Leafs’ Auston Matthews expects USA to challenge for Olympic men’s hockey gold

For Toronto Maple Leafs captain and star center Auston Matthews, this season is one of the biggest of his career.

Not only is he attempting to help the Leafs dig out of a hole in the standings to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs amid a season of turmoil and injuries, he also has the chance to lead Team USA to its first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980.

Last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off event gave this generation of NHL stars a real taste of international best-on-best. After Team USA fell short against Canada in overtime in the championship game, Matthews feels that they’re right up there and ready to contend for the top spot once again.

“I think we feel like we’re up there,” Matthews told reporters, including Arun Srinivasan of The Leafs Nation, on Monday. “We should be competing for gold. It’s first Olympics in a while since we’ve been able to consistently be up there. You want to be the best country in the world, and this is a great opportunity.”

It’s been 12 years since the last time NHL players had the opportunity to take part in Olympic competition. For Matthews, the opportunity to be a part of the group that goes back to the world’s greatest athletic stage is not lost on him.

“It means a lot,” Matthews said. “I think there’s a lot of excitement, there’s a lot of pride and honor that goes into representing your country. It’s been a couple now that we haven’t been able to go to. So I think just the excitement definitely ramps up for it just because it’s been so long… It’s definitely a really special experience and talking to people that have been able to compete in it, it’s definitely something special.”

Playing through some nagging injuries this season, Matthews’ production dipped for the first few months. He has not finished with under a point per game since he racked up 69 in 82 in his rookie season, but so far this year, he has just 42 points in 46 games.

He’s currently mired in a three-game point drought in which he’s fired off 15 shots on goal, but before that, he was turning things around in a major way. From the holiday break through Jan. 19, Matthews had 19 points (11 goals and 8 assists) over a 12-game span.

If the U.S. is going to challenge Canada for the gold medal, Matthews will need to bring that level of his game to Milano-Cortina.