A couple of years ago, it was Matvei Gridin's goal to come to North America and play in CHL.
Thanks to geopolitical tensions which barred Russians from entering the league for a couple of years, the goalposts shifted towards the USHL and eventually the NCAA.
But after a remarkable 83 point (38+45) draft year campaign with the Muskegon Lumberjacks -- good enough to earn him a selection in the first round by the Calgary Flames -- that CHL option became available once again.
His intent became known right before the NHL Draft via fellow first rounder Artyom Levshunov, who spilled the beans on Gridin's desire to play in the CHL. Later, The Hockey News' Connor Earegood broke that Gridin had become academically ineligible for the NCAA, only adding fuel to the fire of a potential move to the CHL.
Given this, the Val-d'Or Foreurs took a swing on him with the first overall pick of the Import Draft and it quickly appeared that he wasn't too pleased with the idea of playing for the Foreurs -- who had missed the playoffs the last two seasons. This was confirmed by his complete absence at the Foreurs pre-season camp, and the radio silence on even signing a player development contract.
Quickly, rumours of teams interested in the young star started to spread and spiral. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler noted that the Memorial Cup hosting Rimouski Océanic could be an option.
That said, a report from Matthew Vachon last month broke that the Shawinigan Cataractes won the Gridin sweepstakes.
As it would appear, this report is now being corroborated further by Pierre-Olivier Poulin, confirming that the trade will take place at the start of the season.
Gridin is a massive get for Shawinigan as this'll be the first time since the 2021-22 season, which they won a QMJHL championship, that the Cataractes have had an NHL first rounder on the team.
It is of note that besides Jiri Klima, the Cataractes don't have another committed import player, as their 2024 first round import Eduard Bondar hasn't signed.
An acquisition like Gridin could be the headliner the Cataractes need to enter contender conversation, as the Cataractes already have a strong supporting cast with the likes of Felix Lacerte, Jordan Tourigny, Vince Elie, Isaac Menard, Jiri Klima, Chad Lygitsakos and Mathys Fernandez.
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