Auston Matthews praises new linemate Matias Maccelli’s vision, compete ahead of season opener

We’re just one day away from the Toronto Maple Leafs season opener against the Montreal Canadiens and things are beginning to fall into place.

Speaking after practice on Tuesday, captain Auston Matthews shared his perspective on the team heading into another year.

“I thought training camp was great,” Matthews said. “Now it gets going. Now we start this journey. We just want to continue to take positive steps forward. It’s not going to be perfect by any means but we want to refine the details in our game and coming here with good habits.”

On Wednesday, all eyes will be Matthews who looks to get back on track after a down season playing through an undisclosed injury. On Tuesday, he reiterated that he’s feeling healthy and ready to give his all this year.

“I feel good, I thought camp was really solid,” he said. “I felt better and better each day. I’m really happy with where I’m at and I just want to continue that momentum.”

Skating alongside Matthews in the team’s home opener will be Matthew Knies and a fresh face in Matias Maccelli, who was acquired from the Utah Mammoth this summer. Having played together through parts of camp and the preseason, Toronto’s captain had high praise for Maccelli and what he can bring to the team’s first line.

“The way he sees the ice, he’s able to thread needles, get passes through lanes and sticks that you don’t think are necessarily there,” Matthews said. “He’s small, but really competitive every shift. Really smart hockey player and a guy that I find easy to play with. He’s got a really good mind for the game and getting into different areas he likes to be. And I think he knows where I like to be, so kinda just trying to work off each other.”

Another headline-grabbing player through the preseason has been Easton Cowan. Set to make his professional debut this season, questions lingered through training camp on if he would start in the AHL or the NHL. Ultimately, he’s landed with the Toronto Marlies to start the season, and while that’s mostly for cap purposes, there’s no harm in getting your feet wet in the pros with some lesser competition. Matthews said the youngster has a lot to be proud of.

“I think he should feel great,” Matthews said. “He made such big strides in a couple of years here, and I thought he looked really great in camp. He played in most of the preseason games, I thought he put on a really good show. He looks physically strong, I think he’s matured a lot as a guy and a player as well. Tough decisions to be made, tough to be cut, but I think he should be proud of what he accomplished in camp and how he handled it.”

If he plays top minutes with the Marlies and keep working on his game, it’s surely only a matter of time before Cowan makes his first appearance in a Maple Leafs sweater.