Eastman Selects star Crosby Mateychuk was selected in the first round of the WHL draft by the Vancouver Giants, the same team that later on would select his cousin, making the dream of playing together in the WHL a little more likely.
"I was a little nervous leading up," the Dominion City product says with a chuckle. "I got the call and it was pretty exciting. (Vancouver) is a great organization and they've developed some really good players, it's awesome."
Later in the draft, Mateychuk's cousin Will was also selected by the Giants, something the two dreamt about. "It's so great. I've played with him for the last four years, it's been so great playing with him and hopefully, we can play together for years to come. It's very special."
This past season with the U15 AAA Selects, Mateychuk put up an eye-popping 32 goals and 39 assists for 71 points in just 31 games, something he says he's proud of because of the work he's put in. "That first year, it was good to get it under my belt, see what it was like to play against some really good players. I wanted to follow that up and dominate."
Dominate he did. Mateychuk says growing into being a go-to guy for Eastman took some getting used to, but he loved it. "We had a team that was there for one another. To be viewed as a leader of that group meant a lot, I wanted to be someone they could look up to."
On top of spending the year at 15U AAA, Mateychuk also got in a couple of games at the U17 and U18 AAA levels, something he says opened his eyes to what that next step will look like. "Getting to play against quicker, faster, stronger guys, that level of competition was good to see in person."
Heading into 2025-26, Mateychuk has an idea of where he'll be playing. "Hopefully get a couple of games in and I'll try out for the U18 Eastman Selects."
Being a prolific scorer is one thing but Mateychuk is really looking forward to being that leader off the ice as well. "I want to make sure I lead by example. Doing all the things properly and never taking things for granted."
As he moves up levels, he maybe won't have his way like he's had in the past, something he is well aware of and he knows it'll be a battle both physically and mentally. "I will just make sure I'm always ready before and during the game. Stay focused, stay ready."
Mateychuk is very proud to be a Select and he says the work they put him through has made a big difference. "Staking two times a week, playing on the weekend and then working out, they pushed us and it was great."
Older brother Denton was pretty thrilled to hear the younger Mateychuk would be getting a chance to compete in the WHL. "He was excited, he said Vancouver is a very good spot to be in and that got me even more excited, too. I try and get some tips from him, but I want to be my own player, too"
Always wanting to improve, the 15-year-old is already focused on an area he want's to work on this upcoming season. "My skating, absolutely my skating," he says confidently. "I want to get better in those first couple of strides. Players get so much faster in the upper levels and need to create some space."
Once he was drafted and the Vancouver Giants put it out on social media, there was a minor buzz with Mateychuk's first name, Crosby, getting the attention of hockey people and wanting to name their future children with similar hockey names, something he got quite the kick out of. "Yeah, I saw that," he says with a laugh. "It's pretty unique. I smiled, for sure."
Look for Crosby Mateychuk to keep smiling as he looks to make his way to the WHL's Vancouver Giants in the future.