Auston Matthews, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft, made believers out of Team North America co-general managers Peter Chiarelli and Stan Bowman.
Matthews was one of seven players added to the Team North America roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey on Friday. He is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of international skaters for the draft, which will be held at First Niagara Center in Buffalo on June 24-25.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound native of Scottsdale, Ariz., could be the first American-born player to be the first pick of the draft since the Chicago Blackhawks selected Patrick Kane with the first pick of the 2007 draft.