When they first met as 15-year-olds at a summer tryout camp for the U.S. National Team Development Program, Zach Werenski didn’t know Auston Matthews’ name. He knew him simply as “the kid from Arizona.”

“I had no idea who he was,” Werenski said. “He had like eight goals in the four games (at camp) and scored in every shootout between periods. I was like, ‘Who is this kid?’ ”

Now the whole hockey-loving world knows Werenski, the Blue Jackets’ elite defenseman, and Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ high-powered center.

Two of brightest talents in a dazzling freshman NHL class will go head-to-head tonight when the Blue Jackets host Toronto in Nationwide Arena.

Werenski and Matthews text and Snapchat each other almost daily, Werenski said. They play “Call of Duty” on Xbox.

When Matthews scored four goals in his NHL debut earlier this season, Werenski took it to a new level, he joked.

“I sent him a Tweet on that one,” he said. “That one was Tweet-worthy.”

Matthews, the No. 1 overall pick last June, has 32 goals and 25 assists for the upstart Maple Leafs, who are trying to earn a playoff spot for only the second time in 12 seasons.

Werenski, the No. 8 overall pick in 2015, has 11 goals, 35 assists and a plus-22 rating for the Blue Jackets, who have already clinched a playoff spot and are pushing for the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top team.

They are half of a small cluster of players — Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine and Toronto’s Mitch Marner are the others — given a shot at winning the Calder Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL’s top rookie.

“I’m so happy for Zach and how well he has played and the situation he’s in,” Matthews told The Dispatch earlier this season. “It just seems perfect for him in Columbus.

“We’ll always stay in touch. But a lot has changed for us these last couple years. These are exciting times.”

Werenski said the frequent conversations have been a good source of comfort and consistency during the struggles and adjustments to life as a pro.

“It’s pretty crazy (in Toronto) when it comes to expectations,” Werenski said. “To be a first overall pick and have all those expectations, and still live up to it? He has probably exceeded a lot of people’s expectations with the year he’s had.”

When the Jackets and Leafs met on Feb. 15, Werenski had two assists in a 5-2 Columbus win. Matthews had four shots on goal, but didn’t register a point.

The Leafs and Jackets play one more time this season — at least. They could meet in the playoffs, if the Jackets win the Presidents’ Trophy and the Leafs claim the second wild card.

Either way, two bright careers are just getting started.

“I was talking to (Blue Jackets veteran Sam) Gagner the other day,” Werenski said. “This will be the second time he has been in the playoffs, and the first time was last year. It’s cool to hear that, because it’s my first year and I’m having this experience, and it’s like a dream first year for any rookie.”

Werenski knows it’s the same for Matthews as well.

“We’re both happy for each other. The year (the Leafs are) having, I’m sure he is on cloud nine.”

aportzline@dispatch.com

@aportzline