Auston Matthews: Playing for Leafs would be 'very special'

Auston Matthews would relish the opportunity to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"The idea of playing in Toronto, if they were to choose me, it's pretty exciting," the top draft prospect told TSN's James Duthie after the Leafs won the lottery Saturday night. "It would be very special."

Matthews had plenty of reasons to be excited about potentially starting his NHL career in Toronto.

"It's the hockey mecca of the world," he said. "They have one of the best coaches in the league and it's a very exciting place to play. Their fans are very passionate and I think everybody really enjoys watching them play."

The Arizona-born forward wasn't concerned about possibly playing for a Canadian franchise, whether the Maple Leafs select him first overall, or the Winnipeg Jets choose him second.

"To me, it doesn't matter. I just want to play in the NHL, so wherever that may be, it would be a tremendous honor either way."

He'll find out on June 24, when his name is called at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.