"Auston Matthews is an outstanding young Hockey player and everyone involved with the ZSC Lions is so excited about seeing him play in Zurich," Crawford writes in an e-mail to Tierney, sounding as if he counts on Matthews deciding to sign with the Lions for the upcoming season.
For Crawford, the NLA has only upsides for Matthews: "I believe it is the perfect training ground for young athletes," he says. "He will be coached by an NHL coach he will be challenged by playing against men in a fast skating, highly skilled league."
Hinting at Zurich-grown talents such as Ronalds Kenins, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Denis Malgin, Crawford sees Zurich as the perfect solution for players like Matthews: "He is a wonderful young man who wants to improve and we have an excellent record of development." (tme)
