Trenton Golden Hawks forward Cooper Matthews knows the value of having a strong support system.
"It’s been pretty cool, being able to play in front of family and friends again," Matthews shared. "Just growing up around this area, it’s been a pretty cool feeling being able to do that."
His father, Chris, even converted their basement into a shooting room, a setup that allowed Matthews to perfect his craft at home. Even if it came at the expense of some extra noise.
"My dad ended up putting a shooting room in our basement," he said. "I’m sure my mom wasn’t too happy hearing the puck hitting the walls all the time, but that’s definitely helped me."
Throughout his journey, the support from his parents Chris and Angie has been instrumental.
"I couldn’t have done it without them," he said. “Just dad coming up on Fridays for tournaments growing up, my mom coming to support me, and just having that support, it’s really helped."
Last season, Matthews shined with Trenton, tallying 40 points in just 24 regular-season games before helping the Golden Hawks reach the OJHL finals.
This season, he's already registered 21 points in 18 games and has been a game-changer, leading the league with four game-winning goals.
Playing in Trenton also reunited him with head coach Derek Smith, who had coached him with the Wellington Dukes.
After his time with the Barrie Colts, Matthews felt that returning to play under Smith again was the right decision.
"I played for Derek when I was 16, and then I moved away," Matthews said. "When I left Barrie, coming back here, I knew Derek, and I knew a bunch of the guys. I knew it’d be a good fit and just the trust Derek's put in me has really helped me grow."
Matthews appreciated his time in the OHL and the chance it gave him to learn from some of the game's top prospects.
"Playing in Barrie helped me a lot," he said. "Just having guys like Brandt Clarke (LA Kings), Tyson Foerster (Philadelphia Flyers) guys in the NHL now. Being able to look up to them when I was younger really helped. I'm just trying to share that experience with the younger guys here."
The Golden Hawk currently lead the Eastern Conference with a .825 winning percentage and is gaining national attention in the CJHL Top 20 Rankings.
"It’s pretty exciting seeing how good we already are and thinking about how much better we can get once everyone gains more experience," he said.
While both Matthews and the team are having considerable success, he isn't getting ahead of himself.
"I'm just trying to stay in the moment, enjoy everything this year, have fun, and see how things go," he said.
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