in most interviews the same sentiment of getting C's so if they're drafting guys who aren't C's then clearly the Flames don't see any of the center prospects that good where they are picking.

Almost got Catton but alas. There just weren’t any options available after that.

It sucks, and I agree it’s an organizational crisis right now. They have absolutely nothing in the pipeline down the middle for another season when they already had nothing in the pipeline. It looks like we’ll have to wait until 2025 for that hole to be fixed. In the meantime, I expect pospisil and Zary to get time at centre next season.

Then my thing is just go get it. Do what you gotta do. Trade whatever picks and prospects to make it happen. The Vegas Golden Knights were lacking a 1C to be a cup contender and went out and got one. A short time later they were Stanley Cup Champions. If we're doing a retool then that'll require some bold moves.

Trade up for a Cayden Lindstrom or Berkley Catton. It's not like he's lacking the draft capital to do so.

 

[super6646]

Then my thing is just go get it. Do what you gotta do. Trade whatever picks and prospects to make it happen. The Vegas Golden Knights were lacking a 1C to be a cup contender and went out and got one. A short time later they were Stanley Cup Champions. If we're doing a retool then that'll require some bold moves.

What’s the rush though? Get what? Connie can call this a retool however much he likes, but his actions have shown a direction to a full scale rebuild. A team doesn’t trade their #1C, 2 top 4d, their starting goaltender, and a middle six forward and still have aspirations for competing in the near future. Plus there have been rumours surrounding Kadri and Andersson/Weegar trades as possibilities in the near future.


This team is at least 3-4 years from being competitive, and 2025 is a far deeper draft with regards to centres. You want us to “get it?” Well the 2025 draft is the time and place to do so imo.

 

[Felidae]

Know next to nothing about this guy but surprised to learn he has the 3rd most productive USHL season (3rd highest goals too) of all time by a 17 year oldAhead of players like Fantilli, Gaudreau, Kyle Connor, Boeser..

Ofc not saying he'll be better than those players nor is he projected to be (otherwise he'd probably be a top 5 pick..) there's probably missing context.

That being said, seems like a highly skilled player and a good choice for a late 1st rounder.

 

[Double Dion]

I'm fine with it. There was no one left after pick 21 that I was desperate for.

 

[Mitts]

Love the pick, it's nice having prospects with high upside.

 

[Fig]

Know next to nothing about this guy but surprised to learn he has the 3rd most productive USHL season (3rd highest goals too) of all time by a 17 year oldAhead of players like Fantilli, Gaudreau, Kyle Connor, Boeser..

Ofc not saying he'll be better than those players nor is he projected to be (otherwise he'd probably be a top 5 pick..) there's probably missing context.

That being said, seems like a highly skilled player and a good choice for a late 1st rounder.

That's crazy considering his compete is being questioned. He did that while not engaged enough and low motor? Insane.

If there's a specific late first rounder go big or go home swing as hard as you can attempt, this one seems sneaky good. Huge boom huge bust potential. I almost wonder if Button views this kid as a potential star that other scouts are overlooking due to certain attributes.

Edit : I'd probably be a terrible scout, but there's something extremely odd I'm getting when looking at Gridin's positioning in some of the highlight reels.

I'm legitimately thinking I'm seeing a little bit of rover patterns when I see where Gridin is scoring from in the O zone in those reels. Maybe I'm seeing things, but his highlight reel somehow seems weird to me for a forward.

Gridin is scoring a lot from in front of the net or as the second last player near the point. Reports mention him as a perimeter player who shies from contact. although relatively accurate, it's also a little strange to see how often he doesn't get muscled out in front of the net and also to see how often he fires shots not far from the blue line like certain dmen would. Heck he's scoring from both sides of the dots, in front of the net and basically the point on both the left and right side. I don't think I've seen a highlight reel with a player score from so many varied positions like that before.

 

[JPeeper]

lol, watching his interview on Youtube and in 10 seconds when talking about the Flames organization he says, "they have a great history, you know I think they're re-building the team in the next years so more spots for young players".

Conroy and co. may not say we're officially in a re-build, but even prospects know they are. lol This ain't no re-tool, this is a re-build baby.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Never seen him play but I trust our scouting.

Still think the play was to try and move heaven and earth for Lindstrom but oh well.

 

[crazyfisherman]

What i find hilarious was sportsnet shitting all over the pick saying stuff like he relies on others for points and is not a play driver. Ik stats isn't everything but isnt it kinda hard to not be the play driver while leading the team in scoring by 15pts....

 

[Khrox]

Whats weird though is it says he sorta shys from contact on the boards, but then is hard to move when he's net front. That's... Kinda Bizarre.

Honestly, that kind of reminds me a little of Monahan. Like he wasn't necessarily scared of it, but he was generally tentative on the boards. But god damn was he always taking a beating in front of the net and scored a lot off of that

 

[Kranix]

Obviously he's the next kucherov

 

[Body Checker]

Button and McKenzie had him 36 and 37 respectively. CSB ranked him 21st NA ahead of Leterneau, Oreilly, Beaudoin, Emery, Danford, etc. So not a reach at all at 28. Sportsnet’s surprise was a bit much.

 

[Lunatik]

Know next to nothing about this guy but surprised to learn he has the 3rd most productive USHL season (3rd highest goals too) of all time by a 17 year oldAhead of players like Fantilli, Gaudreau, Kyle Connor, Boeser..

Ofc not saying he'll be better than those players nor is he projected to be (otherwise he'd probably be a top 5 pick..) there's probably missing context.

That being said, seems like a highly skilled player and a good choice for a late 1st rounder.

the one thing that stood out to me was he led his team in scoring by 15 points, that player was Boisvert who went @ #18, and he led the USHL in scoring, beating out Connelly (#19 to VGK) ad Hage (#21 to Montreal). While current production isn't the be all and end all, I think it shows that at least currently he's as good as those other cats that went in round 1 from the USHL.

That's crazy considering his compete is being questioned. He did that while not engaged enough and low motor? Insane.

This describes Alexei Kovalev to a T

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I don’t know anything about this guy, but he has offence as his top asset, I like that. It’s the hardest thing to acquire. I also trust our scouts, his numbers are super impressive.

 

[super6646]

the one thing that stood out to me was he led his team in scoring by 15 points, that player was Boisvert who went @ #18, and he led the USHL in scoring, beating out Connelly (#19 to VGK) ad Hage (#21 to Montreal). While current production isn't the be all and end all, I think it shows that at least currently he's as good as those other cats that went in round 1 from the USHL.


This describes Alexei Kovalev to a T

Production in lower leagues is still generally the best indicator for future performance. Obviously not a be all end all, but definitely a plus.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Too bad he's committed to NCAA, I'm pretty sure (because of the CHL's ban on Russian players) he'd be allowed to play in the AHL.

 

[Kipper933]

Huge fan of this pick. I think I had Gridin rated higher than anywhere I've seen (#15 overall). In a draft lacking really good offensive forwards, Gridin really stood out for me. He has many offensive tools that I would considered high-end/elite. The IQ really stands out, the ability to see plays as they're forming. Excellent vision, high creativity, excellent at drawing pressure towards him to open up his linemates, excellent at crating plays out of nothing, excellent at playing with pace and making quick decisions. A really strong offensive player, probably the 3rd or 4th best offensive forward in the draft for me.

His play away from the puck is much improved from last year, those questioning his work ethic are out-of-date. He was a regular on the PK to end the regular season and through the playoff, also very effective at finding the pressure points to maintain offensive zone puck control. He's one of those players that you can't make a bad pass to, the old adage of "You can't make a bad pass to a good player", wherever his teammates pass to him he has this innate ability to corral and control the puck no matter how poor the pass.

One of many picks I'm very happy with in this draft.

Too bad he's committed to NCAA, I'm pretty sure (because of the CHL's ban on Russian players) he'd be allowed to play in the AHL.

The CHL actually lifted their ban on Russians/Belarussians this year. I wanted to see Gridin develop at Michigan, which is always an offensive powerhouse, but the rumors are that Gridin will be taken in the CHL import draft this year.

 

[Lunatik]

Too bad he's committed to NCAA, I'm pretty sure (because of the CHL's ban on Russian players) he'd be allowed to play in the AHL.

If we signed him he could still play in the AHL. But I think being a Wolverine for a year or two will be good for him.