Nadia Mattivi is one of the top blueline prospects on the planet when it comes to the 2026 PWHL Draft and free agency. The Italian national team member and reigning SDHL Defender of the Year has her sights set on joining the PWHL for the 2026-27 season.
Nadia Mattivi has established herself as one of the top players in Europe again this season.
Last year the Italian national team member was named the SDHL's Defender of the Year in her rookie campaign in the league. This year, she's challenging for the league scoring lead and is miles ahead of the next blueliner on the list.
While she's remaining focused on representing Italy in women's hockey at the 2026 Olympics, and helping Lulea reclaim their reign over the SDHL, the PWHL is definitely in the picture for Mattivi.
"It's for sure on my radar," Mattivi told The Hockey News. "Obviously...my focus right now is on the Olympics and the SDHL, I want to bing that gold back to Lulea."
Soon however, Mattivi's focus will shift to a future in the best league in the world, the PWHL. The former Boston University captain combines offensive skilled with a rugged style using her 5-foot-10 frame to her advantage.
Mattivi feels she's continuing to grow with Lulea, playing among national team members like Jenni Hiirikoski, Petra Nieminen, and Akane Shiga, and former PWHL players like Shiga, Sarah Bujold, and Johanna Fallman. She also acknowledges she wants to play in the best league, with the best players possible.
"Obviously you want to play in the best league in the world," said Mattivi. "I'm still very young, I see many years ahead of me of hockey. Obviously I want to play there, it's going to be next year, I'm definitely focusing on that."
Technically, should Lulea falter in the playoffs, Mattivi could be available to sign as a free agent in the PWHL to close out this year. She declared for the 2024 PWHL Draft going unselected before dominating in the SDHL. The opportunity to get Mattivi without using a draft pick could also tempt teams into signing her prior to the draft like the Ottawa Charge did this season with Emma Bergesen if Mattivi is unavailable to finish out this season in North America.
She's excited for the opportunity to join the PWHL, and feels her two seasons in Sweden have helped her add skills to her repertoire that will only make her stronger when she returns to North America.
"It's very exciting to see how the league has grown in the past few yers and I'm excited to see how it will do this year with the expansion," Mattivi said.
"You want to play with the best players. Honestly I think going back to Sweden and playing on the bigger ice kind of gave me a different perspective, after five on the smaller ice, gave me a different perspective and added more tools in my toolbox that I'm excited to implement on the smaller ice. Definitely want to be there."