Wings’ Dylan Larkin says former teammate Auston Matthews was always ‘special’
TORONTO — The kid was just 15, one year younger than he was, but Dylan Larkin knew there was something “special” about Auston Matthews.
Larkin got his first glimpse of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ emerging star at an evaluation camp for USA hockey. He and the other 17-year-olds from the U.S. national development team program didn’t know much about Matthews at that point, but his tremendous potential was easily apparent.
They were shocked when they learned he was from the hockey hinterland of Scottsdale, Ariz.
“We were looking and we see he’s from Arizona and we’re like ‘Who the heck (is that)?’” Larkin, the Detroit Red Wings young centre, said Friday afternoon. “Arizona Bobcats is who I think he played for.”