Auston Taylour Matthews (born September 17, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a center and captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is widely considered as one of the best players in the world with his all-around game and shot threat. His goal-scoring rate has drawn comparisons to players such as Alexander Ovechkin.
Born in San Ramon, California, Matthews and his family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona when he was an infant. After playing baseball and hockey during childhood, he developed a particular interest in hockey after watching the local Phoenix Coyotes play. A product of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in the United States Hockey League (USHL), Matthews played for the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League before being drafted into the NHL in 2016, winning a Swiss Cup title that same year. Matthews was widely considered the top prospect of the draft and was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Matthews became the first player in modern NHL history to score four goals in his NHL debut. He scored 40 goals in his first season in 2016–17, setting the Maple Leafs rookie record and becoming just the second rookie since the 2004–05 lockout to reach the milestone (along with Alexander Ovechkin); he is just the fourth teenager in league history to accomplish the feat. His performance won him the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie for the season. In 2020–21, Matthews won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's leading goal scorer with 41 goals in 52 games. In 2021–22, Matthews set records for most goals scored in a single season by both an American-born player and a Maple Leaf, reached the 60-goal mark for the first time, and won the Rocket Richard Trophy for the second consecutive season. He was also awarded the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player, as voted by his peers, and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player. In addition, he has been chosen to represent Toronto as an All-Star six times. In 2024, Matthews set the single-season goal record of the salary cap era with a total of 69 goals, surpassing Alexander Ovechkin's 65 in 2007–08 and winning his third Rocket Richard in four seasons. In 2026, Matthews became the all-time leader in goals for the Maple Leafs.
Internationally, Matthews has represented the United States on several occasions, including a U17 World Hockey Challenge, two U18 World Championships, two U20 World Championships, and one IIHF World Championship appearance. In January 2025, Matthews was named captain of the United States team for the 4 Nations Face-Off, where they finished as runners-up. He was again named captain for the 2026 Winter Olympics, leading Team USA to their first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Early life Auston Taylour Matthews was born in San Ramon, California, on September 17, 1997, to Brian and Ema Matthews. Brian is from California, and Ema is from Hermosillo, Mexico. He and his family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, when he was two months old, and he began attending Phoenix Coyotes games at age two. His favorite players to watch were Shane Doan and Daniel Brière. Initially, Matthews did not have much interest in the sport but was captivated by the Zamboni machine that cleaned the ice during intermissions. He first expressed a desire to play hockey shortly after his fifth birthday and began playing with the Arizona Bobcats minor hockey program. On January 16, 2006, Matthews (who was eight years old at the time) attended a Coyotes game in which they lost to the Washington Capitals 6–1, where he witnessed Alexander Ovechkin's famous goal for Washington that would come to be known simply as "The Goal," where Ovechkin scored a goal while lying on his back after having been knocked down by a Coyotes' defenseman. In a 2016 interview, Matthews referred to the goal as "probably one of the best goals ever."
As a child, Matthews played hockey and baseball. According to his father, baseball was his best sport; Auston's hand-eye coordination made him an excellent hitter. However, Matthews opted to pursue a career in hockey because he disliked the slow pace of baseball. When he first started playing hockey, his parents knew almost nothing of the sport. His main coach during his youth was Boris Dorozhenko, who had previously founded the national ice hockey program of Mexico. During Dorozhenko's first few years in the U.S., he lived with Matthews' paternal grandparents. Matthews played in the 2010 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Kharkiv minor ice hockey team.
Playing career Junior Matthews was drafted 57th overall by the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Everett Silvertips in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft but opted to play for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, which participates in the United States Hockey League (USHL). That season, he played for the U.S. National U17 Team (USDP), where he gained national attention from NHL scouts, even being featured on the NHL website, emphasizing his unique southwestern background. In his second season with the U.S. National U18 Team (USDP), Matthews finished first in league scoring with 117 points (55 goals and 62 assists), breaking the National Team Development Program record of 102 points set by Patrick Kane in 2005–06 and besting Jack Eichel by 29 points. On May 21, 2015, Matthews won the USA Hockey Bob Johnson Award for excellence in international competition.
Matthews trained with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program team during the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons where he put up a total of 20 points in 20 games over the 2 seasons. He was named the most valuable player at the 2015 World U18 Championships in addition to being named to the IIHF All-Star Team, and named the IIHF Best Forward after finishing as the tournament's top scorer.
ZSC Lions
Rather than continue in American amateur hockey or play major junior hockey in the Canadian Hockey League, Matthews chose to play professionally for his last season before he was eligible for the 2016 NHL entry draft, having missed the 2015 NHL entry draft cutoff date of birth by two days. On August 7, 2015, he signed a one-year contract to play in the Swiss National League A (NLA) for ZSC Lions. Matthews was approached by Lions head coach Marc Crawford, who was awed by his skating and puck possession while scouting the 2015 World U18 Championships. Crawford quickly called Matthews' agent, Pat Brisson, to discuss the proposal of signing the player to the team. Matthews and his family quickly agreed once the tournament had ended and spent the next few months applying for various paperwork. After missing the first four games of the 2015–16 regular season, he made his NLA debut on September 18, 2015, and scored his first goal in the game against goaltender Benjamin Conz of HC Fribourg-Gottéron on home ice at the Hallenstadion. He would spend most of the season on a line with Robert Nilsson, finding chemistry with the veteran forward.
On February 3, 2016, Matthews recorded two assists in a 4–1 win over the Lausanne HC in the 2015–16 Swiss Cup final. He finished the 2015–16 regular season as the second top-scorer on the Lions and tenth in the NLA. His 1.28 points-per-game average was second in the league behind only longtime NHL player Pierre-Marc Bouchard. He also won the NLA Rising Star Award and was second to Bouchard in voting for most valuable player. Matthews' stint in the NLA ended earlier than expected when the top-seeded Lions were swept in the first round of the 2016 playoffs by SC Bern.
Toronto Maple Leafs (2016–present) Early years in Toronto (2016–2020) In late June 2016, Matthews was selected first overall in the 2016 NHL entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, becoming the first American to be picked with the top selection since Patrick Kane in 2007. Matthews had been widely expected to go first overall for several months leading up to the event, consistently topping prospect charts and major scouting reports. Media speculation suggested that Matthews and the team had engaged in a minor contract dispute over the issue of performance bonuses; Matthews was asking the team for a contract similar to that of Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel, which were both valued at $3.775 million annually, inclusive of bonuses. Although Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello had been very open over his disapproval of including bonuses in player contracts in the past, he was clear in stating that performance bonuses were never an issue while negotiating Matthews' contract. Lamoriello had previously been involved in a contract dispute with the New Jersey Devils with fourth overall pick Adam Larsson over the issue of bonuses; there were no bonus clauses included in Larsson's entry-level contract. On July 21, the two parties finalized a deal, with Matthews signing a three-year, entry-level contract that included the maximum allocation of performance bonuses. Lamoriello said that the contract was negotiated within ten minutes of sitting down with Matthews' agent, Pat Brisson, and that the deal was done "the Toronto way." Brisson would later confirm that the two parties did not have any issues negotiating the contract. The contract was identical in value to those McDavid and Eichel had signed one year earlier. Two weeks later, Matthews was given the NLA Youngster of the Year award, reserved for the league's top rookie. It was his fifth award from his stint in Switzerland.