Auston Matthews being named Team USA captain comes as no great surprise but it is a testament to his health as he’s looked better in January than any other month this season.

Among the NHL teammates who will be on opposite benches during the 4-Nations Face-Off include Toronto Maple Leafs stars Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Matthews, who grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz., will be representing the USA while Nylander will be representing his native Sweden.

Matthews was named captain of the Maple Leafs on Aug. 14, taking over for John Tavares, who passed along the role to star forward. Matthews is the 26th captain in the club's history and the first US-born player to wear the "C' for Toronto.

The 4 Nations Face-Off captains and leadership groups for Canada, Finland, Sweden and the U.S. must guide their teams to a win with little margin for error.

Auston Matthews was named captain of Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Wednesday. The 27-year-old center is in his first season as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 4 Nations Face-Off will be the first time Matthews will represent the United States since joining the NHL for the 2016-17 season.

As speculation rises over which players may decide to sit out the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews will be suiting up for Team

Toronto Maple Leafs sniper Auston Matthews was named U.S. captain earlier Thursday. Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman was tabbed to lead Sweden, while Florida Panthers centre Aleksander Barkov got the honours for Finland.

Leafs star center Auston Matthews has been given major news ahead of the Four Nations faceoff after his return from injury a few weeks earlier. After coming back a first time from injury, Matthews re-aggrevated the injury,

Auston Matthews will serve as captain for the United States in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, and his team is the only one involved without a glaring injury question to answer.

Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been selected as the U.S. captain for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.

Team captains have officially been named for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off and two Edmonton Oilers are set to take a leadership role. Connor McDavid and Mattias Ekholm will both sport an ‘A’ as assistant captains for Canada and Sweden,