Leafs' top prospect posting ridiculous underlying numbers in the NCAA
According to Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) the NCAA player cards made a return, powered by data via InStat. They included all teams from Big Ten, Hockey East, and NCHC, and a popular request was Toronto Maple Leafs prospect, Matthew Knies.
The University of Minnesota product and former 2nd round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has been producing well for his second straight NCAA season and is improving every game - which is great news for the Maple Leafs and scary for the rest of their opponents. Adding another talented forward to their already stacked group is a tantalizing notion.
On the season, he has 11 goals and 19 points in 18 games, a slightly better pace than he was on last year when he had 33 points in 33 games in his first season with the University of Minnesota. He spent parts of 3 seasons with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL before being drafted, tallying 31 goals and 87 points in 90 games.
As for his NCAA player card, well, they gave him a 99 overall rating. His offence is a 92, transition is a 99, defence a 64, and penalties a 73. His carry entries/60 are off the charts as are his carry exits/60 and passing entries/60. He is the fourth-best among all forwards in the NCAA with these numbers tallied up, second best in transition, and is only getting better, more dominant, and stronger. It's tough not to be excited for this kid's NHL arrival.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 8 | 221 ANSWERS Leafs' top prospect posting ridiculous underlying numbers in the NCAA Is Matthew Knies the missing piece in Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 71 | 32.1 % |
| No | 37 | 16.7 % |
| Not yet, but he will be that piece before long | 113 | 51.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
