History of Auston Matthews in Timeline

Auston Matthews is a professional ice hockey player from the United States. He plays center for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL. He is also an alternate captain for the team.

December 19, 1917: Malone and Hyland Score Five Goals in NHL Debuts

On December 19, 1917, Joe Malone and Harry Hyland each scored five goals in their respective NHL debuts.

1966: Selby Wins Calder Memorial Trophy

In 1966, Brit Selby won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.

1981: Matthews Ties Franchise Record for Goals in a Season

On April 4, 2022, Auston Matthews tied the Toronto Maple Leafs' franchise record for goals in a season (54) set by Rick Vaive in 1981–82.

1986: Wendel Clark Scores in Four Straight Playoff Games

In 1986, Wendel Clark scored in four straight playoff games for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1992: Selänne Records a Shot in All 82 Regular Season Games

In the 1992-1993 NHL season, Teemu Selänne recorded at least one shot on goal in all 82 regular season games.

1993: First Maple Leafs Player to Score 50 Goals Since Andreychuk

Auston Matthews became the first Maple Leafs player to score 50 goals in a season since Dave Andreychuk in the 1993–94 season.

1995: First Player to Score 51 Goals in 50 Games Since Mario Lemieux

In the 2021-22 season, Auston Matthews became the first player to score 51 goals in a span of 50 games (at any point during a season) since Mario Lemieux achieved the feat in the 1995–96 season.

September 17, 1997: Birth of Auston Matthews

Auston Taylour Matthews was born on September 17, 1997.

2004: Maple Leafs Advance to the Second Round of the Playoffs

In 2004, the Toronto Maple Leafs advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004 after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning four games to two.

2004: Leafs Make Playoffs for First Time in a Full Season Since 2004

In 2004, the Toronto Maple Leafs made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2004.

2004: Matthews Ties Ovechkin Rookie Scoring Record

Matthews was just the second rookie since the 2004-2005 lockout to score 40 goals in his rookie season.

2005: Matthews Breaks Patrick Kane's Scoring Record

In his second season with the U.S. National U18 Team (USDP), Matthews finished first in league scoring with 116 points, breaking the National Team Development Program record of 102 points set by Patrick Kane in 2005–06.

January 16, 2006: Matthews Witnesses "The Goal"

On January 16, 2006, Matthews attended a game between the Coyotes and Washington Capitals where he witnessed Alexander Ovechkin score his famous goal known as "The Goal."

2007: Ovechkin Sets Single-Season Goal Record

Alexander Ovechkin set a single-season goal record with 65 goals in the 2007-08 season.

2010: Matthews Plays in Quebec Pee-Wee Tournament

Matthews played in the 2010 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Kharkov minor ice hockey team.

2011: Highest Goal Total Since Stamkos' 60-Goal Season

Auston Matthews scored 54 goals in the 2021-22 season. This marked the highest goal total for an NHL player in a single season since Lightning captain Steven Stamkos' 60-goal 2011–12 campaign.

2012: Matthews Drafted by Everett Silvertips

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.

2013: Matthews Trains With USNTDP

Matthews trained with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program team during the 2013–14 season.

2014: IIHF World U18 Championship Gold

In 2014, Auston Matthews helped lead the United States men's national under-18 ice hockey team to a gold medal at the IIHF World U18 Championship.

2014: Matthews Trains With USNTDP

Matthews trained with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program team during the 2014–15 season.

May 21, 2015: Matthews Wins Bob Johnson Award

On May 21, 2015, Matthews won the USA Hockey Bob Johnson Award for excellence in international competition.

August 7, 2015: Matthews Signs with ZSC Lions

On August 7, 2015, Auston Matthews signed a one-year contract to play for the ZSC Lions in the Swiss National League A (NLA).

September 18, 2015: Matthews Makes NLA Debut and Scores First Goal

On September 18, 2015, Auston Matthews made his NLA debut for the ZSC Lions and scored his first goal against HC Fribourg-Gottéron.

2015: IIHF World U18 Championship MVP

In 2015, Auston Matthews led the United States to another gold medal at the IIHF World U18 Championship, leading the tournament in scoring and earning MVP honors.

2015: Matthews Named MVP and Top Scorer at World U18 Championships

In 2015, he was named the most valuable player at the 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.

February 3, 2016: Matthews Contributes to Swiss Cup Final Victory

On February 3, 2016, Auston Matthews recorded two assists in a 4-1 win over Lausanne HC in the Swiss Cup final.

August 2016: Move to Toronto and Training

In August 2016, Auston Matthews moved to Toronto and began working out with teammates Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly.

October 12, 2016: Matthews Scores Four Goals in NHL Debut

On October 12, 2016, Auston Matthews made his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring four goals against the Ottawa Senators. This was the first time in modern NHL history a player scored four goals in their debut.

2016: IIHF World Junior Championships Bronze Medal

Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk each scored 11 points to lead the United States to a bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships.

2016: Leading Scorer at World Championship

In 2016, Auston Matthews led the United States in scoring at the IIHF World Championship.

2016: Matthews Selected First Overall in NHL Draft

In 2016, Auston Matthews was selected first overall in the NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. This marked him as the first American to be chosen first overall since Patrick Kane in 2007.

2016: Team North America at World Cup of Hockey

In 2016, Auston Matthews was selected for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey. He started on the third line before moving to the top line with Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid.

2016: Matthews Scores 4 Goals in NHL Debut

In 2016, Matthews became the first player in modern NHL history to score four goals in his NHL debut.

2016: Matthews Discusses "The Goal"

In 2016, Matthews referred to Ovechkin's goal as "probably one of the best goals ever".

2016: Matthews Drafted into NHL

In 2016, Matthews was drafted first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

January 10, 2017: Matthews Selected for NHL All-Star Game

On January 10, 2017, Auston Matthews was selected to participate in the NHL All-Star Game.

March 28, 2017: Matthews Breaks Leafs' Rookie Goal Record

On March 28, 2017, Auston Matthews scored his 35th goal of the season, surpassing Wendel Clark's record for most goals in a season by a Leafs' rookie.

2017: Matthews Scores Back-to-Back Hat Tricks to Start the Season

In 2017, Auston Matthews became the first player to score back-to-back hat tricks at the start of the season since Alexander Ovechkin achieved the feat in 2017.

2017: Advised to Skip World Championship

The Toronto Maple Leafs advised Auston Matthews to skip the 2017 IIHF World Championship to rest after the team's first-round playoff elimination.

May 2019: Disorderly Conduct Incident

In May 2019, an incident occurred where Auston Matthews exposed himself to a female security guard.

September 2019: Disorderly Conduct Charge

Auston Matthews was charged with disorderly conduct in September 2019, related to the May 2019 incident.

November 13, 2019: Charges Dismissed

The disorderly conduct charges against Auston Matthews were dismissed on November 13, 2019, following a settlement.

2019: NHL 20 Cover Athlete

Auston Matthews was named the cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL 20 video game. He was also featured on the cover of NHL 22.

June 19, 2020: Positive COVID-19 Test

On June 19, 2020, it was reported that Auston Matthews tested positive for COVID-19.

July 13, 2020: Confirmation of COVID-19

Auston Matthews confirmed he had contracted COVID-19 but was mostly asymptomatic on July 13, 2020.

2020: Matthews Wins First Rocket Richard Trophy

In the 2020-2021 season, Matthews won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's leading goal scorer with 41 goals in 52 games.

2021: Slow Start to the 2021-22 Season

In 2021, Auston Matthews missed the first three games of the 2021–22 season due to injury recovery and had a slow start upon his return, notching only one goal in his first six games.

2021: Matthews Breaks American-Born and Maple Leafs Goal Scoring Record

In the 2021-22 season, Matthews set records for most goals scored in a single season by both an American-born player and a Maple Leaf.

March 14, 2022: Matthews Suspended for Cross-Checking

On March 14, 2022, Auston Matthews was suspended for two games after cross-checking Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin at the 2022 Heritage Classic the day before.

March 31, 2022: Matthews Scores 50 Goals in a Season

On March 31, 2022, Auston Matthews scored his 50th goal of the season in a game against the Winnipeg Jets. This marked the first time in his career he had reached this milestone.

June 21, 2022: Matthews Wins the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award

On June 21, 2022, Auston Matthews was named the winner of both the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, receiving 119 Hart first-place votes to runner-up McDavid's 29. He was the first Leafs player to win the Lindsay, and the third to win the Hart - the first to do so in 67 years.

January 3, 2023: Matthews Becomes the Fastest Leafs Player to Reach 500 Career Points

On January 3, 2023, Auston Matthews became the fastest Leafs player to register 500 career points in a game against the St. Louis Blues.

August 23, 2023: Matthews Signs Four-Year Contract Extension with Maple Leafs

On August 23, 2023, Auston Matthews signed a four-year contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs with an average annual salary worth $13.25 million.

February 2024: All-Star Game Captaincy and MVP

In February 2024, Auston Matthews was elected as one of four captains for the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. He was paired with alternate captain Morgan Rielly and Justin Bieber. His team won the tournament, and Matthews was named the All-Star Game MVP.