Prospect Info: Marlies/Prospects Thread - 2023-23 Season Edition

[francis246]

I hope you're right but that might be a bit optimistic.

I think the point the other poster was trying to make is that if Minnesota goes to the Frozen Four, it won't leave much time for Knies to get acclimated to the NHL before playoffs and I'm not sure you want to throw in (or depend on) a rookie to jump in and be a difference maker in the playoffs.

I hope Knies can come in and be a beast but I'm tempering my expectations.

I get the cautious optimism, but I’m looking at Tage Thompson and Matt Boldy. Knies has had better or comparable numbers than both did in the NCAA. And on top of that he’s more physical and a better net front player than both. Both those guys made the jump and was good.

Even look at Greenway and Pinto.

Knies is a top prospect. He isn’t Tyler Biggs. I think we need to start accepting that. Of course he has to come in and prove he can play, but this kid is going to be a decent NHLer

 

[LeafChief]

I get the cautious optimism, but I’m looking at Tage Thompson and Matt Boldy. Knies has had better or comparable numbers than both did in the NCAA. And on top of that he’s more physical and a better net front player than both. Both those guys made the jump and was good.

Even look at Greenway and Pinto.

Knies is a top prospect. He isn’t Tyler Biggs. I think we need to start accepting that. Of course he has to come in and prove he can play, but this kid is going to be a decent NHLer

I hope you're right. That would be great news.

 

[francis246]

I hope you're right but that might be a bit optimistic.

I think the point the other poster was trying to make is that if Minnesota goes to the Frozen Four, it won't leave much time for Knies to get acclimated to the NHL before playoffs and I'm not sure you want to throw in (or depend on) a rookie to jump in and be a difference maker in the playoffs.

I hope Knies can come in and be a beast but I'm tempering my expectations.

Additionally you wouldn’t be expecting him to come in and score 15 goals. Just be physical and be a menace in the crease.

 

[Jacquestrapless]

I get the cautious optimism, but I’m looking at Tage Thompson and Matt Boldy. Knies has had better or comparable numbers than both did in the NCAA. And on top of that he’s more physical and a better net front player than both. Both those guys made the jump and was good.

Even look at Greenway and Pinto.

Knies is a top prospect. He isn’t Tyler Biggs. I think we need to start accepting that. Of course he has to come in and prove he can play, but this kid is going to be a decent NHLer

If you checked their history, both guys had AHL playing time before making the jump. Not to mention, Boldy was the 12th overall pick. Tage only broke out last year.

Pushing around NCAA defenders is different than NHL defensemen.

He probably gets time to adjust, plays the last game of the season, spends the week after practicing with the group, and suits up for line 4 of the playoffs where he gets less than 10 minutes EV and maybe PP time.

He isn't coming in and displacing Jankrok or the third line with one game left to go.

 

[ULF_55]

I get the cautious optimism, but I’m looking at Tage Thompson and Matt Boldy. Knies has had better or comparable numbers than both did in the NCAA. And on top of that he’s more physical and a better net front player than both. Both those guys made the jump and was good.

Even look at Greenway and Pinto.

Knies is a top prospect. He isn’t Tyler Biggs. I think we need to start accepting that. Of course he has to come in and prove he can play, but this kid is going to be a decent NHLer

What do people mean by difference maker?

Was every single player on the last 3 Cup winners difference makers?

One of Lightning players played all 25 games and had 3 assists, another two had 1 goal 5 asssists in 25 games.

 

[francis246]

What do people mean by difference maker?

Was every single player on the last 3 Cup winners difference makers?

One of Lightning players played all 25 games and had 3 assists, another two had 1 goal 5 asssists in 25 games.

Exactly, we need a physical LW who can create space for Tavares and Marner. There’s no reason why Knies can’t come in and provide the same as someone we’d pay a 2nd or 3rd rounder for.

We just have to be reasonable about our expectations

 

[Menzinger]

So the NCAA frozen four ends on Apr 8. By that point, there are only 3 nhl games left.

If Knies goes all the way, he might get one nhl game in, but I doubt he plays in the playoffs. Maybe 4th line minutes.

Keefe in the past hasn't been afraid to use Sandin or Robertson in the playoffs for their debuts

 

[darrylsittler27]

I'd like an analysis of how the Leafs do by round. We seem to do well with later picks. If so, it makes sense for us to acquire more of them i.e 4th rounders.

 

[Gilmour1996]

Knies' numbers didn't improve going from year 2 to year 3 in the USHL, nor have they improved in his 2 years with U of Minn. Nor did he put up great numbers in the Olympics and World Juniors. I wouldn't go pencilling him into any Leaf lineup for awhile. Maybe in a year or two, if ever. He's not the only one looking for a job on LW. Let's see how he does in the AHL before getting too excited.

Matthew Knies Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Matthew Knies, a hockey player from Phoenix, AZ born Oct 17 2002 who was active from 2018 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

 

[Isaac Nootin]

I get the cautious optimism, but I’m looking at Tage Thompson and Matt Boldy. Knies has had better or comparable numbers than both did in the NCAA. And on top of that he’s more physical and a better net front player than both. Both those guys made the jump and was good

Thompson is great now, but he struggled mightily to start his career. Wasn't until his 5th year of pro that he started to turn the corner.

 

[Knies iT]

Knies' numbers didn't improve going from year 2 to year 3 in the USHL, nor have they improved in his 2 years with U of Minn. Nor did he put up great numbers in the Olympics and World Juniors. I wouldn't go pencilling him into any Leaf lineup for awhile. Maybe in a year or two, if ever. He's not the only one looking for a job on LW.

Matthew Knies Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Matthew Knies, a hockey player from Phoenix, AZ born Oct 17 2002 who was active from 2018 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

They literally have improved from his freshman to sophomore year. His GPG also increased in both the USHL/NCAA sophomore years.

He has the most projectable game of any prospect in the system. Pencilling him into the top 6 is dumb but he can absolutely handle being in a bottom six rotation.

 

[Menzinger]

Knies' numbers didn't improve going from year 2 to year 3 in the USHL, nor have they improved in his 2 years with U of Minn. Nor did he put up great numbers in the Olympics and World Juniors. I wouldn't go pencilling him into any Leaf lineup for awhile. Maybe in a year or two, if ever. He's not the only one looking for a job on LW. Let's see how he does in the AHL before getting too excited.

Matthew Knies Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Matthew Knies, a hockey player from Phoenix, AZ born Oct 17 2002 who was active from 2018 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

His numbers as an NCAA rookie and sophomore are tracking very well, basically in line with guys who made the jump to the NHL by the end of their second season

 

[kb]

Knies' numbers didn't improve going from year 2 to year 3 in the USHL, nor have they improved in his 2 years with U of Minn. Nor did he put up great numbers in the Olympics and World Juniors. I wouldn't go pencilling him into any Leaf lineup for awhile. Maybe in a year or two, if ever. He's not the only one looking for a job on LW. Let's see how he does in the AHL before getting too excited.

Matthew Knies Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Matthew Knies, a hockey player from Phoenix, AZ born Oct 17 2002 who was active from 2018 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

He's playing in the NHL or not at all. The AHL roster freeze occurs before he will sign a contract.

That is very poor analysis if you are only looking at point totals, of which he's over a point per game for his NCAA career .

 

[stickty111]

Knies' numbers didn't improve going from year 2 to year 3 in the USHL, nor have they improved in his 2 years with U of Minn. Nor did he put up great numbers in the Olympics and World Juniors. I wouldn't go pencilling him into any Leaf lineup for awhile. Maybe in a year or two, if ever. He's not the only one looking for a job on LW. Let's see how he does in the AHL before getting too excited.

Matthew Knies Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Matthew Knies, a hockey player from Phoenix, AZ born Oct 17 2002 who was active from 2018 to 2025.

www.hockeydb.com

Don't look at point totals to make an evaluation. All the reports say he's dominated and improved in his 2nd season. He's playing in the NHL this year assuming there is enough games left.

This is from December 8th. Probably even better now

 

[francis246]

He's playing in the NHL or not at all. The AHL roster freeze occurs before he will sign a contract.

That is very poor analysis if you are only looking at point totals, of which he's over a point per game for his NCAA career .

Additionally we need to stop equating his immediate role upon joining the leafs to be a pure scoring winger. Whether it’s third line, fourth line, second line, he’s going to bring something this team lacks, which is a huge net front presence 5 on 5, and hopefully some consistent physicality on the forecheck.

I do think if he joins the team they are going to give him a shot at that 2LW spot, what do the Leafs have to lose by doing so? Nothing. No one else has really grabbed that spot by the horns.

Additionally it’s not a lock that Minnesota is going to make the Frozen Four. So he may get more time with the Leafs/Marlies which in the long term will be better for him.

It’s just so sad to see so many posters try and down play this prospect. He’s good, what he’ll become long term is unknown but the ceiling is pretty high.

 

[Jacquestrapless]

Additionally we need to stop equating his immediate role upon joining the leafs to be a pure scoring winger. Whether it’s third line, fourth line, second line, he’s going to bring something this team lacks, which is a huge net front presence 5 on 5, and hopefully some consistent physicality on the forecheck.

I do think if he joins the team they are going to give him a shot at that 2LW spot, what do the Leafs have to lose by doing so? Nothing. No one else has really grabbed that spot by the horns.

Additionally it’s not a lock that Minnesota is going to make the Frozen Four. So he may get more time with the Leafs/Marlies which in the long term will be better for him.

It’s just so sad to see so many posters try and down play this prospect. He’s good, what he’ll become long term is unknown but the ceiling is pretty high.

lol, nice straw man bro. Nobody is downplaying the prospect. It WAS the opposite. Take a look back at the Knies thread. The hype was outta control. Comparisons to Jamie Benn and the like were thrown around.

And what happened when he struggled in the summer WJC? The hypetrain got derailed.

Tempered expectations are ideal. Give him a shot at 2LW? Worry bout him acclimating to the Nhl first.

Unrealistic expectations are why people turn on a prospect. Seen it with Kadri, Liljegren, Sandin, and now it's Robertson. I'm also guilty of this as well. But, I'm not the one comparing him to Boldy or Thompson lmao.

Unless, a player is a nylander-tier prospect or higher, 1-3 years of acclimation is needed.

I can already see the trade proposals when he starts to struggle.

 

[NewZealandMike]

Additionally we need to stop equating his immediate role upon joining the leafs to be a pure scoring winger. Whether it’s third line, fourth line, second line, he’s going to bring something this team lacks, which is a huge net front presence 5 on 5, and hopefully some consistent physicality on the forecheck.

I do think if he joins the team they are going to give him a shot at that 2LW spot, what do the Leafs have to lose by doing so? Nothing. No one else has really grabbed that spot by the horns.

Additionally it’s not a lock that Minnesota is going to make the Frozen Four. So he may get more time with the Leafs/Marlies which in the long term will be better for him.

It’s just so sad to see so many posters try and down play this prospect. He’s good, what he’ll become long term is unknown but the ceiling is pretty high.

Knies is repeatedly in rumours listed as unavailable, I think the leafs know what they have. Knies just banged in 2 more goals in 2 exhibition games Dec 29 U18 Team USA and against another University program December 31. These goals not in his totals plus there was an assist there as well.
Another stat that is not in metrics is Knies is playing more physical this year, according to Intake stats at Minnesota camp he is 222lb now not 210lb. Those thinking he can't handle men in NHL need to take a break

 

[horner]

It's kind of funny, but in watching the World Juniors, and the game tonight between Germany and Austria, I've enjoyed watching one of the D. He made some excellent plays tonight, and at times really stands out. He's not going to be a flashy guy, 6'2" RD.

Some of the scouting reports...

Mature and well-rounded defender who processes the game at a high level. More substance than flash but projects as a reliable top-four NHL defenseman.

When a 17/18-year old player is 6’2”, 187 pounds and finds himself playing 15-20 minutes a night - and sometimes more - in a league as strong and established as the Swiss NL, he’s going to be getting the attention of the NHL community one way or another. Throw in his righty shot and offensive inclination as an adept-skating, transitional defenseman, and that player will rarely be seen as anything other than a top 90 option in the draft. His rise to notoriety is something we at McKeen’s followed with an asterisk already last season, when his club played in the Swiss SL (editor’s note: where Brennan Othmann and Mason McTavish were busy cutting their teeth while the OHL was shut down several seasons back) and the 17-year-old quietly, yet impressively, put up 1-10-11 numbers accompanied by a +16 over a 27-game span. He was then naturally part of Austria’s WJC outfit this past summer and chipped in nicely with two assists and an even +/- rating over four contests, which isn’t easy in light of the herculean task that his nation faces at the WJC.

You go to this mock draft... and yup, they have us picking him, which I'd be thrilled with, if it happens.

2025 NHL Mock Draft | 2025 NHL Draft | NHL Draft

2025 NHL Mock Draft and NHL Draft History. 2025 NHL Draft prospect videos, stats, and written profiles updated throughout the year.

www.mynhldraft.com

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2023 NHL Draft Player Profile: David Reinbacher - Recruit Scouting

Player Information Position: Defenseman Height: 6’2” (189cm) Weight: 85kg (187lbs) Shoots: Right Birthday: Oct 25, 2004 (18 years old) Introduction David Reinbacher is a big framed 6’2 defender who has a strong offensive game yet likes to play the body and can defend well off the rush...

www.recruitscouting.com

This draft is loaded with top prospects
That is why I wouldn't trade our 1st rd pk

Ethan Gauthier is another prospect iam keeping an I on.

 

[francis246]

lol, nice straw man bro. Nobody is downplaying the prospect. It WAS the opposite. Take a look back at the Knies thread. The hype was outta control. Comparisons to Jamie Benn and the like were thrown around.

And what happened when he struggled in the summer WJC? The hypetrain got derailed.

Tempered expectations are ideal. Give him a shot at 2LW? Worry bout him acclimating to the Nhl first.

Unrealistic expectations are why people turn on a prospect. Seen it with Kadri, Liljegren, Sandin, and now it's Robertson. I'm also guilty of this as well. But, I'm not the one comparing him to Boldy or Thompson lmao.

Unless, a player is a nylander-tier prospect or higher, 1-3 years of acclimation is needed.

I can already see the trade proposals when he starts to struggle.

If Knies can even be anything like Connor Brown or Zach Hyman that’s a win for us. Every young player struggles and the fact that you’re using the WJC as a gauge to determine his potential impact in the NHL is crazy to me. A short tournament where he didn’t do well is exactly that, a short tournament that he under performed in.

Didn’t we give Nick Robertson a shot at 2LW in the play ins and he did fine. This isn’t the 1980’s, a lot of these young players are ready to play in the NHL. They train with NHL’ers in the summer. It also doesn’t matter what YOU or I think. It’s what the organization thinks and clearly they think he’s ready to make an immediate impact, who are we to question that?

I also didn’t say he was Boldy or Thompson, I said his numbers at the same age were comparable and his physical stature is similar to there’s. So he should be fine physically, I’m not sure what his offensive production is going to be, but that doesn’t matter because I’m not expecting it to be crazy. I just would like to see him making life in front of the net hell for the opposing defenders.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

I'd like an analysis of how the Leafs do by round. We seem to do well with later picks. If so, it makes sense for us to acquire more of them i.e 4th rounders.

There has actually been an analysis done that shows to the surprise of many that Toronto is one of the best teams at drafting players to carve out NHL careers. Not best in terms of blue chip but NHLers, which kind of gets at what you are thinking (hitting on at least SOMETHING later on). Those numbers are about to go through the roof with Dubas and his drafting. Already 6 from 2018 have seen NHL time this year and several prospects are looking to have NHL potential from the limited picks we have made recently.

 

[Gilmour1996]

If he plays for the Leafs this year, his defence might not be good enough yet to put out there for 1st line minutes in the playoffs. He might bump Aston-Reese if (big if !!) he plays defensively better than Zach and can kill penalties. He's not going to bump Bunting this year. They might keep him around as a courtesy this year but regular shifts IMHO won't happen until they know how he plays against experienced pros and the playoffs are not the place to try untested rookies. Really like his size compared to Robertson and hoping he'll be a regular sooner rather than later but past disappointments with prospects have tempered my enthusiasm.

 

[stickty111]

If he plays for the Leafs this year, his defence might not be good enough yet to put out there for 1st line minutes in the playoffs. He might bump Aston-Reese if (big if !!) he plays defensively better than Zach and can kill penalties. He's not going to bump Bunting this year. They might keep him around as a courtesy this year but regular shifts IMHO won't happen until they know how he plays against experienced pros and the playoffs are not the place to try untested rookies. Really like his size compared to Robertson and hoping he'll be a regular sooner rather than later but past disappointments with prospects have tempered my enthusiasm.

Who said first line mins? A lot of reasonable people think he can play bottom 6 mins with some PP time. Maybe a change at the 2nd line but with the lack of games, it's unlikely

 

[Mitch nylander]

I'd like an analysis of how the Leafs do by round. We seem to do well with later picks. If so, it makes sense for us to acquire more of them i.e 4th rounders.

Since 2015 - (first year with dubas in the club)

I didn't put in 2020, 2021, and 2022, since no player has played a game.

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]

[TD]Round 1[/TD]
[TD]Round 2[/TD]
[TD]Round 3[/TD]
[TD]Round 4[/TD]
[TD]Round 5[/TD]
[TD]Round 6[/TD]
[TD]Round 7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2015[/TD]
[TD]Mitch Marner[/TD]
[TD]Travis Dermott

Jeremy Bracco[/TD]
[TD]Andrew Nielsen

Martins Dzierkals[/TD]
[TD]Jesper Lindgren[/TD]
[TD]Dmytro Timasov[/TD]
[TD]Stephen Desrochers[/TD]
[TD]Nikita Korostelev[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2016*[/TD]
[TD]Auston Matthews[/TD]
[TD]Egor Korhskov

Carl Grundstrom[/TD]
[TD]Joseph Woll

JD Greenway[/TD]
[TD]Adam Brooks

Keaton Middleton[/TD]
[TD]Vladimir Bobylev[/TD]
[TD]Jack
Walker

Nicolas Mattinen[/TD]
[TD]Nikolai Chebykin[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2017*[/TD]
[TD]Timothy Liljegren[/TD]
[TD]Eemeli Rasanen[/TD]
[TD]N/A[/TD]
[TD]Ian Scott

Vladislav Kara[/TD]
[TD]Fedor Gordeev[/TD]
[TD]Ryan Mcgregor[/TD]
[TD]Ryan O'Connell[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2018[/TD]
[TD]Rasmus Sandin[/TD]
[TD]Sean Durzi[/TD]
[TD]Semyon Der-Arguchintsev

Riley Stotts[/TD]
[TD]Mac Hollowell[/TD]
[TD]Filip Kral[/TD]
[TD]Pontus Holmberg[/TD]
[TD]Zach Bouthillier

Semyon Kizimov[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2019[/TD]
[TD]n/a[/TD]
[TD]Nicholas Robertson[/TD]
[TD]Mikko Kokkonen[/TD]
[TD]Mikhail Abramov

Nick Abruzzese[/TD]
[TD]Michael Koster[/TD]
[TD]N/A[/TD]
[TD]Kalle Lopanen[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

1st round picks
4/4 played 1 nhl game
4/4 played 100 nhl games

2nd round picks
5/7 played in 1 nhl game
3/7 played 100 nhl games (Dermott, Grundstrom, Durzi). *Robertson is tracking there.

3rd round picks
2/7 played in 1 nhl game
0/7 played 100 nhl game

4th round picks
4/8 played in 1 nhl game
0/8 played 100 nhl games *Brooks has played 42

5th round picks
2/5 played in 1 nhl game
0/5 played 100 nhl games *Timashov has 45

6th round picks
1/5 played in 1 nhl game
0/5 played 100 games *holmberg is on track

7th round picks
0/6 played 1 nhl game.

Under Dubas's Tenure, we've done best with 4th round picks, and well with 5th round picks.
------------------------------------

Notable 3rd-7th round picks by Toronto since 2005

3rd - Carter Verhaeghe, Greg Mckegg, Josh Leivo
4th - James Reimer, Korbinian Holzer, Matt Frattin,
5th - Greg Pateryn, Sam Carrick, Dominic Toninato, Dakota Joshua, Dmytro Timashov
6th - Leo Komarov, Connor Brown, Pontus Holmberg, Victor Stalberg, Garrett Sparks
7th - Anton Stralman, Carl Gunnarsson, Andreas Johnson, Pierre Engvall,


In terms of notable picks, 6th-7th rounds seem to produce better nhl players in comparison to rounds 3-5. Historically, we've struggled with third round picks.

 

[Judas Tavares]

If you consider Holmberg and Robertson graduated and don't include Amirov for obvious reasons, who would you consider our 4th best prospect after Knies, Minten, Niemela?

SDA?
Hirvonen?
Moldenhauer?
Voit?

 

[TheBeastCoast]

If you consider Holmberg and Robertson graduated and don't include Amirov for obvious reasons, who would you consider our 4th best prospect after Knies, Minten, Niemela?

SDA?
Hirvonen?
Moldenhauer?
Voit?

Hildeby could be in the conversation if his season continues how it has been so far.