Originally published Aug. 9, 2016, Jared Clinton has Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews finishing first in rookie scoring in a loaded class.
Going into the 2016-17 season, Auston Matthews headlined one of the most anticipated rookie classes ever.
Rather than going the CHL or NCAA route, Matthews elected to turn pro with the Zurich Lions in Switzerland, finishing with the league's second-best points per-game average and gaining invaluable experience playing in one of the world's best leagues.
The brightest and best fantasy hockey managers are often on the hunt for the rookies who can make the biggest impact right away. As Jared Clinton writes, Matthews will be "an early pick in pools everywhere" because he has all the tools.
Players such as Matthews may not dominate the league in their rookie season, but they're great assets in keeper leagues because fantasy managers are banking on them to improve in the coming seasons and hopefully dominate the league.
Clinton has pegged Matthews to score 65 points in the 2016-17 season, followed by teammate William Nylander with 55 points and the Coyotes' Dylan Strome with 50 points.
Matthews did end up winning the Calder Trophy that season as the league's top rookie, finishing with 40 goals and 69 points, followed by the Jets' Patrik Laine with 64 points, and Leafs teammates Mitch Marner and Nylander, who finished with 61 points each. Strome ended up playing just seven games that season.
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