- Auston Matthews is hosting the Maple Leafs at his own house this week
- The trip includes a Saturday practice at the Arizona rink where Gavin McKenna made his college debut
- Read below for what Matthews, Jim Hiller and Matthew Knies said about the trip
Auston Matthews is bringing the Maple Leafs to his backyard.
Golf, dinner and a stop at Matthews’ own house are on the itinerary for a multi-day trip to the Scottsdale-Tempe area this week, all before Toronto opens the regular season.
Matthews was asked Thursday, before the Maple Leafs left for the airport, what the trip means with the opener five days out, per NHL.com.
“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “There’s definitely some time before the first game, so it’s kind of getting away and doing something as a team before the season starts. It’s definitely important.”
He broke into a grin. “And I’m definitely not complaining that it’s in my hometown.”
Toronto has churned through more than two dozen changes on the roster and in the front office since John Chayka took over as general manager in May, and Jim Hiller was hired as head coach in June.
Hiller was asked what a trip like this does for a group with that many new faces around it.
“Any time you have this many new faces, the change to get away is always good,” Hiller said. “It’s a time to laugh a little and let loose. Our captain lives there, and the weather’s pretty good too, so we’ll take it.”
It’s a homecoming for Matthew Knies too. The Phoenix native came up through the same Arizona hockey scene as Matthews and talked about getting to see family during the stop.
“Going to get the chance to see my parents and my family, which is really nice,” Knies said. “Just happy to get there.”
Part of the trip includes a Saturday workout at Mullett Arena in Tempe, the rink where Gavin McKenna made his college debut with Penn State on Oct. 3, 2025, in a win over Arizona State.
No. 1 in this year’s draft, McKenna picked up his first professional point Wednesday in Toronto’s preseason win over Ottawa, an assist on a John Tavares goal.
Watch the shift that set it up:
McKenna was asked what it feels like heading back to that rink less than a year after his college debut, per NHL.com.
“Looking back to that first game with Penn State, it’s been a crazy year for sure,” he said. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs.” He broke into a grin. “But right now, it’s probably the highest it’s been.”
Catch another look at McKenna working the offensive zone against the Senators:
They fly home Sunday, practice Monday, then open the season Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena.
