Leafs prospect vows to bring an old school playing style to the Leafs this season
For nostalgic Leaf fans like myself, there is no shortage of things to be excited about this season. Max Domi has finally come home to Toronto, where his father was so beloved. They have a Darcy Tucker comparable in Tyler Bertuzzi, minus Tucker's crazy eyes. Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll are rocking CuJo and Ed Belfour tribute masks. Yes, everything about this team seems to remind fans of the Leafs of the early 2000s (who won a lot of playoff series, by the way). It seems that Matthew Knies would like to see that trend continue.
Before suiting up for the Leafs at the Traverse City prospects tournament, Knies stated that he wants to earn himself a role in the top 6. How does a rookie pull that off? By bringing something to the table that the Leafs badly need.
"I want to be that power forward, I want to be that old, traditional hockey player that works hard, can play physical and can move the puck well and produce. That's what I'm going to try to be and I think it starts with my work ethic." - Matthew Knies on his playing style
If Tyler Bertuzzi is going to be this year's Darcy Tucker, Knies is aiming to be this year's Gary Roberts. A power forward who's physicality matches his skill level, arriving in the corners, as my late grandfather used to say, "early and in an ill temper." All 6'3, 210 lbs of Matthew Knies will be an absolute joy to watch this season if he brings those badly needed traits to the ice this season.
The full interview can be found here:
| POLL | ||
14 SEPTEMBRE | 108 ANSWERS Leafs prospect vows to bring an old school playing style to the Leafs this season Will Matthew Knies be on the 1st line come playoff time? | ||
| Yes! He's awesome! | 43 | 39.8 % |
| No, Bertuzzi will | 59 | 54.6 % |
| No, they'll add a forward at the deadline | 6 | 5.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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