Sackville’s Matteo Mann takes hockey’s next big step as he prepares for NHL draft
It’s almost certain that Sackville’s Matteo Mann will be one of the 217 young hockey players drafted into the NHL this year, but Mann himself is not counting his chickens before they’re hatched.
18-year-old Mann just finished his third season with Les Sageuenéens in Chicoutimi, part of the Quebec Major Junior League, also known as the Q, one of the big three major junior leagues in the country. And now he’s being written about as an NHL draft prospect for 2023.
CHMA spoke to Mann last week from Ottawa, where he was starting his training in preparation for the NHL Combine, the big draft event that takes place in June.
Now that his season is over, Mann’s attitude is calm and even keeled. “Where I go, or if I go, is kind of out of my hands at this point,” says Mann. “Whatever happens, I’m kind of just waiting for the next steps, really.”
Yanick Jean says it’s almost certain Mann will be drafted this year. The head coach and general manager of Les Saguenéens says Mann is the type of player sought after by the NHL in recent years.
Jean describes Mann as a “big, stay-home defenseman, who is really efficient when he gets physical… He’s a good skater for a big guy, and this is what a lot of the NHL teams are looking for,” says Mann. “NHL teams want bigger guys playing on defense.… Continue
Sackville’s Matteo Mann on working hard and enjoying the game as he takes hockey’s next big step
On today’s show we talk with NHL draft prospect Matteo Mann about his childhood in Sackville, and his philosophy as he makes the next big step toward a possible future in the NHL.
Plus in briefs: we take a look at the agenda for today’s Tantramar council committee of the whole meeting; Live Bait talks about the impact of the Good Friday fire; and local journalist Bruce Wark files a formal request for a locally produced health care report.
Listen to Tantramar Report for Monday, April 24, 2023: