Auston Matthews lauded ahead of Central Scouting midterm rankings release

Auston Matthews will finally have a digit to reaffirm his place among the top NHL prospects for June's draft when NHL Central Scouting releases its midterm rankings Tuesday.

And it's difficult to imagine him not landing at the summit.

Matthews, who's scored in all four games in Switzerland's top division since returning from a dominant appearance at the world juniors, received high praise from inside the bureau on the eve of the release.

"In my opinion, Matthews is the best player in the league, although it's not very clear and there might be other opinions," Central Scouting's Thomas Roost said, according to Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com.

Added Roost, "If our league kept statistics for points per 60 minutes played, Matthews would lead it. There's no sign of him fading away and he still plays on a consistent, very high level."

Matthews' 19 goals sees him tied for the league lead despite playing 13 and seven games fewer than his respective co-leaders.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound pivot was born two days after the cutoff date for last year's NHL draft, meaning he'll be one of the more polished and physically mature prospects called to the stage in Buffalo.