Auston Matthews' first photoshoot as the Leafs captain revealed and it's beautiful

The Toronto Maple Leafs officially declared star center Auston Matthews as their new captain over the summer. This was indeed a big milestone in Matthews' illustrious career so far, as he has risen as one of the game's elite players since being drafted first overall by the Leafs back in 2016.

Wearing the captaincy in Toronto comes with great responsibility. Auston Matthews is next in a line of Leafs captains that include Mats Sundin and Dion Phaneuf who inherit not only the leadership mantle but the weight of the high expectations of a city starving for a Stanley Cup, that hasn't seen one since 1967.

Auston Matthews' appointment as team captain comes off the back of a number of seasons where he has led the Leafs offensively, scoring lots of goals and receiving plenty of awards that include the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goal-scorer. The hard work he puts in, together with his ability to see things through when the pressure is on, has him gaining the trust of his teammates and the organization.

We have finally seen Auston Matthews don this legendary jersey with the "C" for the first time on the ice in a professional photoshoot. The pictures released by the organization are absolutely stunning, and no doubt fans will be running to stores to swipe these beauties off the shelves in no time once they see these latest pictures.

Auston Matthews is now in a major leadership role, and he is still only 26 years old. He has consistently been one of the veterans in the Leafs' locker room and is expected to lead the team through future playoff pushes. With Matthews donning the "C," at least that provides hope for Toronto fans that this could be the change in leadership that has the team pushing for the deep postseason run they've been craving.

Auston Matthews has played in 562 games with the Maple Leafs, and in that time, has managed to score 368 goals and add 281 assists, for 649 points. He is truly a legend in the making.

Source:
Toronto Maple Leafs on X

Source: HockeyDB
Auston Matthews Stats