Auston Matthews makes shattering practice debut with Maple Leafs

It didn’t take Auston Matthews long to make an impression on his first day of full practice at the Maple Leafs' practice facility.

Following Wednesday's formal portion of practice at the MasterCard Centre, Toronto's No. 1 pick overall from June's NHL draft missed the net with a shot and shattered a pane of glass in the corner.

“Lucky day for me, I guess,” Matthews joked. “It was a terrible shot too. It wasn't even hard, just happened to hit the right spot I guess and shattered the whole thing. We were just messing around. It was me, (Mitch) Marner, (Andrew) Nielsen - the last guys on the ice, we were just taking shots and missed the net, broke the glass.”

Does the cost of repairs come out of Matthews’ first paycheque?

“Yeah probably. Lou (Lamoriello) won't be too happy,” he said.

All kidding aside, Matthews said he expects the pace of play from the World Cup of Hockey to help him adjust to start his first NHL season. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound centre scored two goals and an assist in three round-robin games with Team North America.

“It helps a lot, it makes a difference - just having that (comfort) playing in front of Toronto fans, getting a chance to play at that rink heading into the preseason, I think it definitely gives you some confidence,” said Matthews.

“(The World Cup) was a really good challenge for me, going in. My mindset the whole time was go in and get better and learning as much as I could. Going into it, I knew I could play at that level, and I think the way I played and everything going into the season here and then training camp and preseason - it gives me a lot of confidence.”

Matthews had 24 goals and 22 assists in 36 games during his first pro season in Switzerland with the ZSC Lions last year. He says he doesn’t have specific numbers in mind for this first NHL season. During his first formal practice with the Leafs, Matthews skated on a line with James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov.  He also saw some time working on the power play alongside Milan Michalek and Dmytro Timashov.

“I think just making an impact each and every night,” Matthews said of his goals. “Gaining more and more trust in the coaching staff and being able to go out there in all situations and having their full trust.”

Jim Hiller, who has been manning the bench with head coach Mike Babcock away at the World Cup of Hockey with Team Canada, wasn’t sure when Matthews would make his preseason debut. The Maple Leafs continue their preseason schedule with back-to-back games against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday and Friday.

“I watched the World Cup like everybody else did and so the first time I got to see him play in a game I was really impressed there,” Hiller said. “I thought the practice, the whole practice, he was with the older group, a lot of veterans in that second group. I thought the pace was great, and I thought he did well.”

Matthews and his fellow World Cup of Hockey participants were given six days off following the tournament to recoup prior to finally joining teammates at camp. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native used the time to hang out with teammates and get further acclimated to his new city.

“It's nice, it's a beautiful city. It's pretty easy to get around,” Matthews said. “There's a lot of young guys on the team so we'll go out, get dinner or lunch, go to the mall walk around. Still trying to get used to all the streets and everything, but for the most part I've kind of got a sense of where I am at most times.”

Despite growing up a Dodgers fan, the 19-year-old has also immersed himself in the Blue Jays and their wild-card chase.

“Trying to. I've been to a couple games now,” he said. “They're a pretty hot topic right now, playoff (spots) kind of coming down to the wire. I'll be rooting for them.”

Morgan Rielly, who played against Matthews at the IIHF World Championship in the spring and then with Matthews on the Under-23 Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey, has taken his new teammate under his wing helping him get used to life in the NHL.

“I've been trying to do that this whole time,” Rielly, 22, said. “Me and Auston have had a chance to hang out, spend some time together over the course of the past month and a bit. We're getting along; we've been going for dinners and stuff. With him, you can kind of tell that he's really happy to be here.

“For me to hear him speak so positively about Toronto, it's cool. He loves it here so hopefully he'll be here for a long time.”