C Auston Matthews - USNTDP, USHL (2016 Draft)

[wings5]

sounds like some valid comparisons. I've read he is saying Anze Kopitar or Jonathan Toews about himself. Kopitar looks like a good one too because he clearly hasn't the physical edge like Benn...or maybe not yet..

Matthews will be a better skater and goal scorer than Kopitar.

 

[Duke16]

Auston Matthews named to USA World Championship roster

 

[Stephen]

If he was a couple days older, he'd be in this draft and would go 3rd IMO. He's a 1st overall quality player, but McDavid and Eichel are just too good. IMO Eichel's skating and one-on-one ability puts him over the top vs. Matthews, though they're otherwise quite close/similar in two respects. A season like Eichel just had is pretty much the absolute best case for Matthews next year, and I doubt he'll have one quite that good.

The Americans drafted over the last handful of years are going to be scary good to play against in the future (Eichel, Matthews and Galchenyuk, Seth Jones, Hanifin, etc.).

I'd think long and hard about taking Matthews before Eichel...

 

[Beesfan]

Auston Matthews named to USA World Championship roster

Oh my lord. I can't recall player from Canada or the US playing in the mens World Championships a year prior to being draft eligible. Maybe Ovechkin did it for Russia?

 

[Bonin21]

Doesn't look like it.

 

[Snotbubbles]

Oh my lord. I can't recall player from Canada or the US playing in the mens World Championships a year prior to being draft eligible. Maybe Ovechkin did it for Russia?

Didn't Lindros play for Canada?

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

This is the best draft minus one season in US hockey history.

 

[OG]

Matthews just scored for USA to make it 3-1.

 

[AD1066]

I wonder what the anti-expansion crowd has to say about this kid.

 

[William H Bonney]

Auston Matthews named to USA World Championship roster

He hasn't been named to the team, at least yet.

They have 12 forwards so far but Bonino isn't with the team yet so they needed another for today's exhibition and since he was already in Europe it made sense.

That said, it's likely all the eliminated American forwards will decline their invites and Matthews could end up joining the squad. He looked good today.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Curious, did he look good for his age, or did he look good, period?

 

[William H Bonney]

Curious, did he look good for his age, or did he look good, period?

He looked good. If I didn't know who he was (and he didn't have to wear a full cage) I wouldn't have thought he was only 17.

He did look a bit worn out though, which isn't surprising since he just came off of the U18 grind/celebration.

 

[BlazingBlueAnt]

He looked good. If I didn't know who he was (and he didn't have to wear a full cage) I wouldn't have thought he was only 17.

He did look a bit worn out though, which isn't surprising since he just came off of the U18 grind/celebration.

Plus he's played a crapload of hockey this year. USNDP games, WJC, U18's. Its a lot of games.

 

[BobDobolina]

Oh my lord. I can't recall player from Canada or the US playing in the mens World Championships a year prior to being draft eligible. Maybe Ovechkin did it for Russia?

Keep in mind though that if he was two days younger, he'd be in this years draft.

 

[Sid82]

he'd be the 1st predraft player ever to play in a wc...ovechkin did in 05, murray in his draftyear 12, and this year eichel

 

[Bonin21]

Keep in mind though that if he was two days younger, he'd be in this years draft.

Someone could just provide a list of the youngest to play in the tournament then, if he does make the team.

 

[CraigsList]

Is Eichel better than Matthews? Or are they about the same?

 

[William H Bonney]

Is Eichel better than Matthews? Or are they about the same?

They're different. They're both the two best center prospects USAH has had in a looooong time. You can make valid cases for both in my opinion. So I'd say they're very close. Who ends up being better won't be decided for awhile.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Is Eichel better than Matthews? Or are they about the same?

I haven't seem a prospect with his combination of size, hands, and vision since Malkin.

 

[91Kadri91*]

I haven't seem a prospect with his combination of size, hands, and vision since Malkin.

It's really early, but next year's draft is lookin'/soundin' really good.

 

[Juxtaposer]

It's really early, but next year's draft is lookin'/soundin' really good.

Next year's draft is very average. Matthews, Puljujarvi, and Chychrun (and maybe Sokolov and Laine) are worth getting excited about, but 2016 is looking very average so far.

 

[91Kadri91*]

Next year's draft is very average. Matthews, Puljujarvi, and Chychrun (and maybe Sokolov and Laine) are worth getting excited about, but 2016 is looking very average so far.

Definitely Sokolov, and Laine looks like he's back on track.

There's plenty of secondary talent as well: Brown, Jones, Krys, Gauthier, Grundstrom, Asplund, Tkachuk, Fabbro, Steel, McLeod, Benson, Jost, Day etc.

"The 2016 draft is going to be real interesting," Gregory said. "There are some very good players. It might even be deeper for a longer period of time than this year's draft but that's something you really can't say or know until you watch these players a full season."

http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=38406

 

[Sweetpotato]

Is Eichel better than Matthews? Or are they about the same?

I think his numbers are inflated being so big for his age. But still damn good id put them even because they both have their strengths but id imagine one over takes the other eventually. The future of american hockey looks pretty stellar.

 

[Get North]

Next year's draft is very average. Matthews, Puljujarvi, and Chychrun (and maybe Sokolov and Laine) are worth getting excited about, but 2016 is looking very average so far.

I actually like 2016 quite a bit. The players from 5-30 can all be 1st line players IMO. Not in any order but Benson, Brown, Gauthier, Fabbro, Jost, Jones, Clague, Steel, Kyrou, Keller, McLeod, Tkachuk, Dubois, Howden, Mete, Bean, Johansen, Bitten. I like the draft, some big players with a lot of talent at the top as well. You also got Day who can go #1 or maybe somewhere late in the 1st/2nd.

 

[Paxon]

Next year's draft is very average. Matthews, Puljujarvi, and Chychrun (and maybe Sokolov and Laine) are worth getting excited about, but 2016 is looking very average so far.

Even if those were actually the only players to get excited about, well, that's a lot of players of that level. Throw in the foolish new lottery system and those first three slots could go to any non-playoff team, which will make for the most exciting lottery every in my book.