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

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LeafChief said:
If he can develop like Matt Boldy, we'll be laughing.

I'm not expecting him to be that good. Hopefully he can pan-out as we can use a player of his toolkit.
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I think he's just as good right now. We'll see how he develops. I remember watching Boldy in his draft year, he was a kid that didn't have the greatest transition game because of his lack of foot speed and puck carrying ability but once in the offensive zone he was a wizard always making the right passes and scoring goals. He also had the luxury of playing on a massively stacked NTDP program with the likes of Jack Hughes, Zegras, Turcotte, and Caufield to name a few studs. He was a very good player but he was a huge luxury piece on the team and a great finisher who provided much-needed size and space for the smaller more dynamic puck-moving offensive players. Even in his time at BC by the looks of it Boldy has been primarily a finisher and a guy that got the half wall setups on the PP and did most of his damage in close. He was absolutely dominant with BC though and surprisingly effective at driving offense in the offensive zone.

I feel like Knies has a better wrist shot compared to Boldy but Boldy has that one-timer down from the left circle. Knies is also a much better skater and puck carrier who isn't afraid to rush the puck up the ice and create his own chances. I think that's going to allow him to really elevate his game and separate himself in this draft if he can confidently carry the puck and make smart decisions with it, especially at his frame. Being an all-around guy including PKing is also an asset for Knies over Boldy who hasn't had many if any significant PK duties. I truly feel like had it not been for COVID and Knies having a slow start, he's easily a top 10 pick in this year's draft with his tool kit alone. We might have another homerun pick on our hands slip into our arms without having a 1st round pick in the draft. I think he needs to continue to develop a fearless game that can impose on players more so than play around them.

I'm very excited. I hope the kid can really bring it to Minnesota next year. Gophers are going to lose a ton of seniors this year IIRC so both Knies and Mike Koster should be in for some primed minutes if they can take that next step and nab those minutes. Hopefully, this guy can be a big difference-maker for us.

Amirov
Robertson
Knies
Abramov
Abruzzesse

These are my 5 x-factor forward prospects. I think all 5 of them really have a legitimate shot at becoming very good top 6 players before too long. I wish we could really hit on a premier C prospect who can provide us with very good 3rd line minutes and eventually succeed JT in that 2 hole. I know Willy can be that guy if needed but it would be nice to have one of our prospects jump off the page and push the roster over. Unfortunately, I don't think we have anyone remotely close in the system.
 
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nobody said:
I think he's just as good right now. We'll see how he develops. I remember watching Boldy in his draft year, he was a kid that didn't have the greatest transition game because of his lack of foot speed and puck carrying ability but once in the offensive zone he was a wizard always making the right passes and scoring goals. He also had the luxury of playing on a massively stacked NTDP program with the likes of Jack Hughes, Zegras, Turcotte, and Caufield to name a few studs. He was a very good player but he was a huge luxury piece on the team and a great finisher who provided much-needed size and space for the smaller more dynamic puck-moving offensive players. Even in his time at BC by the looks of it Boldy has been primarily a finisher and a guy that got the half wall setups on the PP and did most of his damage in close. He was absolutely dominant with BC though and surprisingly effective at driving offense in the offensive zone.

I feel like Knies has a better wrist shot compared to Boldy but Boldy has that one-timer down from the left circle. Knies is also a much better skater and puck carrier who isn't afraid to rush the puck up the ice and create his own chances. I think that's going to allow him to really elevate his game and separate himself in this draft if he can confidently carry the puck and make smart decisions with it, especially at his frame. Being an all-around guy including PKing is also an asset for Knies over Boldy who hasn't had many if any significant PK duties. I truly feel like had it not been for COVID and Knies having a slow start, he's easily a top 10 pick in this year's draft with his tool kit alone. We might have another homerun pick on our hands slip into our arms without having a 1st round pick in the draft. I think he needs to continue to develop a fearless game that can impose on players more so than play around them.

I'm very excited. I hope the kid can really bring it to Minnesota next year. Gophers are going to lose a ton of seniors this year IIRC so both Knies and Mike Koster should be in for some primed minutes if they can take that next step and nab those minutes. Hopefully, this guy can be a big difference-maker for us.

Amirov
Robertson
Knies
Abramov
Abruzzesse

These are my 5 x-factor forward prospects. I think all 5 of them really have a legitimate shot at becoming very good top 6 players before too long. I wish we could really hit on a premier C prospect who can provide us with very good 3rd line minutes and eventually succeed JT in that 2 hole. I know Willy can be that guy if needed but it would be nice to have one of our prospects jump off the page and push the roster over. Unfortunately, I don't think we have anyone remotely close in the system.
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Wow - I hope you're right!

Where do you expect him to play in Minnesota's lineup next season?
 
LeafChief said:
Wow - I hope you're right!

Where do you expect him to play in Minnesota's lineup next season?
Click to expand...

I watched a fair bit of Minnesota games last season because of Koster and from what I saw, they don't really have a traditional offensive attack. I think they balance their minutes out pretty evenly between their top 6-8 forwards and the play the "4th line" guys a little more sparingly. Right now, they've lost 2 of their top scorers to the pros and 1 transferred out, 2 of their returning top players are Cs and 1 is a W so if Knies gets off to a good start and plays hard, he could potentially land on the top 2 lines pretty early. I think he's going to have plenty of chances to showcase his skill, it's just a matter of him playing hard. He's going to have a bit of competition for ice time from fellow draftees and stud prospects from this draft in Broz and Lucius. Lucius is a C and will probably slot in at 3C but move up depending on his play. I think Minnesota has an exciting year of hockey coming up. Leafs nation does too with Knies and Koster. Koster last year looked like an absolute stud. It's a shame the kid isn't 5 inches taller. He'd be the talk of the town.
 
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nobody said:
I watched a fair bit of Minnesota games last season because of Koster and from what I saw, they don't really have a traditional offensive attack. I think they balance their minutes out pretty evenly between their top 6-8 forwards and the play the "4th line" guys a little more sparingly. Right now, they've lost 2 of their top scorers to the pros and 1 transferred out, 2 of their returning top players are Cs and 1 is a W so if Knies gets off to a good start and plays hard, he could potentially land on the top 2 lines pretty early. I think he's going to have plenty of chances to showcase his skill, it's just a matter of him playing hard. He's going to have a bit of competition for ice time from fellow draftees and stud prospects from this draft in Broz and Lucius. Lucius is a C and will probably slot in at 3C but move up depending on his play. I think Minnesota has an exciting year of hockey coming up. Leafs nation does too with Knies and Koster. Koster last year looked like an absolute stud. It's a shame the kid isn't 5 inches taller. He'd be the talk of the town.
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Koster looked so good last year. In a normal year, he probably would have had enough time to make the WJC team.

Are any of the other D going pro to make room for him in the top 4 this year?
 
dangomon said:
A couple highlights from yesterday's game:

Second clip looks like he moves pretty darn well for a bigger guy.
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It's not so much he's a bad skater like some said, his stride just isn't "optimal". Look at how many steps he takes instead of really extending his stride and using his legs.
 
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Morgs said:
It's not so much he's a bad skater like some said, his stride just isn't "optimal". Look at how many steps he takes instead of really extending his stride and using his legs.
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Choppy stride for sure but he moves pretty well tbh.
 
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I'm getting a ton of Nik Kulemin vibes from watching him skate, it's unsettling. Knies plays a bit more east-west and has the puck skills to hold on for a split second longer in exchange for a slightly softer shot (that still beats USHL goalies from a distance) and less speed? Solid pick up.
 
cookie said:
I'm getting a ton of Nik Kulemin vibes from watching him skate, it's unsettling. Knies plays a bit more east-west and has the puck skills to hold on for a split second longer in exchange for a slightly softer shot (that still beats USHL goalies from a distance) and less speed? Solid pick up.
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Loved Kuly too so would not hate that.
 
cupcrazyman said:
Funny how a high rated player turns into a bust the second the Leafs draft him. :laugh:
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LOL bust. I guess you missed the video clip posted earlier, pretty obvious that Knies would be a 1st round pick if the draft was done over today. Everything Dubas touches turns to gold, fact.
 
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