How Auston Matthews Emerged from the Desert to Become a Hockey Superstar | Cover Story

I handled location audio for this ESPN Cover Story on Auston Matthews — the Scottsdale, Arizona native who became the Toronto Maple Leafs’ franchise player and one of the NHL’s top scorers. The Arizona connection makes this a natural local production for my roster.

The piece traces Matthews’ path from the Phoenix suburbs through his time in Switzerland developing his game and into his emergence as a first-overall pick and Maple Leafs cornerstone. The production moves between Arizona and hockey environments, with interview setups across the range of conditions that implies: exterior locations in the Valley heat, controlled settings, and likely arena and ice facilities.