The Washington Capitals announced that the team signed left-wing Eriks Mateiko to a three-year entry-level contract that carries an $889,167 salary cap hit on Friday. The 18-year-old was the 80th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft by Washington.
Mateiko spent the 2023-24 season with the St. John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he scored 23 goals and recorded 43 points in 49 games.
On Sept. 22, Mateiko made his NHL preseason debut with the Capitals against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 6’5”, 207-pound forward, who served as an alternate captain for Saint John, led the team in goals and ranked tied for first in power-play goals (6) and second in points. A native of Jelgava, Latvia, Mateiko represented his country at the 2024 World Junior Championship, where he recorded one goal in five games.
Mateiko registered 36 points (16g, 20a) in 62 games during his rookie season with Saint John in 2022-23, ranking third among the team’s first-year players in goals and fourth in points. Mateiko was the captain of Latvia at the 2023 Under-18 World Championship and finished the tournament with two points in five games.
Mateiko was ranked fifth among North American left wings and 33rd among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
