C Auston Matthews - ZSC Lions, NLA (2016 Draft) II

[canuck2010]

Agree. But as an European it is pretty much impossible to see any games from college hockey or the canadian juniors. So statistics is all we got. It gives some indication at least adn especially when Matthews has 8/9 imo.

I'll give you that. What you say makes sense.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Can't believe this kid is leading the Swiss league in goals at 18 after missing 4 games because he was too young to play.

14gp 10g 7a 17p - that's a ridiculous stat line. He's scoring at near or above the same pace that Kane, Seguin, Thornton, and Nash were scoring at in the lockout when they played over there.

He seems to be as much of a lock to go #1 as Crosby back in 2005.

 

[Sid82]

Can't believe this kid is leading the Swiss league in goals at 18 after missing 4 games because he was too young to play.

14gp 10g 7a 17p - that's a ridiculous stat line. He's scoring at near or above the same pace that Kane, Seguin, Thornton, and Nash were scoring at in the lockout when they played over there.

He seems to be as much of a lock to go #1 as Crosby back in 2005.

he's actually (10/6/16)...nevertheless impressive stats, top 10 in scoring at 18 in a top 5 league in the world...im not sure, if mcd or eichel could have done this in their draft year

 

[Finnpin]

Not taking anything away from the kid but he is playing at high scoring league in european level where defense isnt the main focus around teams.

 

[Hokinaittii]

Not taking anything away from the kid but he is playing at high scoring league in european level where defense isnt the main focus around teams.

Yet he is a clear #1 contender for the draft and while I don't think Matthews could put up same kind of points in Liiga/SHL he is putting in NLA, I still feel like he would be above Puljujärvi/Laine in the rankings.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Not taking anything away from the kid but he is playing at high scoring league in european level where defense isnt the main focus around teams.

He's still the league's top goal scorer while missing 4 games, and scoring at a pace similar to established NHL stars during the lockout. I believe most thought 0.5 ppg from him would have been a success.

He is without doubt the favorite for 1st overall, and its not all that close at the moment.

 

[SubyDubyTML]

Recently moved to England and was thinking of going to catch a Lions game. Are tickets hard to come by? Anyone have any info that might help?

 

[scipio]

Recently moved to England and was thinking of going to catch a Lions game. Are tickets hard to come by? Anyone have any info that might help?

Even though the attendance is usually quite good (9000 to 11000 depending on the game) tickets are usually quite easy to get (link to official ticket shop). Entertaining games are usually against HC Davos, EHC Kloten or SC Bern due to the rivalry between the clubs.

It might be good to know that Zürich is a really expensive city. Be aware to pay a lot, especially for food and drinks.

 

[Shwaguy*]

It's a crime against humanity if one of The Leafs, Coyotes, or and maybe even the Devils (But at least their fans can remember multiple stanley cup wins) don't get Auston.

 

[TheGroceryStick]

Even though the attendance is usually quite good (9000 to 11000 depending on the game) tickets are usually quite easy to get (link to official ticket shop). Entertaining games are usually against HC Davos, EHC Kloten or SC Bern due to the rivalry between the clubs.

It might be good to know that Zürich is a really expensive city. Be aware to pay a lot, especially for food and drinks.

I can attest to this.
Made a quick stop for a bite to eat on our way through, was blown away by the cost of a fast food burger at BK.

Wonder if staying in France would be a better option? It didn't seem like too bad of a drive when we did it.

 

[Pyrophorus]

I can attest to this.
Made a quick stop for a bite to eat on our way through, was blown away by the cost of a fast food burger at BK.

Wonder if staying in France would be a better option? It didn't seem like too bad of a drive when we did it.

The train from Schaffhausen to Zurich wasn't too long at all, maybe stay in Germany (Konstanz).

 

[tfong]

It's a crime against humanity if one of The Leafs, Coyotes, or and maybe even the Devils (But at least their fans can remember multiple stanley cup wins) don't get Auston.

Or the Oilers

 

[Plub]

I can barely comprehend how the top ranked player for the draft comes from a place like Arizona, where hockey isn't as popular, he is facing lesser competition growing up etc. It's not like he was the son of a former NHL player or former hockey player either which is usually the case for players who end up developing well in non traditional markets ( Nylander, Levin ). Certainly a Seth Jones type situation.

If you think that facing better competition makes one better, and popularity of the game motivates kids, than you can understand why Toronto, Minnesota, Alberta, Michigan etc tend to produce the elite talents. At age 8-12 its pretty much evident who will become a good player, 12-15 theres another development curve where you can pick out the elite talent pretty accurately. Of course theres the few late bloomers too, for Matthews to have developed such high level skills as a product of Arizona is pretty unique itself.

AZ actually has some really good youth teams. We have had good travel teams for years, actually. Of course, most go USDP when they can and that's when they get to their next level.

That's the HF consensus, but HF is more often than not wrong on these matters. Scouts are not going to say anything that could be construed as negative in public about the kids from the current draft class. But don't be surprised if by the 2016 draft you see scouts saying he's better than Eichel. If it came down to it, I don't know how as a scout you can throw away several years of Matthews consistently outperforming Eichel in every league and tournament, and then just assume Eichel took some giant leap because he put up good NCAA numbers in the extra year he had. Eichel's WJC performance, where he was outclassed by McDavid, showed that he had NOT in fact taken a huge leap, there just haven't been a lot of superstars in the NCAA to serve as comparables.

How many games did Eichel play in the WJC? Did you just base a decision off of one short tournament? Further more, Eichel actually played better than McDavid early on. Go back and read the threads if you like. Almost everyone thought Eichel looked better in the first few games. McDavid picked it up towards the end and Eichel slowed down. Not to mention that McDavid wasn't even on the first line for Canada. He wasn't expected to carry the team. He had a much better cast around him as well. I don't see the point of even mentioning the two and the WJC one the same sentence. There is nothing to be proven by it.

 

[XX]

I can barely comprehend how the top ranked player for the draft comes from a place like Arizona

The ratio of coaches to players is better. There are elite travel teams in Arizona. It's really not that crazy.

 

[BlazingBlueAnt]

The ratio of coaches to players is better. There are elite travel teams in Arizona. It's really not that crazy.

More and more players in AZ are getting drafted into the WHL and USHL as well. There is some serious talent here. Not bad for a state with like five rinks...

 

[GBLeaf]

Recently moved to England and was thinking of going to catch a Lions game. Are tickets hard to come by? Anyone have any info that might help?

Go watch a Nottingham Panthers vs Sheffield Steelers game in Nottingham.

Nice arena, good atmosphere and they usually get quite feisty. Relatively early in the season there too.

http://www.panthers.co.uk/

 

[hockey38]

More and more players in AZ are getting drafted into the WHL and USHL as well. There is some serious talent here. Not bad for a state with like five rinks...

Didn't an Arizona team when the Quebec peewee tournament last year?

 

[Ynnek]

This kid would look great in a Flames jersey.

 

[Snowsii]

He's apparently injured. Anyone with better knowledge of severity of the injury?

 

[iamjs]

Upper body injury from going head first into the boards and might be out a week or two. Worth noting that he did return to the game, so that week or two might only be several days.

The 18-year-old, projected to be the top pick of the 2016 NHL Draft, reportedly sustained the injury on Oct. 23 when he fell hard into the boards during a game in Switzerland’s top professional league.

“It was during a puck battle when he did fall head-first into the wall,” Central Scouting’s Thomas Roost told the NHL’s official website. “He felt some pain and didn’t show up for the next shift. But he did come back in that game.”

His timetable to return remains unclear and the injury could prevent him from playing for United States at the upcoming Deutschland Cup, scheduled for Nov. 6-8 in Germany.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/top-prospect-auston-matthews-hurt-while-playing-in-swiss-league/

 

[frag2]

Can't believe this kid is leading the Swiss league in goals at 18 after missing 4 games because he was too young to play.

14gp 10g 7a 17p - that's a ridiculous stat line. He's scoring at near or above the same pace that Kane, Seguin, Thornton, and Nash were scoring at in the lockout when they played over there.

He seems to be as much of a lock to go #1 as Crosby back in 2005.

Watching him in Zurich, it looks like he might be better than Eichel. If he's got a mean streak, he looks like he has a Lindros-lite vibe, the way he goes to the net

It's hard to tell though cuz it is a more wide open league

 

[Stud Muffin]

This kid would look great in a Flames jersey.

Flames jerseys are hideous. If they get him I hope they go back to the classic style jerseys

 

[Zorkan]

Watching him in Zurich, it looks like he might be better than Eichel. If he's got a mean streak, he looks like he has a Lindros-lite vibe, the way he goes to the net

It's hard to tell though cuz it is a more wide open league

While it's true that it's a wide open league, the type of league does not change the fact that he has dominating skills. Barring any serious injuries, I would be highly surprised if he didn't become a star player in the NHL. Well, I guess maybe if Edmonton gets him after all...

 

[Zaddy]

Is there any videos out there that show his goals so far? I've seen some individual ones of his like three first goals or so but nothing since then. Is there anything out there? Would love to see a montage of his success so far.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

He has a back injury and will be out "several weeks"

http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2015/11/01/auston-matthews-suffers-back-injury-to-miss-weeks/