It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! The 2024 NHL Draft will take place on June 28 and 29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Next up for us is Matvei Gridin. Gridin is projected to go as early as 26th or as late as 61st, making him a likely second-round pick.
Who is Matvei Gridin?
| PLAYER | POSITION | HANDEDNESS | HEIGHT | WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matvei Gridin | RW | L | 6’1″ | 185 lbs |
Gridin’s on-ice production
| YEAR | DRAFT RELATIVE | LEAGUE | TEAM | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | D-3 | Russia U16 | Spartak St. Petersburg U16 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Russia U18 | Spartak St. Petersburg U18 | 22 | 11 | 22 | 33 | ||
| 2021–22 | D-2 | Russia U16 | Avangard Omsk U16 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Russia U17 | Avangard Omsk U17 | 34 | 26 | 24 | 50 | ||
| Int-Jr | Russia U16 (all) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | D-1 | USHL | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 40 | 8 | 13 | 21 |
| 2023–24 | D+0 | USHL | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 60 | 38 | 45 | 83 |
Gridin is a Russian-born player who was born on March 1, 2006, in the city of Kurgan. The 6-foot-1 Russian first started with the Spartak St. Petersburg U16 and U18 teams, then transferred to the Omsk U16, U17, and U18 teams before making the jump to North America.
Drafted in the 15th round, 223rd overall of the 2022 USHL Draft by the Muskegon Lumberjacks, the winger quickly made the transition over to the USHL.
In his rookie season, he posted a modest 21 points, but in 2023–24, he exploded offensively for 83, being named to the All-USHL First Team after leading the entire league in points. As a result, Gridin was recruited and is now committed to the University of Michigan for the 2024–25 season, where the winger hopes to build on his success.
You may be asking, what type of player is he? Matvei Gridin is a pure soft-skill player with the toolkit of a sniper and some playmaking inclinations.
Gridin’s strengths
Skating
For clarity purposes, Gridin is not an elite skater, but his skating is generally good. That being said, his skating is a plus for his game as he possesses good balance, a clean mechanical stride, decent lateral acceleration, the ability to make turns and stop when needed (outside edgework), and can generate lots of power from his frame. His balance is particularly noticeable as he is hard to knock off of the puck or out of position when he is net-front.
At points, his posture is questionable as it often looks like he’s standing straight up skating, pointing to a lack of ankle flexion, but not enough to detract from his game. The big Russian clearly uses this above-average speed as a foundation to cheat plays, generate chances off of the rush, and be a capable teammate in-zone. He uses his skating to constantly look for open ice and offensive chances, hinting at above-average instincts and play anticipation.
Shooting
In the offensive zone, Gridin is a capable shooter, which really justifies his 3:08 of power play time per game. The big Russian has a quick snapshot release and shovel shots that are able to fool goaltenders quite regularly. This quick release is also matched with high-end shooting power and leverage that makes Gridin an even larger threat in the o-zone. It can also transfer to rush plays, as Gridin’s skating and offensive-minded instincts generate a fair amount of breakaways at the USHL level. It remains to be seen if these rush chances become options at the NCAA or pro level.
In general, he does have an NHL-projectable shot.
O-zone instincts
Upon zone entry, Gridin is likely to shoot just as pace of play slows down, hinting at a developing sense of shot selection that ideally will continue. His offensive instincts and vision are decent, as he can identify pass options quickly, which allows him to be in a position to attempt passes or make shots that will be offensive threats to opposing teams.
He is quite versatile as well, being both a half-wall and net-front presence. With his larger frame and some finishing skills that show obvious muscle, he serves as a capable net-front threat.
Forecheck pressure
One area that he is adept at when he wants to be is on the initial forecheck. He can exert some defensive pressure that forces less experienced players into turnovers. Through adequate stick positioning and capable stick lifts, the Russian forward displays an ability to be a transitional threat. This stick positioning continues in zone-play as he attempts to block lanes and limit chances against, which is a main contributor to his 1:09 per game of penalty kill time.
Gridin’s areas of improvement
Compete Level
Gridin plays a very passive game and often waits for plays to be created for him. The forward shows a significant lack of compete level and a generally low motor that raises questions of how his game will transfer to even the NCAA level. The Russian lacks play involvement, and it is often hard to predict if he will contribute to a play or be a passenger.
Secondarily, there is a lack of physicality to his game and an almost complete avoidance of board battles. When taking into account his 6-foot-1 frame, if there was a greater willingness to be physical, he could become a lot more of a complete threat.
Senses
Other areas that raise alarm include his senses and play reading. Without the puck, the effort levels drop, which relates to less-than-ideal risk assessment—especially in chances against off the rush. There is a reason he only starts 26% of his shifts in the defensive zone compared to 44% of shifts in the o-zone, and this is because of some senses and competitive-level deficiencies.
His puck skills are of lesser concern. They need a bit more refinement, as they are there but lack some polish, especially around long passing and handling.
Potential
Likely bottom-six, possibly top-nine
The only traits Gridin has that are really transferable to the NHL would be high-quality shooting and possibly passable skating, but whether or not he could carve out a role as a secondary scoring element—even at the NCAA level—remains to be seen.
Gridin’s Comparables
For comparables in the NHL, Gridin has a similar game to Mike Hoffman: a power play threat with a lethal shot, passable skating, and o-zone potential.
Fit with the Flames
Likely a PP2 type of player who can generate offence just by sheer shooting volume.
The Calgary Flames’ system is heavy on wingers, so they could look more to areas of need in the second round. While the Flames do have a lot of wingers in the system, I wouldn’t exactly say they’re rich in players of Gridin’s style. So, despite there not being a positional fit, there could still be a fit style-wise.
Summary
Risk: 2.5/5
There’s not much to debate here. The team that drafts Gridin knows exactly what they are getting out of him. He is a soft-skill shooting-to-score winger who will likely serve in a secondary role, but they will likely be betting on further development during his NCAA years to unlock more layers in his game beyond shooting.
Reward 2.5/5
For a team struggling to generate offence, he could be a huge asset on the power play.
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2024 NHL Draft prospects:
Macklin Celebrini | Ivan Demidov | Artyom Levshunov | Sam Dickinson | Cayden Lindstrom | Berkly Catton | Cole Eiserman | Zeev Buium | Konsta Helenius | Zayne Parekh | Carter Yakemchuk | Anton Silayev | Tij Iginla | Adam Jiricek | Michael Brandsegg-Nygard | Liam Greentree | Igor Chernyshov | Trevor Connelly | Aron Kiviharju | Michael Hage | Ryder Ritchie | Sacha Boisvert | Nikita Artamonov | Maxim Masse | Cole Hutson | Beckett Sennecke | Dominik Badinka | Emil Hemming | Henry Mews | Terik Parascak | Alfons Freij | Charlie Elick | EJ Emery | John Mustard | Luka Misa | Tanner Howe | Lucas Pettersson | Matvei Gridin | Dean Letourneau | Leo Sahlin Wallenius | Jesse Pulkkinen | Cole Beaudoin | Kamil Bednarik | Jett Luchanko | Andrew Basha | Stian Solberg | Adam Jecho | Matvei Shuravin | Veeti Vaisanen
