A look at the best Tri-City American players that are eligible for the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft that takes place in Las Vegas from June 28th to June 29th.
Lukas Matecha Background
Lukas Matecha was the biggest surprise of the CHL Import Draft in 2023. When Matecha’s mental game is on point, he is considered a top goalie in the WHL. Like his Czech teammate Curran, Matecha has also had a breakout season and has landed on NHL Draft radars. NHL Central Scouting has ranked Matecha third among North American goalies.
Matecha is an 18-year-old native of Chrudim, Czechia. He was the Americans’ second pick in the Import Draft and 99th overall in the 2023.
Prior to joining the Americans, Lukas Matecha developed in the HC Dynamo Pardubiche Academy. For the 2022-2023 Season, Matecha played for Dynamo Pardubiche’s Under-20 side. In 32 games played, Matecha had a .918 save percentage and a 2.54 goals allowed average. Matecha also made two appearances for the HC Dynamo Pardubice B-Squad in the Czechia-2 League.
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Lukas Matecha began the season as the starting goalie for the Americans, beating out former Americans goalie Nick Avakyan. This happened after World Junior star Tomas Suchanek departed for the AHL San Diego Gulls. Like import Curran, Matecha has a significant responsibility to the Americans in his first year in North America. This task involves stopping 35+ shots on most nights, just like Suchanek.
What sets Matecha apart is his unique ability to take up the crease and sit farther back simultaneously. This allows him to read the play better than most other goalies. Matecha also seals up the posts well, limiting scoring opportunities from tight angles.
Matecha’s excellent performance at the Kubota CHL Prospects Game in Moncton proved his potential. Matecha played against the best draft-eligible players in the CHL and stopped all 19 shots he faced. Matecha beat out opposing netminder, rival Chief goalie Dawson Cowan to win the game.
Matecha’s mental game is an’ issue that arises at certain times, but it is fixable. If one wrong goal goes in, another is most likely to follow. However, Matecha has shown his full potential, when things go his way, like in the CHL top prospect game, he will make that extra save.
The second half of the season was however a burden to the Czechia netminder. Matecha played in eighteen games in the second half of the season, and only six of those games did Matecha have a save percentage above .900. Matecha’s season was cut short after he obtained an injury in a blowout loss to the Wenatchee Wild in early March.
In the 23-24 season, Matecha overall boasted a 13-19-1-1 record, a 3.42 GAA, and .901 Save Percentage in 35 games played. NHL teams should consider him a promising prospect. Matecha’s challenges, such as his mental game, are easily addressable. With the right guidance and training, Matecha has the potential to become a NHL’er. It’s likely that he will be selected in the middle rounds of the upcoming NHL Draft.
Maximillian Curran Background
Maximillian Curran is a center currently playing for the Tri-City Americans in the Western Hockey League (WHL) who just completed his rookie season at the age of 17. Curran has been ranked as high as 26th among North American Skaters in his first year of draft eligibility by the NHL Central Scouting Services, but has fallen to 58th. Curran hails from Praha, Czechia, and was selected 39th overall in the 2023 CHL Import Draft. Curran signed with Tri-City in late July of 2023, along with fellow Czech player, Lukas Matecha.
Curran is a towering 6’4″ center who has represented Czechia on the international stage, most notably at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2023. He contributed 3 points in five games played in the tournament, helping Czechia win a Silver Medal after losing to fellow American teammate Jordan Gavin’s team Canada, in overtime.
Curran also participated in the Under 18 World Junior Championship, where he played in five games and tallied three points, including a goal for Czechia.
Prior to joining Tri-City, Curran played for HC Slavia Praha’s Under 17 Czechia squad and HC Slavia Praha’s Under 20 Division Two side. He scored 64 points in 36 games played for both teams. Curran also made two appearances for HC Slavia Praha’s senior squad in the second-highest level of Czechia Pro Hockey.
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Curran is a talented forward who plays a significant role in Tri-City. Although he is only 17 years old and this being Currans first year in North Americ and Tri-City full of many experienced and skilled forwards during the 2023/24 season, Curran usually played in the upper end of the lineup.
Max’s excellent passing and playmaking ability impress scouts, which is why he is ranked so high in his first NHL draft eligible season. When Curran has the puck, he creates scoring opportunities out of nothing and often.
Curran uses his size to his advantage extremely on the offense and defensive side, making him a valuable two-way player. Curran makes it difficult for smaller defenders to stop him, skating right by. Curran dominates board play and plants himself out front, imposing a tall task on goalies with his 6’4 frame.
On the defensive side, Curran uses his size and reach to get steals and block shots to disrupt the opposing team’s offense.
Curran’s passing is his X-factor. He had 27 assists in 40 games played on Tri-City. Despite missing the last 28 games of the season due to an upper-body injury discovered at the CHL Top Prospect Game in early/mid-January, Curran still ranked fifth on the Americans in assists by the end of the season.
Curran will likely be selected in the mid to late rounds of the upcoming NHL Draft. Hockey fans might see similarities between Curran and Tomas Hertl of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Jake Sloan Background
Sloan needs not much of a introduction if you are a Americans fan, the 2004 born Center had a career year and was the top point-scorer for the Tri-City Americans in the 2023-2024 season. Sloan has spent all four seasons of his WHL career with the Tri-City Americans and is currently a alternative captain for the Americans.
Sloan is also entering the last year of his NHL Draft eligibility before being eligible to sign for any NHL team that offers him. Sloan has gone to NHL Rookie Training Camps before for most recently the Edmonton Oilers.
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Sloan had an impressive year, tallying up 70 points in 68 games, a significant improvement from his previous season when he achieved 15 fewer points. Sloan was the second-highest scorer on the team with 31 goals, just two goals behind the leading scorer, Parker Bell.
Although Sloan and Curran share similarities in their playmaking abilities, Sloan’s style is a more one-sided physical offensive weapon, not known for his defense. Sloan has struggled with skating ability and consistency, which may have prevented him from being drafted in the past. However, Sloan has shown significant improvement in consistency over the past season, but there is still room for improvement in his skating.
Sloan is known best for his excellent passing abilities. Sloan finished second on the team in assists with 39. Sloan’s size and strength however make him a valuable player and set him apart from the rest, particularly in the physical aspect of the game. Sloan can get to dangerous parts of the ice, using his superb physicality to get there for scoring chances. Sloan also uses that strength and physicality along the boards to dominate board battles.
Although Sloan’s NHL potential seems limited, he is a star in the WHL. If he can have a breakout overage season as Prince George’s forward Zac Funk did, Sloan may earn an NHL contract. Regarding the 2024 NHL Draft, Sloan will be there in the late rounds if a team wants to take a chance on the tall, physical goal-scorer.
Northwest Sports Desk 