Auston Matthews poised to take USA hockey mantle from Patrick Kane

TORONTO — Patrick Kane turns 29 next month, and based on the way he has started the season, he’s still very much in his prime. But he also has been in the league for 11 seasons now.

That’s long enough that another of the game’s biggest stars, Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, “grew up” watching and idolizing Kane. How does that make Kane feel?

“A little old, I guess,” he said.

A generation of American hockey players have looked up to Kane as he has won three Stanley Cups, the Calder Trophy, the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Hart Trophy. But when it comes time to pass the torch as the face of American hockey, Matthews — who grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz. — could be next.

The second-year pro just turned 20 last month and is coming off a Calder-winning season in which he scored 40 goals for the up-and-coming Leafs. Kane and Matthews got to skate with each other for the first time over the summer at Darryl Belfry’s skills camp, and each came away with a greater appreciation for the other.

“Just really impressed with not only the shot and his quick release, but the way he battles for pucks,” Kane said. “The biggest thing you notice off the ice is how big he is. He’s [20] years old, but he’s got a man’s body. Pretty impressive watching him and skating with him this summer.”

For Matthews, it was Kane’s work ethic on and off the ice that struck him.

“He works extremely hard,” Matthews said. “A lot of times people look at a player that talented and that skilled, and you think it’s all just God-given talent and he didn’t really need to work for it. But he’s definitely gotten better every single year, and just seeing him for those couple of days, he’s one of the hardest workers on the ice. He loves to stick around after practice to work on different things, as well as in the gym. That was definitely something that was pretty eye-opening for me.”

Rising power

A lot of teams have drawn comparisons to the late-2000s Hawks in recent years. For some, like the 2013-14 Avalanche and the 2015-16 Stars, it didn’t exactly pan out. For the Oilers, it could be on the verge of happening. The Leafs, loaded with brilliant young talent and searching for their first Stanley Cup since 1967, seem to be on their way, as well, coming off a playoff season and off to a hot start.

“You could say that about a lot of teams in the league [with all] this young talent, there’s a lot of hope and a lot of promise,” Jonathan Toews said. “And I think there’s expectations. This [Leafs] team probably knows what they’re capable of, that they’re not just rebuilding now.”

Matthews deflected the comparison but didn’t deny the ultimate goal.

“We haven’t really done anything yet,” he said. “[The Hawks] are a great example for us, and they’re where we want to be very soon.”

Toews time

Leafs coach Mike Babcock always has adored Toews from his time coaching him to two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada. He expects a big bounce-back season for the Hawks’ captain.

“They got [Brandon] Saad back there this year, so that’ll give him another guy to play with,” Babcock said. “Last year, [Artemi] Panarin and Kane played together, and he didn’t have as much support. Now that they got him supported, I think he’ll jump right back.”

Goalie roulette

Anton Forsberg made his Hawks debut in net Monday. Corey Crawford will start Tuesday in Montreal. Crawford has been phenomenal against his hometown team, posting a 7-0-2 record with a 1.55 goals-against average and .951 save percentage.

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@MarkLazerus.

Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com

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