Top Leafs prospect on pace to surpass previous season high in goals, enjoying another impressive NCAA season

Knies and his University of Minnesota Golden Gophers were back in action on Friday, taking on Michigan State and skating away with a decisive 5-0 win. Not only did the Gophers pick up the win, but Knies scored another beauty, this one an absolute snipe from around the faceoff dot for his 10th of the season.

Knies continues to score in a variety of ways. He's shown himself to be dangerous off the rush, in the slot and around the net, which has to be exciting for the Leafs organization, since Knies is proving that he can be effective almost anywhere.

With Knies moving to 10 goals and 17 points on the season, not only has he continued to produce at a point-per-game in his sophomore season in the NCAA, but he's also on pace to surpass his goal total from last season. In 2021-22, Knies potted 15 goals for the Gophers. This season, he's on pace to score 20. Knies is tied for 9th in goals in the NCAA at the moment, tied with fellow Leafs prospect Ryan Tverberg (UConn) and just 1 behind 2023 projected top-3 draft pick Adam Fantilli for 8th in goals.

In 2021-22, Knies finished his rookie season in the NCAA with 33 points in 33 games. Thus far, he's on track to match that total and potentially even surpass it if his Golden Gophers can go deeper in the playoffs, perhaps winning an NCAA title, which is what the goal was when he announced he'd be returning for another year earlier this year.