It started with Auston Matthews and ended with Connor McDavid.

NHL fans were treated to a glimpse of where the game is headed Wednesday night, and boy, was it something to behold.

Four games helped prove the league is in good stead as the players of the future and the stars of today presented a perfect showcase of what to expect this season and in seasons to come.

Young guns fire immediately

This year's first overall pick got his first true taste of NHL hockey as the Toronto Maple Leafs clashed with the Ottawa Senators and Matthews put on a performance for the ages.

His four goals set a NHL record for the most by a player in his debut, and he lifted many from their seats with a second goal that was ... well, you know.

McDavid continued to offer the promise of better days in Edmonton with his two-goal, three-point effort. But it doesn't stop there: Jesse Puljujarvi netted his first of the season after being plucked fourth overall, and Mitch Marner - though held pointless - was a constant threat, tying for a team-high six shots.

The four - all selected with the first handful of picks the last two drafts - made immediate impacts for their clubs in further proof that the league's getting younger.

Established names return to form

Though Wednesday's contests made it very easy to get lost in fantasies of what's to come for the game's budding stars, many of the game's established names continued to do their thing.

2015 Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson further padded his stats with a three-point output, Vladimir Tarasenko unleashed havoc on the Blackhawks with a three-point outing of his own, and the list goes on.

Eighteen of the players who just participated in a best-on-best tournament at the World Cup of Hockey found the scoresheet Wednesday night.

We may have salivated over the young guns, but the game's best haven't been unseated just yet.

Skill trumps all

Two Canadian matchups Wednesday night involved fisticuffs, but it was easy for that to get lost when everyone was fixated on dynamic displays of skill.

Matthews and McDavid impressed with every rush, turning every possession into a potential scoring chance, and it's no secret that's what hockey fans of all strokes crave.

The night saw an average of 3.75 goals scored in each game, an average of one more goal per game than last season (of course, in a much smaller sample size). In just four games, 15 different players recorded multi-point performances.

Wednesday night's buzz made players act like fans and helped us all realize why we love the game. When skill is the main course and emotions are high, nothing tastes sweeter. Another serving, please.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.