Auston Matthews heading to Switzerland to play next season?

[Axeman33]

Sounds like it's a done deal but still no official announcement as of yet. He's been recruited by all the top US Colleges and his CHL rights are held by the Everett Silvertips in the WHL. All the major scouts say this won't affect his draft status as he's already been scouted enough that everyone knows he a stud in the making.

https://twitter.com/andystrickland/s...89028268642304

From what I'm being told 2016 projected 1st overall pick Auston Matthews to #ZSC in #swiss league is done deal. Marc Crawford is head coach

[ericdaoust]

I swear someone is giving him money under the table so that the media guys have a story to discuss endlessly this summer.

[27Blue]

$$$.

[SeaDawg]

No doubt that money is a factor, but I also think there is merit to developing his game against men and also I suspect living in Switzerland for a year is a nice bonus for him.

I don't see anything at all wrong with this. It will help his game, he earns some money, will enjoy a nice lifestyle for a year (compared to college or CHL), and it certainly won't impact his draft status, unlike a kid who is a let's say a potential 1st rounder and needs all the exposure to scouts as possible. It wouldn't be a good idea for such a player to go to Europe because if scouts can't see him play enough, he would inevitably drop in the draft. It certainly wouldn't have hurt McDavid's draft stock to go to Switzerland for a year.

[LawMan]

An interesting development for sure. Looks like he's learned from some of the top basketball prospects who have skipped their year in college to play overseas so they don't have to pretend to take classes and can actually be paid money for their skills. I agree it shouldn't effect his draft rating, wonder if this will be an isolated incident or the start of a trend.

[STONE.]

Smart guy. Get a year of the pro lifestyle under your belt without all the pressure of the pro lifestyle. Play against grown men. Meet Swiss women.
Get away from home, see the world...

Wouldn't be surprised if we see more of this in years to come. As long as it doesn't impact his draft stock, I see all upside for him.

[chuckcouples]

I do not see how a move like this would not affect his draft stock. GMs are going to notice a young man taking the easy way out instead of going through the grind that is junior hockey or a full year as a student athlete at a college. This would not be a good sign of his character. I have my doubts that he actually goes to Switzerland to play for next season but I will wait and see what happens just like everyone else.

[The Bottlenecker]

Does anyone believe this is the beginning of a trend? Will the Swedish and/or Finnish elite leagues start waving dough at top prospects before they are NHL eligible? I think it is a good move by Matthews, but wouldn't necessarily be good for a lesser prospect. However, I wonder if others won't try to do the same thing?

Just curious about what others think.

[SeaDawg]

I do not see how a move like this would not affect his draft stock. GMs are going to notice a young man taking the easy way out instead of going through the grind that is junior hockey or a full year as a student athlete at a college. This would not be a good sign of his character. I have my doubts that he actually goes to Switzerland to play for next season but I will wait and see what happens just like everyone else.

It won't affect his draft stock because he is just too damn good. I also don't think many people would think this is taking the easy way out. Some might see that, but in all honesty I think most people will see an 18 year old playing against grown men on another continent to be a challenging situation, arguably more challenging than the CHL or NCAA.

Does anyone believe this is the beginning of a trend? Will the Swedish and/or Finnish elite leagues start waving dough at top prospects before they are NHL eligible? I think it is a good move by Matthews, but wouldn't necessarily be good for a lesser prospect. However, I wonder if others won't try to do the same thing?

Just curious about what others think.

I don't think this will be a trend. Matthews can do this because he is clearly the #1 prospect for 2016. As I said earlier, a lesser prospect would not want to limit his exposure to the scouts by playing in Europe.

[reeveta]

As someone who doesn't work for free to fill other people's pockets, I don't fault anyone who feels the same way.

[27Blue]

I definitely wouldn't see it as taking the easy way out or a knock on his character. Actually, I would view it as the opposite.

[chuckcouples]

I definitely wouldn't see it as taking the easy way out or a knock on his character. Actually, I would view it as the opposite.

If he was making a choice based on furthering his development instead of taking the easy pay cheque, he would choose to play in a much better league than the Swiss league. The Swiss league is where people who are skilled offensively but not "tough" enough for the NHL go to play. Here's a few names of people who were among the league leaders in points last year.

PM Bouchard, Robbie Earl, MA Pouliot, Byron Ritchie, Alexandre Giroux, Roman Wick, Matt D'Agostini, Budd Holloway, MA Gragnani, Robert Nilsson

[rataylor22]

If he was making a choice based on furthering his development instead of taking the easy pay cheque, he would choose to play in a much better league than the Swiss league. The Swiss league is where people who are skilled offensively but not "tough" enough for the NHL go to play. Here's a few names of people who were among the league leaders in points last year.

PM Bouchard, Robbie Earl, MA Pouliot, Byron Ritchie, Alexandre Giroux, Roman Wick, Matt D'Agostini, Budd Holloway, MA Gragnani, Robert Nilsson

Lol

[rainydrinkwater]

This is a route that some of the more high profile draft eligible players may start taking. I think for some young players, playing vs men may help their development but I also can see cases why it could hinder some. It's a pro league, but it's not a developmental league.

[SeaDawg]

If he was making a choice based on furthering his development instead of taking the easy pay cheque, he would choose to play in a much better league than the Swiss league. The Swiss league is where people who are skilled offensively but not "tough" enough for the NHL go to play. Here's a few names of people who were among the league leaders in points last year.

PM Bouchard, Robbie Earl, MA Pouliot, Byron Ritchie, Alexandre Giroux, Roman Wick, Matt D'Agostini, Budd Holloway, MA Gragnani, Robert Nilsson

You can definitely put this sort of spin on Matthews' decision, but I really think this will be a minority view. A lot of NHLers played in Switzerland during the lockout. I think it is a great country to live in and the quality of hockey is likely a bit better than you are suggesting, despite the questionable quality of the players you listed. This isn't the KHL, but it is still better quality hockey than the NCAA and the CHL.