Prospect Info: 2021 2nd Rd Pick (#57 OA) - Matthew Knies (LW) - Tri-City (USHL)

[zeke]

Overall the pick seems to be getting surprisingly strong reviews by both scouting types and nerd types.

If his first half lack of scoring this year was the aberration or due to some specific issue that's been solved, then his 2nd half production looks like less growth over his first year and the kind of production that would have had him drafted way harder.

At first it looked like a safe pick to me but it seems like the upside is there too.

 

[Mess]

Matthew Knies, Highlights, Profile video, NHL Draft 2021

 

[kb]

Doesn't appear to skate overly well. Can shoot and handle the puck well. Only based on what I saw in the video above

Taller players look like they have more issues as they don't move their feet as fast.

 

[AcerComputer]

Always go for the home run pick. You can always sign bottom 6 bottom pairing d men in FA or trade for them.

 

[Stephen]

This.

Don't know why it's so hard for people to comprehend that the size / iq / skill combo is a ratio and sometimes the iq and skill drop very low when you increase the size.

Dubas will chase the ratio. This thing about chasing small guys is a myth that has now been disproven.

I think it's the idea that big players are dumb and little water bugs are all heads up high IQ players that needs be seriously critiqued. A lot of bigger pro level players are tasked with playing a straight ahead north south game with pace and use their bodies to break down the opposition so their job isn't to be a little Denis Savard out there. At the end of the day you need all types to make up a well rounded team so over prioritize any one attribute doesn't build you that.

 

[Drew311]

Kreider?

 

[Menzinger]

He's committed to the Gophers who have an excellent program. Will be playing alongside Leafs D prospect Mike Koster. They're big on developing skilled players.

Will.be fun to be able to see him in person play a few times this season

 

[The CyNick]

Always go for the home run pick. You can always sign bottom 6 bottom pairing d men in FA or trade for them.

Can you?

 

[johnnybbadd]

Always go for the home run pick. You can always sign bottom 6 bottom pairing d men in FA or trade for them.

You can but usually at cap hits that start 2.5 million if you are lucky. Especially if you want the good ones.

 

[hockeywiz542]

 

[Clark4Ever]

I like the pick. This is exactly what we need more of coming down the pipeline.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Finally a draft pick that has Messier eyes ha. Alex Tuch type style. Got a gooder

 

[TDotMassive]

Matthew Knies Bow Ties!















Perfect.

Also could be... Matthew "Bow Ties" Knies

 

[zeke]

Lmao he had a slow start this year cuz he HAD COVID!!

perfect. The exact excuse we needed.

Put his great 1st year production along with his great 2nd half this year and that's a surefire 1st rounder. Maybe even a high one.

STEAL!!!

 

[hockeywiz542]

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Last year's stats:

Tyler Boucher (10th overall to Ottawa): 0.125 ES primary points/game | 0.25 primary points/game | 0.46 points/game

Matthew Knies (57th OA to Leafs): 0.55 ES primary points/game | 0.73 primary points/game | 0.98 points/game

Considering Boucher only played 5 USHL games this year, you'd honestly expect their draft positions to be switched

 

[LaPlante94]

Last year's stats:

Tyler Boucher (10th overall to Ottawa): 0.125 ES primary points/game | 0.25 primary points/game | 0.46 points/game

Matthew Knies (57th OA to Leafs): 0.55 ES primary points/game | 0.73 primary points/game | 0.98 points/game

Considering Boucher only played 5 USHL games this year, you'd honestly expect their draft positions to be switched

I will admit that going against Boucher and Tkachuk in the future will be annoying as hell.

 

[zeke]

Last year's stats:

Tyler Boucher (10th overall to Ottawa): 0.125 ES primary points/game | 0.25 primary points/game | 0.46 points/game

Matthew Knies (57th OA to Leafs): 0.55 ES primary points/game | 0.73 primary points/game | 0.98 points/game

Considering Boucher only played 5 USHL games this year, you'd honestly expect their draft positions to be switched

Yep.

 

[PromisedLand]

probably not a popular opinion but I like this pick. I think he has a higher upside than many are projecting

 

[zeke]

Lol poor McCagg.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Yep.

compares pretty well to guys like Zegras, Beniers, Farabee, Lucius, Wahlstrom, Turcotte, B. Tkachuk in D-1 production in recent years too. I think it's safe to say he has first round skill, provided his start to the season was just an outlier due to injury/covid

 

[BertCorbeau]

I like what I'm reading about this kid .. his skating will probably be the biggest factor in him reaching his potential.

 

[PromisedLand]

Tyler Biggs flashbacks.

Rooting for the kid though!

that was the DUMBEST pick ever by the Leafs in the 1st round IMO

 

[hockeywiz542]

What are the Toronto Maple Leafs getting in their 2021 NHL Draft picks Matthew Knies, Ty Voit and Vyacheslav Peksa? - The Athletic

Pick No. 1: Matthew Knies

Drafted: Second round, No. 57 | Position: LW
Age: 18 | Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 205 pounds
2020-21 Stats: 44 GP, 17 G, 25 A, 42 pts (Tri-City Storm, USHL)

The Skinny: In Knies, the Leafs found a powerful, skilled winger with size whose hallmark of his game is his relentless energy in all areas of the rink.

“When his game is on, he’s got an elite ability to compete and take pucks back, strip guys from behind, angle through guys’ hands and that allows him to have the puck more,” said Storm assistant coach Ethan Goldberg. “And when he has the puck, he’s protecting it, he’s attacking the net and he understands when to give it to teammates.”

Knies was ranked fairly high on some draft boards, with The Athletic’s Corey Pronman forecasting Knies to be selected in the first round, and an NHL scout saying Knies has “first-round size and skill.” He can drive the net well, has a heavy shot and can play with the kind of physicality that can come with a more typical power forward role.

“We really valued his game as an underage (player) in the USHL,” said Lilley, who lauded his offensive instincts.

Knies may have dropped to the Leafs because of a disappointing first half of the season, in which Knies struggled with the pressure and expectations that come with being a highly-touted pick and did not produce and develop as some scouts expected he would.

For his part, Knies called the first half of his season “chaotic” as he dealt with a COVID diagnosis. He struggled to develop synergy with his teammates on the ice.

“Not unlike a lot of players that come into their draft year, and I don’t know why he had a little bit of a struggle to start, but a lot of players put a lot of pressure on themselves because of the draft or different things,” said Lilley. “But I just thought he rounded out his game, overcame the adversity and just played really well down the stretch. He played fast, he played aggressive and he produced.”

What stuck out to those who know him, including Storm head coach Anthony Noreen, was how Knies was their “best player” late in the season and in their short playoff run. They relied on his speed and strength in the offensive zone.

“When the moment gets big, he earned the right to be good in those situations because he’s been good in the situations where nobody’s watching. It’s who he is, what he is,” said Noreen.

 

[Warden of the North]

Really like this pick. Well done.

Fits an organizational need too