The latest on Matthew Knies, who appears ready to make the jump; the 20-year-old talks about his skating, shooting and more
Through 28 games with the University of Minnesota Gophers, the Leafs 2021 2nd round pick, Matthew Knies, has 17 goals and 30 points, all while being looked at under a microscope by Leaf fans and executives from around the league. He will almost certainly surpass the 33 points he had in 33 games last season and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. Not bad for a kid from the desert. Knies recently sat down with TSN's Mark Masters and discussed how his season is going and how the Leafs are helping him from afar.
Heading into the season, there were questions about his skating, which Knies acknowledged and has worked on it immensely. Masters asked him what he has worked on regarding his skating and how it has helped, to which Knies responded by saying, "I wanted to get a quicker step on opponents. Using my knees to angle myself to change direction. Being deceptive with my feet, those are the things I've worked on the most so far." The work he has done on his skating has been evident this season with the number of highlight reel goals he has scored, his edgework (and puck control) have been front and center.
Knies has also worked on his shooting, studying the likes of Steven Stamkos, Alexander Ovechkin and of course Auston Matthews. "I want to get it off my stick a lot quicker in tighter areas and I think I've done that," said Knies of his shot, explaining that he puts himself in awkward positions after practice such as taking pucks off his skates in order to work on his release and using his top hand more.
He knows about the hype Leaf fans have about him, but says he doesn't follow it much on social media because he doesn't want to be influenced by it, only wanting to focus on his game. Knies does focus on the video the Leafs send him though to help him improve while he is at Minnesota, mainly his skating and shooting. He says the Leafs have done a good job of not being overbearing or being a distraction and just trusting him and his game.
The Leafs are hoping to have Knies join them at the end of his season, which could be as late as April 8th which is when the Frozen Four Finals are, should the Gophers go all the way. Knies also revealed that several executives and other team personnel have travelled to the University of Minnesota to meet with him on a number of occasions throughout the year, providing him with some different insights and things to work on to help him while he continues to develop.
All in all, Knies has exceeding pretty much every expectation and looks poised to become an immediate top-9 player for the Buds when his season comes to an end in a couple short months.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 9 | 220 ANSWERS The latest on Matthew Knies, who appears ready to make the jump; the 20-year-old talks about his skating, shooting and more Will Matthew Knies play in a top-9 role for the Leafs in the playoffs? | ||
| Yes | 133 | 60.5 % |
| No, they won't rush him | 87 | 39.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
