Leafs top prospect will likely start on the top line for Team USA at the World Juniors
The 2022 World Juniors are just around the corner after being postponed due to COVID-19 earlier this year. With the hockey world excited to see what potential generational talent Connor Bedard will do during the tournament, there's another forward that Leafs fans are excited to watch as well. Team USA's Matthew Knies.
According to Kyle Cushman, it appears as though Knies will be playing on the top line with Logan Cooley and Matt Coronato. Both of Knies' linemates are first round picks, with Cooley going 3rd overall this year to the Arizona Coyotes and, Coronato going 13th overall last year to the Calgary Flames.
This will be a terrifying line for any team to defend against because all three players are coming off of insane seasons with their respected teams. Cooley had 75 points in 51 games with the US National Development Team. Coronato amassed 36 points in 34 games with Harvard university and Knies had 33 points in 33 games with the University of Minnesota in his rookie NCAA season.
This will definitely be an exciting line to watch this summer. With Cooley joining Knies in the fall at the university of Minnesota, this is going to be a little taste of what we can expect from these two all year. A strong showing at the World Juniors, coupled with a stellar 2022-23 campaign for the Golden Gophers in his sophomore NCAA season should set Knies up nicely for when he signs his ELC and comes over to the NHL at the end of his NCAA season, which he stated his plan is at Leafs' development camp last week.
