Matthews impresses in return to Zurich lineup

Auston Matthews, who many project to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, is playing for Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league this season. NHL.com will follow his journey leading to the NHL Draft this season with a weekly update.

Auston Matthews returned to the lineup for Zurich on Nov. 25 following a six-game absence because of an upper-body injury and looked to be in prime form.

In his first game, against Ambri-Piotta in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Ice Hockey Cup, he had two goals in a 5-2 victory. Zurich will play Bern in the semifinals on Jan. 5 or Jan 6, 2016. Zurich has won both regular-season games against Bern this season, outscoring them 7-4.

Zurich leads National League A with 52 points in 26 games and has outscored teams 84-64.

Matthews played in regular-season games against Lausanne, a 2-0 win Nov. 27, and against Ambri-Piotta, a 4-1 win Nov. 28 in regular-season action. He didn't have a point in either game but did have five combined shots on goal.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound center is an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's November players to watch list for the 2016 NHL Draft.

Zurich's three games are against SCL on Dec. 1, Zug on Dec. 4 and Geneve-Servette on Dec. 5.

Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mikemorrealeNHL