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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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The Toronto Maple Leafs held practices/scrimmages at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, Ont. TSN reporter Mark Masters checks in with news and notes from Day 3.

Auston Matthews laughed when a reporter asked if his teenage years were all he could have hoped for. "Yeah, they were fine. I enjoyed them. Getting old now," he said. The phenom from Arizona turned 20 on Sunday. What was his favourite hockey-related gift from past birthdays? "Usually just a stick," Matthews noted before smiling, "but I think I'm all set with those now."

Matthews has been in good spirits and appears relaxed early in training camp. His off-season was dramatically different in 2017 versus the previous year when he was busy with the World Championship, NHL entry draft and World Cup of Hockey, among other commitments. 

"It feels nice," he said with a big grin. "It feels real nice to not have that whole busy summer." 

Does he feel like he has more energy now?  

"I don't know. I mean, I felt really good last year, it was just there was so much stuff going on so I didn't really get that full summer experience where you can just be in one place at one time for a long period of time. It was like every week I was going somewhere so it was nice to be home and relax and have a set regiment and just have fun."

This is the first time Matthews will experience an NHL training camp from start to finish. Last year, he joined his Leafs teammates midway through the process after the World Cup. This year, Matthews will get the chance to ensure his chemistry with linemates William Nylander and Zach Hyman is quickly re-established. The trio seemed to be trying out some longer passes in the weekend scrimmages. 

"You definitely just want to make the zone a little bit bigger," Matthews explained. "Obviously, there's not too much space out there so, yeah, it's a big key for us to open it up a little bit, utilize our skill and make sure we're able to find each other."

***

After missing the first few days of training camp for the birth of his second child, Nikita Zaitsev joined his teammates for the first time on Sunday. 

The Russian defenceman expects to take another step forward this season. "It's for sure more comfortable," he said. "I know everybody here so everything's easier. That's good."

Zaitsev said he added five pounds of muscle during his summer training and skated more than usual, taking only a couple weeks off. 

"The biggest thing is learning the league, learning the game, understanding the physicality," said head coach Mike Babcock. "Last year, he lost weight during the year; he won't this year, just because he understands. A year under your belt makes a big difference."

A couple of Swedish league imports are pushing for a spot on the Leafs blueline. Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen were signed by the club in the off-season and hope to make a smooth transition to the North American game. 

"The ice is much smaller, so it's going a bit faster than at home," said Borgman, who has been rooming with Matthews.  

Although Borgman, the SHL rookie of the year last season, noted that Babcock's system is similar to the one he played with HV-​71. 

"It's kind of like home," the 22-year-old said. "It's pretty fast and he wants us to move forward right away and kind of hard (physically) all the time so kind of my style. When they called me and talked to me about how they were playing I thought it would fit me really well."

Rosen isn't fazed by the change in ice surface. "I've been here for almost two weeks so you get used to it," the 23-year-old insisted. "I don't think that's a problem for me anymore."​

The lefty has played the last two seasons on the right side with Växjö, which could be an asset. Rosen switched between both sides on the first couple days of camp. 

Rosen said his focus right now is improving his D-zone play and getting stronger. 

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Babcock's left arm has been in a sling at times during camp. He's had that hand in his pocket during practices with a whistle taped to the glove on the right hand. The coach confirmed he recently had surgery to clean up a pre-existing issue that had been bothering him.  

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Toronto plans to trim its training camp roster before Monday's pre-season opener in Ottawa. After inviting 73 players, Babcock wants to get down to 48 (four goalies, 16 defenceman and 28 forwards).