Kings Select defenseman Matthew Mania (Round 5, Pick 150)

The LA Kings have made their fifth-round selection at the 2023 NHL Draft, choosing defenseman Matthew Mania from the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL with the 150th overall pick!

The Vitals
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
DOB: Dec 8, 2004
Height: 6-0
Weight: 187
Hometown: Brandon, FL
NHL Central Scouting Final Ranking: 70 (NA Skaters)
EliteProspects.com Final Ranking: 46
Chris Peters / Flo Hockey: 86
Dobber Hockey: 49
Smaht Scouting: 56
Stats (OHL-Sudbury): 67 GP, 10G, 28A, 38PTS, 42PIM, +21 +/-

What The Experts Said

Chris Peters, Flo Hockey
An offensively-talented right-shot defenseman with good mobility, Mania put up 38 points in 67 OHL games this season. He distributes the puck well and can get shots through, while also showcasing an ability to make plays at the offensive blue line. The question, however, is if he has enough of a defensive game to warrant a higher pick.

Corey Pronman, The Athletic
Mania is a talented offensive-minded defenseman. He has the skating, skill and vision to make plays at higher levels. Mania is able to skate pucks up ice at a strong clip, and creates a lot of controlled exits and entries. He is a creative puck-mover, who can find openings to create chances for others. He is good at holding onto pucks at the blue line, and can evade pressure with his skating. He has NHL offense, but whether he can defend at the highest levels is a big question. Mania can be overly aggressive offensively and overall lack compete in his own end. I think there’s enough talent to possibly get some games, but he will need to round out his game to actually have an NHL career.

Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
A bright spot on Sudbury’s blue line this season, Mania developed quickly and registered 10 goals and 40 points in 71 combined regular-season and playoff games for the Wolves while driving strong underlying results at both ends. He still feels like he’s got a lot of development left in front of him, too. He’s already one of the smoother-skating defencemen in the draft, he’s got pro size and will get stronger (he’s already sneaky strong), he’s got legit one-on-one skill and made some high-end plays off the line and in transition this year, and he battles and competes when the intensity rises. There are times when he needs to defend a little quicker and tighter instead of letting the play come to him, and there are times when he needs to run his mouth a little less and make better decisions all over the ice. But with some maturity and reps, there’s a legitimate prospect to mould there.

Quick Take – Feels like a player here who really excels at one end of the ice and when you reach the fifth round, you take shots like that. Many of the industry experts had Mania as a player ranked in the third round and the Kings land him a full two rounds later, late in the fifth. Lots of positive commentary about Mania’s offensive game and production. The Kings have a lot of players with his profile who are NHL ready and Mania adds a young player, with development in front of him, into the pool. Really like this selection when the Kings made it.