Participation in Arizona youth hockey has nearly doubled the last 3 years

Everyone wants to be like Auston.

Youth hockey participation in Arizona has nearly doubled in the last three years, increasing from 4,860 to 7,781, according to FOX Sports Arizona.

There's no doubting that Auston Matthews' arrival onto the scene a year ago is the biggest factor in this spike. The Toronto Maple Leafs phenom is not only one of the game's best players already, but he's arguably the most talked about player in the league given the market he plays in.

With this positive trend, maybe Arizona could produce another Auston Matthews down the road.