Auston Matthews to be on cover of NHL 20

Announced at the NHL Awards tonight — we didn’t know it was going on either — Auston Matthews has been named the cover athlete for the next instalment of the EA NHL games, NHL 20.

Matthews is the first ever player to play for the Leafs while on the cover in the game’s 29-year history. William Nylander was on last year’s release, but only for the version released in Sweden.

The 21-year-old surely deserves the honour, as he started the 2018-19 season almost setting a record pace for goals — scoring 10 in just the first six games of the season. Matthews finished the season through injury but still with 37 goals in 68 games played.

Previous players that have both been featured on the cover and played in Toronto are the likes of Dion Phaneuf, Owen Nolan, and Eric Lindros.

The former first-overall pick signed a five-year extension that starts next season, keeping him in Toronto for the long-term.

NHL 20 will be released sometime September 13th and will feature some new additions, I’m sure.