If you havent heard about Auston Matthews, you will. The 17-year-old centre from Scottsdale, Arizona, misses the 2015 NHL Draft by two days. He was born Sept. 17, 1997 – 48 hours after the eligibility deadline. He is the clear favourite to go No. 1 in the 2016 Draft. Were he available for next Junes draft in Sunrise, Florida, he would – in my view - be considered in the same category as Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Matthews rocketed to stardom in 2013-14 with 24 goals in 44 games split between the USA U-17 (12-21-33 in 24 games) and U-18 (12-5-17 in 20 games) national teams. Watching Matthews, I see a player capable of impacting the game in multiple ways. The 6-foot-1, 194-pounder is an excellent skater who can beat opponents with speed or quickness and is capable of executing plays at high speed. His passing skills are precise and he has the ability to score off the rush, off the cycle, from a distance, from in close. He has the intelligence of high-end players and exudes an uncommon confidence. He swats away obstacles as though they are merely irritating flies. Matthews emergence gives new meaning to the term hockey hotbed. He is the first bonafide star from Scottsdale – one of the most desirable winter getaways in North America. Major League Baseball has spring training in Arizona and the Cactus League attracts baseball enthusiasts to the area every February and March. Peter Ward, the Director of Player Personnel for the National Team Development Program, must have felt like he hit a home run when he found Matthews, who eventually migrated north to the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based program in 2013. Ward received a call from the late Tim Taylor, an assistant coach for the NTDP and an iconic figure in USA Hockey circles, in 2010. He told me, there was a thirteen-year-old who was pretty good and that I should watch him, Ward recalls. Keep in mind that the NTDP is recruiting players who will turn 16 and 13-year-olds, while promising, are not on the recruiting radar. Ward says, Auston was playing in a tournament in New England and it so happened that he played against (2015 draft prospects) Noah Hanifin, Colin White and Casey Fitzgerald so it was a good base of competition. This is always a dilemma for scouting personnel, evaluating a talented player versus good competition. Ward added: It was very clear that Auston possessed the athleticism, the skills and the hockey IQ of top young players. One more factor stood out for Ward: He didnt play one position, he played them all. He would go off the ice playing one position and go on again and play a different one. It didnt matter if he was playing forward or defence, he excelled. Fast-forward to April, 2014, Team USA is playing in the IIHF World Under-18 Championship and a team led by Eichel is also being fueled by a 16-year-old underager. Matthews had five goals and two assists in seven games; Eichel, five goals and five assists for the gold medal-winning Americans. All indications are that Auston Matthews is pure gold. Garrett Bradbury Jersey . -- Stanley Johnson scored all 18 of his points in the second half, T. Chris Doleman Vikings Jersey . -- Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer will be out three to six weeks with a stress fracture of the third finger of his right hand. http://www.thevikingsshoponline.com/Yout...vikings-jersey/. City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play. Kirk Cousins Womens Jersey . Never caused problems. Never raised a ruckus. Never got sick or hurt while frolicking in the fields of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky. Paul Krause Womens Jersey . Leave it to Matt Niskanen, the newly proclaimed Eddie Haskell of the Washington Capitals.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith is waiting to select a backup quarterback. Watching a replay of the preseason finale at Jacksonville might make his decision an easy one. T.J. Yates made a strong case to be Matt Ryans backup Thursday night, throwing for 243 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-14 win over the Jaguars. Yates had shown little in the teams first three exhibitions, completing 39.4 per cent of his passes, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Second-year player Sean Renfree posted better numbers and seemingly had an edge in the competition. But Yates shined against the Jaguars. "Things worked well tonight," said Yates, who spent his first three seasons in Houston. "Its taken me a little time to get use to this offence coming in so late. I was playing catch-up there in camp and preseason, and I was getting pretty frustrated with the way I was playing in some of the games. But I kept working hard, and coach gave me some more chances to do things." Yates highlight throw was a 67-yard touchdown strike to Freddie Martino in the second quarter, a deep ball that put Atlanta up 21-7. His other TD came on a swing pass to Antone Smith, who broke several tackles during the 66-yard catch and run. Yates completed 15 of 20 passes and was sacked twice. "I thought T.J. had an outstanding game," Smith said. "That quarterback battle has been an interesting one and thats going to lead us into a number of very difficult decisions." Renfree was 9-of-12 passing for 62 yards. Ryan didnt play, spending the game on the sideline with running back Steven Jackson and receivers Roddy White, Julio Jones and Harry Douglas. Defensive lineman Jonathan Babineaux also got the night off. Jacksonville held out a number of first-teamers, too. Quarterback Chad Henne, running back Toby Gerhart, safety Johnathan Cyprien, linebacker Paul Posluszny, left tackle Luke Joeckel, tight end Marcedes Lewis, defensive end Chris Clemons and defensive tackle Roy Miller were among the teams healthy scratches. Kicker Josh Scobee, safety Winston Guy, cornerback Alan Ball, safety Craig Loston, right tackle Austin Pasztor, guard Zane Beadles, offensive tackle Josh Wells, tight end Clay Harbor and defensive tackle SenDerrick Marks were held out because of injuries. With Henne resting, first-round draft pick Blake Bortles got the start for Jacksonville and extended his impressive preseason.dddddddddddd Bortles completed 4 of 6 passes for 86 yards, including a 57-yard TD strike to fellow rookie Marqise Lee on the first play of the second quarter. "I probably waited too long to get to Marqise, but he did a good job of beating his guy off the line, getting downfield and making a play," said Bortles, the third overall pick in Mays draft. Bortles completed 32 of 51 passes for 521 yards in four exhibition games, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Despite Bortles steady improvement, hes a lock to open the season on the bench behind Henne. "As a competitor, you want to play," Bortles said. "You want to go play, obviously, but I think you have to understand your role. I understand mine. Chads our starter and Im the backup. Now my role kind of shifts. Ive got to go get try and get work in and get better at practice, do stuff for the defence on scout team and improve in those ways." Henne ended the preseason 25-of-38 passing for 230 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions. More pressing questions for Jacksonville involve the offensive line. Rookie centre Luke Bowanko, a sixth-round pick from Virginia, started in place of Mike Brewster and looked sharp again. Brewster played in the second half and grounded a snap past quarterback Ricky Stanzi — his third bad snap of the preseason. Brewster could go from being the starter to being on the street when final roster cuts come Saturday. "When you have a couple bad snaps in the first game and then you throw a low one back there in the last game, I mean, yeah, its not a comforting feeling," Brewster said. "But I know I can play in this league. I have played in this league. "Its tough, so well see. Whatever happens, happens. I cant blame anybody but myself, and whatever the problem is, Ive got to move beyond that and not let it keep on." NOTES: Jaguars WRs Tandon Doss (ankle) and Ace Sanders (leave of absence) made their preseason debuts, but Doss sustained another ankle injury and could be out a while. ... Jaguars rookie CB Rashaad Reynolds left with a hand injury and will need surgery. ... Falcons rookie RB Devonta Freeman had 87 yards — 42 rushing and 45 receiving. ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '