Auston Matthew‘s debut was a success. Unless you were living underneath a rock last night, you probably heard about the 2016 first-overall pick scoring four goals in his Toronto Maple Leafs debut. The barrage of goals began at 11:39 in the first period and ended with three seconds left in the second frame. Not bad for a 19 year-old. In case you really were hanging out under your rock yesterday to miss this rare performance, here are all the goals:
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Auston Matthew’s Debut Was a Success
Paul Romanuk couldn’t have said it any better after Matthews’ second goal of the night. Magnificent. What was put on display by the Scottsdale native shouldn’t have come to a grand surprise to the hockey world. Yes, four goals in one game is improbable, Matthews is the first player in the modern era to score four goals in his debut. However, the skill that Matthews put on in Ottawa was nothing but normal from him. The world witnessed his opening goal for Team North America against Sweden in the World Cup of Hockey preliminary round. The ACC crowd fell in awe after watching their future star dangle the puck around Victor Hedman – one of the games best defensemen – while sliding on his knees.
The 19 year-old is has played against top tier talent before. Prior to his draft year, Matthews elected towards playing against men in the Swiss National League instead of junior or college. From there, his talents were on display at the U20 World Juniors, the World Championships, and of course the World Cup of Hockey featuring the NHL‘s best and brightest stars.
Playing Like a Veteran
The feeling of stardom is nothing new to Matthews either. His maturity and composure reflects his preparedness for the big leagues. All of his well-spoken interviews aside, his reaction after his fourth goal should be taken into account. No celebrations whatsoever on a late-period goal to break the tie. Tomas Hertl looked pretty ecstatic after his gorgeous fourth goal three years ago in an 8-2 game. That’s no knock on Hertl. Any player not named Joe Thornton should be allowed to celebrate how they want if they can pot four for their team. But showing no emotions after an impressive feat like Matthews did shouldn’t go unacknowledged.
The Maple Leafs have to be happy with their first-overall selection. One game is obviously too small of a sample size to predict what Matthews will bring to Toronto’s 100th season. With that being said, last night’s performance only ensures that Brendan Shanahan‘s team will bring much more entertainment value for the fans, media, and possibly management themselves. As for Matthews, he’ll learn shortly, if he hasn’t already, that you’re only as good as your last performance. For now though, the four pucks are his to keep, representing a memorable debut and opening night in the NHL.
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