IceHogs Re-Sign Nick Mattson
On Wednesday afternoon the Rockford IceHogs announced the team has agreed to a one-year, AHL contract with defenseman Nick Mattson.
Mattson, 24, was originally a sixth round pick (180th overall) by the Blackhawks in the 2010 NHL Draft. He played in 153 games over four years at North Dakota, and appeared in the Frozen Four in 2014 and 2015. He split the 2015-16 season between Rockford and the Indy Fuel in the ECHL.
In 17 games with Rockford last year, Mattson posted one goal and six assists.
Looks like there was one contract for either Gotovets, Jardine or Mattson to grab.
Rockford G-M Mark Bernard said at Prospects Camp last week that he thought Nick Mattson had an outstanding first professional season.
He was in the top-6 for Rockford in the playoffs. Guys like Valleaux sat.
Good for Mattson. I’m a fan. Good puck mover who might be one of those slow and steady incremental development guys who winds up a third pairing NHLer one day.
Bowman in Foxboro again watching Vesey… I suspect a guy like Fortin if he’s signed would be after the Vesey saga. Show him the dearth at that position.
Agreed that there was one slot for a free-agent D on an AHL contract. Jardine is an ECHL caliber, so that rules him out. Gotovets was steady but undersized, so that eliminated him. Mattson won by default.
That said, Mattson is just about to turn 25, has played 20 games above the ECHL level, and his career highlight was being the 5th D on a middling AHL club once Gustaffson, Svedberg and Rundblad were off the roster for the playoffs … at which point, he went minus-5. He’s also a lefty shot competing with about 8 other lefties for playing time. Meanwhile, Dahlstrom, Forsling and Norell have entered the fray, and Fournier is getting better. (He has to get better sometime, right? Right?)
Bottom line: Mattson is no more than an AHL depth player.
The good news? Rockford’s D corps looks deep and reasonably solid: Gustafsson or Svedberg at the top — or both, if the Hawks only keep 7 D. Pokka and Schilling are an experienced pair to round out the top 4. The bottom 3 is likely Dahlstrom and the best of Valleau, Norell, Mattson or Fournier. And if Forsling changes his mind and accepts an AHL assignment — or manages to make the big club and pushes TVR to Rockford, the group gets even better.
The bad news? I don’t see a goalie tandem of Johansson and Carruth scaring anyone except maybe Stan Bowman.