Carolina Hurricanes sign Stelio Mattheos to three-year entry level contract

The Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday announced that they have signed forward Stelio Mattheos to a three-year entry level contract that will begin in the 2019-20 season. Mattheos will begin his professional career with the Charlotte Checkers under an amateur tryout contract for the remainder of this season.

The 19-year-old Mattheos was the WHL’s fourth-leading goal scorer last season, scoring 44 goals while serving as the captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings. A third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Mattheos finished his career in junior hockey in spectacular fashion, posting 96 points to lead the Wheat Kings in scoring this season and following up on a 90-point performance in the year following his draft. He was the only player in the WHL to score 40 or more goals in each of the past two seasons.

Mattheos joins Morgan Geekie and Martin Necas as players from the Canes’ 2017 draft class to sign entry-level deals. Sixth-round selection Brendan De Jong is the only remaining player from the 2017 draft who faces a June 1 deadline to sign. If he does not sign by then, the Canes will lose his rights and he will re-enter the 2019 draft.

The release from the team is below.

CANES SIGN MATTHEOS TO ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT

Forward finished fourth in the WHL with 44 goals

Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed forward Stelio Mattheos to a three-year, entry-level contract The deal begins with the 2019-20 season and will pay him $700,000 in 2019-20 and 2020-21 and $750,000 in 2021-22 at the NHL level. He will be paid $70,000 per season at the AHL level and receives a signing bonus of $277,500. Mattheos will report to Charlotte for the remainder of this season on an amateur try-out agreement.

“Stelio is a highly-skilled center coming off back-to-back 90-point seasons in Brandon,” said Waddell.“He’s shown great ability as a goal scorer and we look forward to the next steps in his development.”

Mattheos, 19, ranked fourth in the Western Hockey League in goals (44) and sixth in points (96) this season, while skating in 65 games for the Brandon Wheat Kings. Mattheos captained the Wheat Kings in 2018-19 and led the team in goals, assists (52), points, shots on goal (271), power-play goals (18) and power-play assists (16). The 6’1”, 196-pound forward reached 40 goals and 90 points for the second straight season and was the only WHL player to score 40 goals in each of the last two seasons. Mattheos tallied 30 multi-point games this season, including three hat tricks, and won 54.5% of his team-high 1,348 faceoffs.

The Winnipeg, Man., native was drafted by the Hurricanes in the third round, 73rd overall, of the 2017 NHL Draft. Mattheos registered 278 points (127g, 151a) in 253 career WHL regular season games with Brandon from 2015-19, and added 25 points (12g, 13a) in 45 career playoff games. He won a WHL Championship in 2016 with the Wheat Kings and skated in three games with a goal at the 2016 Memorial Cup. Mattheos was selected first overall by Brandon in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft.