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Auston Matthews, 17, makes some history with USA Hockey

Pavel Zacha, Auston Matthews

Pavel Zacha, Auston Matthews

ap

By playing in an exhibition game for Team USA against Austria at the 2015 World Hockey Championships, Auston Matthews made a small chunk of history. He’s the first player to get a look at that level before even being draft-eligible, as SI.com’s Alan Muir notes.

The 17-year-old managed to score in the 4-1 U.S. win against Austria, according to Team USA’s rundown. That same summary notes that Matthews is headed home from the tournament, so perhaps it was just a tantalizing glimpse into the future.

Muir does a great job summarizing Matthews’ recent accomplishments, which might be delightful fodder for those who are already wondering if their team needs to tank in 2015-16 (those people are probably out there, after all):

No matter how he fares, it’ll be another entry in one of the most impressive résumés ever written for an American-born prospect. Playing as a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program this season, the 6' 2", 194-pound Matthews broke Patrick Kane’s single-season scoring record with 55 goals and 116 points in just 60 games. He also stood out as a double-underager with the Americans at the 2015 World Juniors, tallying three points in five contests.

(Obviously he did OK, even if he’s headed home.)

The question, really, becomes how do you find a rhyme scheme to promote tanking for Matthews? Pile on for Auston, maybe?