Breaking: Leafs pick traded in OHL blockbuster

Just days before puck dropped, the youngster is headed from London to Flint.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Breaking: Leafs pick traded in OHL blockbuster
Keystone Press

The London Knights have announced that they’ve traded defenceman Nicolas Mattinen to the Flint Firebirds for a boatload of draft picks. Heading back to London in exchange for Mattinen are two second round picks, and two third round picks. That's quite a return for the 19-year-old blue liner.

Mattinen was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 6th round (179th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, but has yet to make his NHL debut with the club. In 66 games with the Knights last season, Mattinen scored two goals and 8 points, while putting up 75 penalty minutes.

“We would like to thank Nicolas for his years with the team,” said London Knights GM Rob Simpson. “He has been a great member of our organization, both on and off the ice, dating back to our 2015-2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup Championship team. We wish Nicolas all the best with his new organization and with his future endeavors in hockey.”