The World Cup of Hockey exhibition games are still ongoing. The great thing about them is that, even though the tournament itself hasn’t started yet, we’re still getting treated some very high-level hockey, played by high-level players.
No, wait, let me rephrase that... high-level Leafs.
Both Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly are representing the Toronto contingent on Team North America, the team comprised of Canadians and Americans 23 years old and younger. Rielly is 22, Matthews is almost 19; both are awesome.
Don’t believe me? Fine. Observe Matthews’ assist on this Aaron Ekblad goal, in which he does a great deal of work - while surrounded and with three different players trying to knock the puck off his stick, no less - that leads to the puck going in the back of the net.
Ekblad goal pic.twitter.com/meRSUcYZID
— Stephanie (@myregularface) September 11, 2016
Rielly didn’t want to be left out, though, so Rielly went ahead and scored with his own perfectly deflected bullet.
Rielly goal pic.twitter.com/3ah9A1I70Z
— Stephanie (@myregularface) September 11, 2016
Just wait until they’re doing stuff like this in the NHL! It’s coming. In the meantime, hooray for the kids - they’re putting on quite a show.