Maple Leafs sign 6'5 224 lbs defenseman playing in Germany.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to add some size to their blue line in the future.

On Sunday, the Maple Leafs announced the signing of DEL defenseman Nicolas Mattinen to a one year deal, the contract will be a two way deal.

Mattinen, a native of Ottawa, Ontario, has been on the Maple Leafs radar for quite some time having been selected in the 6th round (179th overall) by the Maple Leafs all the way back at the 2016 National Hockey League Entry Draft. 6th round picks tend to be a long shot but this one may actually work out for the Maple Leafs, even if it has taken several years to get there.

Since being drafted, Mattinen has plied his craft in the Ontario Hockey League, at the University of Ottawa, for the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League, in Austria, and most recently in Germany's DEL.

His most recent season was with the Straubing Tigers of the DEL where he appeared in 52 games over the course of the 2023-24 campaign. Over 52 regular season games, Mattinen picked up 16 goals and added 30 assists for a total of 46 points, a level of production he would continue to deliver in the playoffs. Over 12 playoff games this season the 26 year old blue liner had 1 goal and 6 assists for a total of 7 points.