Most of the talk in Calgary this season when it comes to the 2024 draft class is around ninth overall pick Zayne Parekh, and rightfully so. The Saginaw defenceman is having a historic season, but he’s not the only 2024 selection lighting up the CHL this year.
Fellow first-rounder Matvei Gridin has been putting up big numbers in his first season in the QMJHL and deserves a ton of attention as well. The 18-year-old Russian is proving he was a worthy pick at 28th overall and should be considered one of the team’s top prospects.
Gridin’s season so far
As mentioned, Gridin is the rare 18-year-old rookie in the CHL after he made the jump to the QMJHL this year despite originally planning to go the college route. As is expected of a player of his calibre and age, he’s been lighting up the QMJHL. Here are his totals and team rank in brackets so far.
| Goals | Assists | Points | Pts/GP | Shots | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matvei Gridin | 29 (1st) | 37 (1st) | 66 (1st) | 1.35 (1st) | 206 (1st) |
Even as a rookie in the league, Gridin hasn’t missed a beat. He’s currently carrying his Shawinagan team on his back, leading the roster in goals, assists, points, points per game and shots. He’s also pacing the roster with 10 goals with the man-advantage. That’s no small feat considering the Cataractes are one of the QMJHL’s better teams, currently sitting fourth in the Western Conference and already locked into a playoff spot.
His numbers league-wide are just as incredible. His 66 points are 11th in the Q, while his 29 goals are 13th, and his 37 assists are 14th. Considering Gridin has yet to turn 19 and has never played Canadian junior hockey before this season, it’s mighty impressive how quickly he’s adapted and become one of the league’s premier forwards.
Arguably the Flames’ second best prospect
Not only has Gridin been one of the QMJHL’s best players at 18 in a league full of 19 and 20-year-olds, he has a very real case for being the very best D+1 player in the league. As mentioned, he ranks 11th in the QMJHL for points right now. Of the 10 players that rank above him, just one is a fellow 2024 draftee. The remaining nine players are either older or top prospects available for the 2025 draft.
The only player drafted in 2024 that has more points than Gridin is Jeremie Poirier’s younger brother Justin who went in the fifth round to the Carolina Hurricanes, but comes with a plethora of defensive concerns. In fact, if we look back at previous QMJHL D+1 players in the Flames organization, Gridin is among the very best this century. His current full-season pace of 86 points would top Jakob Pelletier’s D+1 total of 82 and would fall just one point shy of Emile Poirier’s 87 points.
Despite being picked up very late into the first round, Gridin already seems to be paying the Flames back in a big way and deserves praise as arguably their number two prospect already before he even hits 19.
It’s no secret that the Flames have had plenty of draft picks lighting up the CHL this season. With that said, Gridin is arguably the best of them all, outside of Parekh of course. He’s got a pro build at 6’1″ and has some incredibly impressive puck skills and an NHL-level shot. He’s not just a one-trick pony either, currently racking up both goals and assists at an equal pace as his team’s primary offensive option.
Next steps in Gridin’s development
For Gridin, he just needs to keep doing what he’s already been doing for the rest of the year. As the season has gone on he’s looked more and more comfortable, watching his point totals come along as well. The hope is he can help guide the Cataractes to a long playoff run and continue to gain invaluable experience as one of his team’s very best players.
As long as he keeps trending the same way, he’s going to be a name to watch for the Flames over the next couple of years. There are plenty of high-octane offensive prospects in the Flames system, but Gridin very may well be the most well-rounded of them all, offering an intriguing blend of skill and size.
