Matheson shines at Boston College
DRAFTED BY THE PANTHERS, the 18-year-old rookie from Pointe-Claire says college hockey was always in his plans
It’s rare for a freshman to have an impact on an NCAA men’s hockey program, but Mike Matheson is doing exactly that with the No. 1-ranked Boston College Eagles.
“He’s fit right in and he’s having an impact on our first unit,” said Jerry York, who became the winningest coach in U.S. college history this season. “He came in here as a first-round NHL draft pick, but there’s no ego at all.”
Matheson, an 18-year-old from Pointe-Claire, scored two goals to help B.C. tie Providence last weekend, earning Hockey East rookie-of-the-week honours. He has four goals and six assists in 14 games and leads all B.C. defencemen with a plus-11 rating.
“It was a pretty easy adjustment,” Matheson said in a phone call from Boston. “The upper classmen were very welcoming to the freshmen. They’re coming off an NCAA championship and when a team goes through something like that, they form a tight bond. It could have been awkward for new guys coming, but they said: ‘You guys are now part of the team and we need you to help us.’ ”
Matheson, who was drafted 23rd overall by the Florida Panthers in June, said college hockey was always in his plans, although he kept an open mind. His older sister and brother went to U.S. prep schools and Kenny Matheson is now playing at Hamilton College in upstate New York.
When he was playing midget for Jon Goyens with Lac-St-Louis, Matheson attracted a lot of attention from teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
“When the QMJHL draft was coming around, I would say that I was 50-50 on whether to go to school or play major junior,” the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Matheson said. “I have a lot of respect for major-junior hockey, but when I came to make a decision, I thought college would give me the things I needed.
“I need to get stronger and there are some little things I need to improve on my defensive game, and it’s hard to do that with all the games in junior. We get three or four days of practice and three days of lifts, and I’ve already added some strength.”
York said Matheson landed on his radar after he received a tip from a Montreal media personality.
“It was Pierre McGuire who called me and said there was a youngster in his area that I should look at,” said York, who travelled to Newfoundland to watch Matheson play in a tournament.
Matheson graduated from John Rennie High School in 2011 and followed his brother to the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League. He said Fighting Saints head coach Jim Montgomery, a Montreal native and briefly a Canadien, and assistant coach Joe Coombs played key roles in his development.
“It was a very good experience playing there,” said Matheson, who used his spare time to take courses at a local community college. “I knew that I wouldn’t be able to transfer them to B.C., but I didn’t want to get out of the habit of going to class and studying.”
Matheson represented Quebec at the world under-17 challenge and was on the Canadian under-18 team that played in the Ivan Hlinka tournament. He was said he was disappointed not to be invited to the Canadian camp for the upcoming world junior championship, even though he went higher in the NHL draft than three-quarters of the players who are at the camp.
“I just take that as a motivation to work harder and hope I get invited next year,” Matheson said.
York admitted that recruiting a first-round draft pick can be risky because — hello, Louis Leblanc — they don’t always stay in school. The B.C. coach said he had a good relationship with the Panthers organization and that scout Mike Yandle keeps tabs on Matheson’s progress.
“Every player has to make his own decision,” York said. “Mike is an outstanding skater and he has offensive skills. Our job here is to help him develop a 200-foot game. He can be better defensively.” Matheson agrees. “I’ve had a good start, but I’m not totally satisfied,” he said. “There are things I could have done better. I can’t say for sure how long I’ll be here because some things are out of my control. I don’t know how quickly I’ll progress and I don’t know what Florida is thinking. I want to make sure that I’m ready and the situation is right in Florida.”
York said he hopes Matheson sticks around for at least three years because that will increase his chances of earning a degree.
“We’ve had Rob Scuderi and Brooks Orpik working out with us during the lockout,” York said. “Rob played four seasons and earned his degree, while Brooks played three and has been coming back in the summer to finish. I find that if players play at least three years, they come back to finish. It’s a lot tougher if you leave after a year or two.”