A few days after the NHL expanded to the non-traditional hockey city of Las Vegas, a player from the non-traditional hockey city of Scottsdale, Ariz., is expected to be chosen No. 1 in the league’s annual entry draft.
Creative and powerful center Auston Matthews, whose career was inspired by the Coyotes’ move to Arizona, is all but certain to be picked first by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, when the first round is held at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Rounds two through seven will be conducted Saturday.