Matthews, a finalist for the Male Olympic Athlete of the Year, led the U.S. to the gold medal and earned the Directorate Award as the tournament's best forward at the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men's World Championship in Lucerne and Zug, Switzerland. Matthews led the tournament in points (15), tied for the event-high in goals (8), finished tied for second in plus/minus (+11) and tied for fourth in assists (7). He also rewrote the USA Hockey National Team Development Program record book, notching 55 goals and 117 points to surpass Patrick Kane's single-season goals (52) and points (102) records. His 62 assists rank second on the single-season list. Additionally, Matthews was named USA Hockey's Bob Johnson Award recipient after completing his NTDP career with 79 goals and 88 assists for 167 points in 104 games.