Rookie Reflection: Mathieu De St. Phalle

Rookie season for Mathieu De St. Phalle went as well as anyone could have expected. De St. Phalle sat down with Olde City Sports Network after the April 12th Wilkes-Barre/Scranton game to talk about his rookie season. 

De St. Phalle was signed to a two-year AHL contract on April 1st, 2024, and joined the team immediately on an amateur tryout contract. During that ATO period last season, De St. Phalle tallied one goal in the seven games that then Head Coach JD Forrest dressed him in. During the 2024-2025 season, he was reassigned to the Wheeling Nailers out of training camp and earned two recalls to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins throughout the season. “I think it's been a good season overall, and I was fortunate enough to get a lot of games down there and ice time, and they did a good job of putting me in a position where I can keep my confidence and get the reps that I need in games. They would rather have you playing games than sitting in the stands all the time, so I think that's smart. I think it's been really fun overall, too. They got a great group down there, and we're a family all the way through the organization. They preach that a lot, so coming up here, it makes it easier because the guys are great, they welcome you with open arms, and it’s fun to get up here again.”

Setting goals for points was not something that De St. Phalle was focused on this season during his rookie campaign. The focus was to work hard and get better at skills and strengths that are needed in his position. “The goals of the season were kind of just to get better every day. I like to keep it simple. I don't really have a result-based goal where I need X amount of points or X amount of goals or assists, just more so, how much better can I get every day, and how much better can I get over the course of this season? I think I've done a good job in that. I've had a lot of things that I've been working on with whether it's my skating, my strength, my shot, and just kind of working with the development staff, which is second to none here and and just taking whatever they give me.”

When reassigned to Wheeling, De St. Phalle played in 62 games throughout the regular season. Within those 62 games, he notched 20 goals and 35 assists. During his recall to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he potted his first AHL goal of the season on April 11th against the Hershey Bears. De St. Phalle was working all season on his skills for the AHL level with Wheeling Nailers Head Coach Derek Army and Assistant Coach Mitch Giguere, and credits his improvement to them both. “They've been awesome. Credit to those guys and shout out to those guys. Just everything in my game, and just adjusting to the pro style. It's a lot of different coming from college into pro. and Derek's [Head Coach Derek Army], especially someone who knows that. My overall details, getting back into the zone, not just playing offense, but playing defense as well. Penalty killing, power play, just little things of the game that you learn as you go, and they've done an unbelievable job in that.” During the post-season run for the Wheeling Nailers, De St. Phalle dressed for three games and notching two goals.

Working with the development staff over the season, De St. Phalle worked on the necessary skill set to not only score goals and make plays, but to think and play like a professional. Standing at 5’9 and 170 pounds, De St. Phalle has to work a little bit more at his skating due to being on the smaller side. “I think I've excelled a lot in my skating. I think that's probably the biggest thing this year. I'm just getting the most out of my stride, whether it's the length or just my endurance, my ability to finish a shift at full speed. So I think that's something I've added to my game this year. Something to work on is just continuing my physical strength and winning battles like that, because, as a smaller player, you gotta be strong in your skates, so that's something I'm gonna try and keep going.”

There are so many memories for players throughout the season, and they can be countless. De St. Phalle looked back on the season and touched on his favorite one, including Sergei Murashov, a rookie goaltender on an NHL entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. “There are so many good ones. I'd have to say it was earlier in the year, where it was one of Sergei’s [Murashov], I don't know if it was his first shutout or second shutout, but he was just tearing it up for us. We started a chant with a song on the bus, and there are some videos of it. It was one of the most hype things I've been a part of. We were all just screaming his name and he had this big smile on his face and he was new at that point down to Wheeling, so I think we just did a great job of welcoming him with open arms and he played unbelievable, so that was just really fun to celebrate him down there.”

The 2025-2026 season is going to be a season where De St. Phalle will have to work to be at the AHL level, but if his play throughout the 2024-2025 season in Wheeling was any indication of anything, there will be a lot more of De St. Phalle in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

- Samantha Wismer/Olde City Sports Network

- Photo Credit: Wheeling Nailers/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins