For Auston Matthews, it was fitting that Toronto’s weather was both sunny and extremely cold on Wednesday.

On the eve of Thursday’s visit by the Arizona Coyotes, the 19-year-old Leafs rookie’s first game against his hometown team, Matthews fielded questions about growing up in Phoenix and adjusting to life in the Great White North.

“It’s been cold here the last week,” said Matthews, who as a kid would go to hockey practice in shorts and flip flops, even during the winter months. “I’d be waking up (for practice in Phoenix) at 6 in the morning and it was still 65 outside in January. That was just the normal thing.”

Matthews and his mates have dropped their past two games and hope to take advantage of a stretch of home dates before the annual Christmastime road trip starting next Thursday in Denver.

For Matthews, fond hockey memories of life in a non-traditional hockey market on the road to becoming the first overall pick in the NHL draft aren’t that far in the past.

There was the hockey school run by Boris Dorozhenko, the man many portray as the most influential in refining Matthews’ natural skills into an NHL-ready arsenal.

Before that, there was Ron Filion, who ran the Bobcats program where Matthews began playing organized hockey. Filion coached him from age 10 until he was 14 and ready to step into high-level programs.

“I’ll still go out and skate (with Filion) at some events. It’s always fun,” Matthews said of Filion, who, like Matthews, was a fixture at the Arcadia Ice Arena in the Desert Palms Power Centre in Phoenix.

As he progressed, Matthews naturally watched the local NHL team, then known as the Phoenix Coyotes, featuring Daniel Briere, one of his hockey heroes.

When Matthews was younger, he would keep Coyotes jerseys and mini-sticks in his room. He’d later skate with Briere’s son at Arcadia, and ultimately meet some of the Coyotes at fundraisers.

“I was so young and it was always loud in there. I was just always fascinated by the Zamboni, for some reason,” Matthews said.

“Once I got older, I remember (Alex) Ovechkin coming to town, (Sidney) Crosby and those guys. They were fun games to watch, the games where Ovechkin scored on his back, and the one where Crosby was falling down on his backhand and was able to roof it. You were always rooting for the Coyotes, but secretly you wanted to see some fun happen from those special players.

“That’s how I got into (hockey), watching those games. . . . I loved the way (Daniel Briere) played, celebrated goals by going down on one knee, fist pumping.”

There’s another trip down memory lane ahead for Matthews, with the Leafs playing the Coyotes again in Glendale next Friday.

Coyotes reporters dropped in on the Leafs’ practice Wednesday to pick up the story of how Matthews is managing in hockey’s biggest market, and to see if he’s a little homesick.

Matthews, who has his father staying with him as he gets used to the NHL and Toronto, says he’s adjusting by mixing business with pleasure.

“I get recognized walking down the street once in a while, especially walking with Mitch Marner,” he says, laughing. “It’s been great living here . . . going out to dinner, and even going out for a tea or coffee, just getting away a bit.

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“The (NHL) is kind of what you’d expect. It’s a long season, a lot of ups and downs. You try to stay level-headed, and of course, you want to win, but it’s pretty important to try and have fun out there, too.”

Matthews’ ties to Phoenix remain strong and a source of spiritual grounding. Next week, he’ll get to spend Christmas at home — the Leafs’ game will be their last before the break — for the first time in years.

“Yeah, I feel lucky with the schedule this year,” Matthews said. “Just family and friends — that’s the best part.”

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