The Anaheim Ducks used the 2025 NHL Entry Draft to add Alexis Mathieu, a fifth-round pick at 136th overall, and the early read on the defenseman is pretty clear: he’s not coming with flash, but he is coming with a reputation.
Mathieu spent this past season split between the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and the Newfoundland Regiment in the QMJHL. He opened the year in Baie-Comeau, where he appeared in 31 games and finished with four goals and seven points. At the end of December, he was dealt to Newfoundland, and his production settled in at three goals and seven points across 30 games with his new club.
Newfoundland made a run to the postseason and got as far as the second round before falling in six games to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Mathieu was in the lineup for every one of those 12 playoff games and picked up one assist.
What stands out most about Mathieu isn’t the scoring touch. He’s known more for his physical, even violent, style than for offense, but that’s only part of the picture.
He also brings strong skating and a dependable defensive game, which gives him a path to becoming a useful penalty killer down the line. He’s not the kind of defenseman who’s going to run a power play in the NHL, but he does have traits that could make him a steady depth piece if everything develops right.
That development is still a long way off. Mathieu is several years from the NHL and has at least one more junior season ahead of him.
After that, the Ducks will have to sort through the next step: turning pro, staying for an overage year in the QMJHL, or heading to the NCAA. If he goes pro right away, he’d likely spend time in both the ECHL and AHL during his first season.
Before Anaheim can even start thinking about him as an NHL option, Mathieu will need to prove he can hold his own as a legitimate AHL defenseman. That process is expected to take at least a couple of years. The earliest he might reach Anaheim is the 2029-2030 season, though it could easily be later.
For now, Mathieu remains unsigned, and the Ducks control his rights through June 2027. A strong season in Newfoundland could push Anaheim to get him under contract on his entry-level deal. If the organization wants a longer look, NCAA hockey would stretch out the signing window by a couple of years.
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