Auston Matthews is going to take some time off.
As such, the 19-year-old star forward won’t be heading overseas to represent the United States in the upcoming World Championship.
You can hardly blame him. Matthews just finished his rookie season in the NHL, playing all 82 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, plus six more in the playoffs.
Oh, and he also played in the World Cup for Team North America.
Matthews admits his body feels exhausted.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) April 25, 2017
Matthews did participate in last year’s Worlds. He had six goals and three assists in 10 games on the way to a fourth-place finish.