While he may not have found the scoresheet in his first taste of high-level hockey, Auston Matthews is treating Game 1 as a success.
The Toronto Maple Leafs forward - currently competing as a member of Team North America - finished Thursday's 4-0 win over Team Europe with just two shots, a plus-1 rating, and 13:13 of ice time, but is happy to have held his own with some of the game's best.
"It was great. Those are some of the top NHL players in the league," Matthews said, according to Michael Traikos of the National Post. "To be able to go out there and compete was a good sign."
His solid outing certainly didn't fall on blind eyes, as Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau was quick to notice the youngster's potential.
"You can already tell how skilled he is," Gaudreau said. "It’s up to him to see how the rest of his career is going to go."
It's just a start, but for Matthews and the Maple Leafs faithful, it's definitely a good sign going forward.
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