Auston Matthews going to Switzerland would be a good choice
There have been rumours this week that Auston Matthews the top rated prospect for the 2016 NHL Draft is going to sign in the Swiss National League. Traditionally American prospects either go through the Canadian Hockey League or the National Collegiate Association. Matthews choosing to go to Europe opens up another possibility that more players may choose to take in the future. This is a good choice to make for Matthews.
Matthews scored 116 points for the United States National U-18 team in the USDP. With such a dominance there is a debate to made that he wouldn't learn anything that could develop his game to prepare him for the NHL by going through the CHL route. He would playing with other junior players but he would not be pushed as a player. This is not to mention the amount of attention he would have from the media compared to the other routes.
There is an option for him to go through the NCAA route but they don't play as many games in a season as the other leagues. Look at Jack Eichel this season and you will see that he played 40 games whilst the highest in the league was on 42. The NCAA is a good route if you want to get an education whilst playing but their stance on athletes being strictly amateur isn't something I agree with.
The last option is the one that he is apparently considering. The European route. I'm surprised more players haven't tried this route in the past. He will be playing against top professional competition in the top league in Switzerland. He will also be earning a lot more than what he would get by either the CHL or NCAA routes. I'm not saying he should choose it because of the finances though. That would be very short-sighted. I believe that going this route would prepare him for the NHL more by helping him adapt to the adult game quicker.
I have seen some people mention that doing such a move could affect his draft stock but I don't believe it will. Even if he doesn't light up the league he will still be a top prospect in next years draft due to his ability and skill set that he already has. If he does well then it will keep his draft stock high.
Personally, I think that Matthews should take the chance. He may not get this chance again and he will be able to develop his game in a more challenging environment whilst earning more. He can take the year to enjoy playing and adapt to the adult game before being brought over to the NHL. It will be interesting to see what he does though as it could open the option up to more players in the future.
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