Canadian
defenseman Nicolas Mattinen, 27, has signed a one-year contract with
Adler Mannheim, the
DEL club announced on Monday.
It will be Mattinen’s second tour of duty in Germany after
spending last season in the AHL.
“I’m thrilled and honored to be wearing the Adler jersey next
season,” Mattinen is quoted in a club press release. “It feels
great to be returning to Germany. I want to do my part to contribute
to what will hopefully be a successful season and am very excited to
meet everyone and start working in August.”
“We are grateful that Nicolas has decided to return from North
America and join our team,” said Dallas Eakins, Mannheim’s sports
manager and head coach. “He’s a proven scorer in the league and
brings size and attitude. We look forward to seeing him on the ice in
our colors soon.”
A native of Orleans, Ont., Mattinen played junior hockey for the
London Knights, Flint Firebirds, Hamilton Bulldogs and Oshawa
Generals, winning two OHL titles along the way and was a member of
London’s 2015-16 Memorial Cup championship team, although he missed
the final tournament with an injury.
The 6-foot-5, 216-pound Mattinen was drafted in the sixth round,
179th overall, by the Toronto
Maple Leafs in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play three
years for the University of Ottawa, however, before finally turning
pro in 2022 at age 24.
Former Leafs, Lightning D-Man Returns Home To Sweden
Swedish defenseman Andreas Borgman, 29, has signed a three-year
contract to play with HV71, the Jönköping-based
SHL club announced on Tuesday.
Mattinen played for Villacher EV in 2022-23, winning the ICEHL’s
top defenseman award, and then played for the DEL’s Straubing
Tigers in 2023-24, where he won the league’s top defenseman and MVP
awards. Mattinen signed a contract with Mannheim in the summer of
2024 but exercised an escape clause when he had the chance to sign
with Toronto.
Last season, Mattinen played only 22 games for the Toronto
Marlies, recording four assists and eight penalty minutes. He has
seven points and 12 penalty minutes in 30 career AHL games.
Toronto retains his NHL rights.
Last season, Mannheim finished fourth in the DEL regular season
and was swept by eventual champion Eisbären
Berlin in the semifinals. In addition to Mattinen, Mannheim
also has ex-NHLers Tom Künhackl, John Gilmour,
Kristian
Reichel and Marc Michaelis under contract for the 2025-26
season.
Kristian Reichel leaves Winnipeg for Adler MannheimKristian Reichel is moving on from the Winnipeg Jets organization where he’s spent the past six seasons, signing a three-year contract with German club Adler Mannheim.
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