Auston Matthews
Born: September 17, 1997 San Ramon, California, U.S.
Height: 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) Weight 223 lb (101 kg; 15 st 13 lb)
Position: Centre
Shot: Left
Played for: Toronto Maple Leafs

Did You Know?

Did you know that Auston Matthews is American

Did You Know?

Did you know that Auston Matthews won medals

Main Content

Auston Matthews is an American hockey player playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. he has scored many goals and assisted the American team and the Toronto Maple

His Early Life

Matthews was born in the San Francisco Bay Area. Matthews moved to Arizona at an early age where he watched Phoenix Coyotes games when he was two years old.] Matthews didn't have much interest in the game, but was motivated by the Zamboni machine that cleaned the ice during intermissions. Matthews first wanted to play after fifth birthday, and began playing with the Arizona Bobcats. When Matthews was younger he played both hockey and baseball. His best sport at the time was baseball. His incredible hand-eye coordination made him an excellent hitter. However, Auston Mattews hated the slow pace of the game, liking the fast pace and constant action of hockey. When he first started playing hockey his parents knew almost nothing of the sport. Matthews played in the 2010 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Kharkov minor ice hockey team.

Minor Hockey

Matthews was drafted by the Everett Silvertips in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft but opted to play for the United States National Team Development Program. That season he played for the U.S. National U17 Team. He gained he gained national attention from NHL scouts, even being featured on the NHL website with looks on his unique southwestern background. In his second season, Matthews finished first in league scoring with 116 points (55 goals, 61 assists), breaking the National Team Development Program record of 102. Matthews won the USA Hockey Bob Johnson Award for excellence in international competition in 2015. Matthews trained with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program team through 2013–2015. Matthews was named the 2015 Most Valuable Player at the World U18 Championships.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Matthews was selected first overall in the 2016 draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had been expected to go first overall so this was no surprise. Matthews signed a three-year, entry-level contract which included the maximum allocation of performance bonuses. Lamoriello said the contract was negotiated within ten minutes of sitting down with Matthews' agent Pat Brisson, and that the deal was done "the Toronto way".The contract was identical in value to those McDavid and Eichel had secured a year earlier.Two weeks later, Matthews was given the NLA Youngster of the Year award, which is reserved for the league' s top rookie.

Team America

Matthews helped the American national hockey team grab a gold at the U18s in 2014. He did the same again in 2015, leading the tournament in scoring and being named MVP. He also earned the top forward slot on the Media All-Star team. At the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships, he and Matthew Tkachuk each snaged in 11 points to lead the American team in scoring. After losing the semifinals, they beat Sweden to get the bronze medal. His seven goals was one off of Jeremy Roenick's Team America record of eight. That record was set in 1989.[52] In recognition of his play, he was named to the tournament All-Star Team. Matthews was announced as a member of Team North America for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.[53]After impressing, he began the tournament on the top line with Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid.[54] They weren't good so North America didn't get a medal. Matthews finished the tournament with three points in three games played. He was advised by the Maple Leafs to skip the 2017 IIHF World Championship and rest instead.