How in the world did Matthew Knies fall to the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Twenty-two-year-old Matthew Knies has become one of the NHL’s best power forwards, and his path to the Leafs is fascinating. 

There must be something in the water in Phoenix because Knies and Auston Matthews are both from there and have become fan favourites. 

Knies’ history

Knies was drafted in the second round, 57th overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft. He was used with the Leafs first of three picks that night. The other two picks were Ty Voit in the fifth round and Vyacheslav Peksa in the sixth round. 

The Leafs first-round pick that year went to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade. The pick was used to select Carson Ceulemans from the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL. He is yet to play a game in the NHL. 

Because of Knies’ October birthday, he was drafted with the majority of 2003 birth year players. The cutoff date is September 15th. He was drafted after putting up 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points in 44 games with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, which doesn’t jump at you and scream first-line NHLer. 

Scouts at the time were a little bit worried about his skating ability and playmaking. And Knies took somewhat of a step down from his underage year in the USHL to his draft year. 

The year prior to his draft eligibility, Knies had more points in the same number of games as his draft year. Nonetheless, Kyle Dubas and the scouting staff saw something in him and took a chance on the kid from the desert with their second-rounder. 

Post-draft excellence

The USHL is considered to be the premier junior hockey league in the United States. It’s known for its excellent player development programs and high-level competition, making it a prime stepping stone for players aiming for the NHL and NCAA. 

This was no exception for Knies as he was committed to play at the University of Minnesota, where he would play the next two years. 

He would miss games for Minnesota in 2021–22 after being selected to represent the United States at the World Junior Championship, which was ultimately delayed until August of 2022. 

Knies also became an Olympian before playing in the NHL, as he was selected for the Americans to go to Beijing. Joining Minnesota Wild defenceman Brock Faber as the only players to play in both tournaments. 

Mainly because it was under very unique circumstances, in 2022, the World Junior Championship was delayed due to a COVID-19 outbreak during the tournament. It was delayed until August and the United States were upset by Czechia in the quarter finals. 

The Olympics happened as usual; however, it happened without the participation of NHL players. The Gold Medal Game was between Team Finland and the ROC (Russia), with Finland winning 2–1 to claim their first ever Olympic Gold in hockey. 

After representing his country twice, Knies returned to the University of Minnesota for one more year. Scoring 21 goals and 42 points in 40 games, before making his NHL debut for the Leafs on April 10th, 2023, on the road in Florida. 

The memorable start

Knies would proceed to put up four points in seven games in the playoffs for the Leafs. In 2023–24, he put up 35 points in 80 games, but it was this year that he really blossomed into a star, scoring 29 goals and 58 points while on a line with Matthews and Mitch Marner. 

He’s currently on an Entry Level Contract until July 1st of 2025, then he will become a restricted free agent (RFA). Leafs Nation, get ready for Treliving and the front office to potentially spend some money this summer because, on top of Tavares and Marner, Knies is also in need of a new contract. 

A late-draft steal

It’s no secret that there are always some hidden gems beyond the first round of the draft, and it’s easy to say almost three years later, but Knies turned out to be a good one. 

Look at a guy like Cam Fowler, he was expected to go top five in the draft in 2010. He fell to the Anaheim Ducks at 12th overall, obviously not under the same circumstances as Knies being a second-rounder, but Fowler has been in the NHL for a decade plus.  And is one of the smoothest skating defencemen in the league. 

Even though the Ducks could’ve had guys that, at the time, experts thought were better than him, it all worked out, and the same thing will happen with Knies in Toronto. 

Let that be a lesson, but sometimes after the first round, you might find the next Pavel Datsyuk, Pekka Rinne, or Nikita Kucherov. Just because someone falls in the draft doesn’t mean to write them off.