Auston Matthews Joins Bauer Hockey's Elite Roster of Athletes

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Jun 20, 2016, 09:00 ET

Top Projected NHL Draft Pick Selects BAUER as Exclusive Equipment Provider

EXETER, N.H., June 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bauer Hockey, the world's leading manufacturer of hockey equipment, announced today an exclusive partnership with projected top National Hockey League (NHL) draft pick Auston Matthews. Matthews, NHL Central Scouting's top ranked player, will exclusively wear BAUER equipment throughout the upcoming season.

Auston Matthews, NHL Central Scouting's top ranked player, has selected BAUER as his equipment of choice. Matthews will exclusively wear BAUER equipment throughout the upcoming season.

"I've always trusted BAUER as the best equipment for my game, and I'm excited to start my NHL career with the support of the most iconic brand in hockey," Matthews said. "BAUER offers the highest level of expertise and the most innovative equipment to elevate my game. I'm looking forward to working closely with the BAUER team for many years to come."

Last season, Matthews played for the ZSC Lions in the Swiss National A League, the top tier hockey league in the country. As an 18-year-old rookie during the 2015-16 season, Matthews finished fourth in the league with 25 goals and finished 10^th in the league in points with 46, averaging 1.28 points per game.

"Auston is an extremely talented hockey player who is the ultimate professional and a great fit for the BAUER family," said Mary-Kay Messier, Senior Director, Strategic Brand Initiatives and Partnerships, Bauer Hockey. "We're excited to have him join our elite roster of athletes, and we look forward to working with him for what we believe is going to be a very successful career."

On the international stage, the American-born Matthews earned a bronze medal during the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships and three gold medals with the United States during the 2015 IIHF U18 World Championships, the 2014 IIHF U18 World Championships and the 2014 IIHF U17 World Championships. During the 2015 U18 tournament, Matthews was named the Most Valuable Player and led the team in scoring. At the 2016 World Junior Championships, Matthews finished tied for the team lead in scoring with 11 points.

Matthews will be featured in Bauer Hockey's global marketing efforts, including the promotion of its BAUER NEXUS line of products. Matthews will answer fans' questions on Bauer Hockey's Twitter channel, @BauerHockey, today starting at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Matthews joins a long list of current Bauer Hockey athletes, including Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Alexander Ovechkin, Jack Eichel and Henrik Lundqvist to name just a few. Matthews is represented by CAA Sports.

ABOUT BAUER HOCKEY
Bauer Hockey is the world's most recognized designer, marketer and manufacturer of hockey equipment. Founded in Kitchener, Ontario in 1927, Bauer Hockey developed the first skate with a blade attached to a boot, forever changing the game of hockey. Since then, Bauer Hockey has continued to develop the most sought after products in the industry, including the widely successful SUPREME^®, VAPOR^® and NEXUS^® lines of products. Performance Sports Group Ltd., the parent company of Bauer Hockey, is a publicly-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange whose affiliates market products under the BAUER, MISSION, MAVERIK, CASCADE, INARIA, COMBAT and EASTON brand names. Performance Sports Group is a member of the S&P/Toronto Stock Exchange Composite Index. For more information about Bauer Hockey, visit www.bauer.com.