Born: 2001-06-21
Team: SaiPa
Position: Center/Wing
Shoots: Left
Height / Weight: 5-11 / 159
SUMMARY: 2019-2020 SEASON
The Boston Bruins sixth round pick put together a pretty good season. He managed to collect only three goals and three assists in 42 games in the Liiga, but the stat line doesn’t tell the whole story. He showed flashes of high-end puck skills, some creativity and I thought he was already one of the more skilled forwards on the team. He did have some consistency issues and his defensive reliability needs some work. However, this is not unheard of for a young 18-year-old player like him. Further, he did not have a whole lot of power play time in my viewings as the coaches seemed to often trust other players on the man advantage. Mäntykivi was much more noticeable during his eight game stint with Ketterä in Mestis.
REPORT: KETTERÄ @ KEUPA (MESTIS), DECEMBER 13, 2019
Mäntykivi had an excellent performance on Ketterä’s second line. He provided havoc in front of the net on the game-winning goal as he battled for position and took away the goalie’s sight on the puck. He made a nice cross ice pass to set up a power play goal and finished the game with three assists. A smooth operator with the puck, he exhibited quick and flashy on stickhandling on a couple of zone entries. He had a soft touch on the puck and played with his head up to survey the ice. Instinctive in all three zones and responsible away from the puck, I was impressed with his work rate and effort level. On the downside, his skating seemed to still lag behind. He has a short and choppy stride since he doesn’t use his full extension. I think he really needs to work on lengthening his stride. However, there is no denying the high-end puck skills of the 18-year-old forward.
REPORT: SAIPA @ LUKKO U18, JANUARY 20, 2019
Mäntykivi set the tone for SaiPa U18 early in the game, blocking three shots in the first period, and scored two goals in a 6-5 overtime defeat to Lukko. The first goal was a nice individual effort where he stickhandled into the middle and finished off with a precise wrister, while the second goal came through a takeaway in the offensive zone. Mäntykivi played a solid physical game and finished his checks with authority, especially in the third period. One of his best plays a strong defensive play in the first period, in which he backchecked furiously and prevented a good scoring chance. He’s a very smart player and his skill level stood out. On the downside, his stride is short and lacks power. He also has an upright stance. All of this results into a lack of quickness. Nonetheless, Mäntykivi had a strong game and played in all situations for his team.
FINAL 2019 NHL DRAFT RANKING
20. C/W Matias Mäntykivi – SaiPa (U20)
Mäntykivi had a good season with SaiPa U20. Though the team struggled as a whole, Mäntykivi was able to produce and stand out on the first line. He capped off the season with gold in Mestis (FIN-2). Hockey sense is his biggest asset, but he also has good offensive instincts and makes plays with the puck. He is a strong, fierce competitor. He needs to work on his skating, especially stride power and length. Mäntykivi could push for a spot on SaiPa’s Liiga team as soon as next season.
Cover Photo: SaiPa.fi