Auston Matthews left a lasting impression on Don Granato, comparing him to Sidney Crosby

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews has turned into a superstar in the NHL, and his former coach Don Granato, who coached him during his time with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, revealed that Auston left quite the impression on him.

Granato was recently interviewed by the Cam & Strick Podcast where he answered questions pertaining to Auston Matthews. He had extremely high expectations for Matthews from the start, stating that he was extremely coachable and had a «monstrous appetite.»

One example of this was during drills he would always try to go against the top defensemen on the team, which at the time would have been Charlie McAvoy and Zach Werenski, who are also established superstars in Boston and Columbus. Along with this he would also stay after practice to feed his «lion's appetite to get better» by working on skills or having competitions with his teammates.

Matthews showcased his high end skill from the start, but Granato knew he had something special, especially after a shootout competition at the USNTDP. Auston was among the finalists, and might have even won, but this was also with players two years older than him. Granato begged his staff to get the Scottsdale, Arizona native signed as soon as possible.

Granato ended the interview revealing what he said to his brother at the time regarding Matthews. He compared Matthews to Sidney Crosby which could spark some controversy as Sid the Kid has been one of the best players in the league for over a decade, but only time will tell if he can catch up or pass Crosby.

«We have a kid that's gonna be as good or better than Sidney Crosby. I know that.»

Auston Matthews left this impression on Donny Granato at a time when no one had even heard of Matthews. 👇👇👇 ⁦@camandstrickpod⁩ #MapleLeafs #Sabres ⁦@USAHockeyNTDP⁩ pic.twitter.com/NGoUa67P9J— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) August 17, 2021

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