Mateiko added to CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Eriks Mateiko has been added to next week's CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Moncton.

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced the edition Tuesday afternoon. Mateiko is presumably an injury substitution, likely replacing Medicine Hat Tigers forward Cayden Lindstrom who had surgery last week.

Mateiko is certainly worthy of a roster spot and was always high on the list of players who would slide in if there was an injury. The 18-year-old has 15 goals and 15 assists in 30 games with Saint John this season and just recently returned from playing with Team Latvia at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

The annual event features the top draft eligible players from across the CHL. It's not a great draft year for the QMJHL with just five players from the league taking part: defensemen Spencer Gill (Rimouski) and Tomas Lavoie (Cape Breton) along with forwards Mateiko (Saint John), Raoul Boilard (Baie-Comeau) and Maxim Masse (Chicoutimi).

There are a couple other Sea Dogs connections taking part in this year's game with former head coaches Gerard Gallant and Mike Kelly both being honourary coaches. Gallant will be part of Dan Lacroix's (Moncton) Team Red staff while Kelly will join Jim Hulton's (Charlottetown) Team White. 

The game takes place next Wednesday at Moncton's Avenir Centre at 7:30 p.m. The game can be seen on TSN.