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Oct 28, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies (23) is congratulated by his teammates on his goal against the Winnipeg Jets during the second period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: Terrence Lee-Imagn Images Terrence Lee-Imagn Images

Maple Leafs Forward Motivated to Make Olympic Roster

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Max Mezo | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 7:00 AM ET

No doubt, representing your country on the world stage as an athlete has to be one of the most fulfilling highlights in one's career, especially if that means wearing the colours of the Star-Spangled Banner as a hockey player in the 2026 Winter Olympics hosted in Milano Cortina, Italy, next February.

Historically speaking, the U.S. has always been in contention for international hockey success, but has never seemed to get the best of the sports world-renowned powerhouses such as Canada and the Soviet Union. That's not to say the nation hasn't enjoyed some success on international ice, because who can forget the Mike Eruzione-led "Miracle on Ice" squad that stunned the USSR for Team USA's second gold medal in ice hockey.

As prideful an event as that was for the United States, let's be real: the "Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid was in 1980, 45 years ago, and since then, Team USA has only sniffed a Gold Medal in the Olympics. Sorry Americans, but it's true, your country's two most recent best-on-best ice hockey tournaments - three if you count the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament last February - have stung. Sidney Crosby's golden goal in Vancouver, the 4th place finish in Sochi 2014, and the 2nd place finish at the 4 Nations tournament have put you on notice, but never atop the podium.

For Team USA, it's time to start asserting world dominance on the ice. It's been 10 years since Jack Eichel - who is one of his country's headlining players - was selected second overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2015 NHL Draft. Along the way, the U.S. has produced other stars, of course, like Auston Matthews, who was the first overall pick the year after Eichel was drafted. A draft class that included 21 players who had either short-stinted or been drafted straight out of the infamous U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP). A program that has dominated NHL drafts ever since, as the 2025 NHL Draft saw a record 23 players chosen from that same program.

With the U.S. investing in one of the world's most pristine hockey programs, it's time for that investment to start paying off. Five months from now, will mark best-on-best international hockey for the first time since 2014, and the rosters for the participating nations are beginning to take shape.

Just recently, USA Hockey on X, formerly known as Twitter, announced the 44 players who will attend its orientation camp to hopefully earn a spot on the final roster.

Introducing the 44 players who will attend the U.S. Men's Olympic Orientation Camp

Details: https://t.co/lWC0ZT1AJc pic.twitter.com/16FT49FRgP
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) August 19, 2025

Among the high-profiled names lies a second-round pick who's motivated to crack his country's Olympic team.

"I mean, obviously it would be a huge honor to make that team and to get to represent them again on that stage," said Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies on Daily Faceoff earlier this summer. "That'd be pretty surreal. I have to earn it. I have to earn the opportunity to make that roster."

No, it's not a typo when Knies says "again" when talking about representing what it would mean to play in Italy next February. In 2022, Knies represented the U.S. in Beijing, China, where the then 20-year-old Knies had two points in four games. The same number of points as Matty Beniers, who was the second overall pick in 2021, Knies' draft class.

Though it isn't the Phoenix, Arizona native's first Olympic rodeo, if he were to make Team USA's final roster, the tournament will be much more challenging than it was a couple of years ago, something he's well aware of.

"I know it's obviously not going to be easy," Knies said. "There's a lot of names that deserve to be there and go there. So yeah, it's going to be challenging. But I think if I have a strong start to the season and I could show what I can do and, hopefully, earn my way onto that team, it'd be pretty incredible."

With an invitation to Team USA's orientation camp, Knies has already "earned" his chance to show USA Hockey decision makers why he deserves a roster spot, and how could he not?

The day after Knies and his Minnesota Gopher teammates lost to Quinnipiac University in the NCAA's Frozen Four Championship, he joined the Maple Leafs for the remainder of the 2022-23 regular season and playoffs. He hasn't looked back since. Along the way, Knies has become one of the NHL's premier power forwards, as just this past season, he joined Ottawa Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk and Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson as the only players to record 150 hits and 25 goals in a single season.

It's Knies' physicality and production that's given him league-wide notoriety, two things that were highlighted this past season and playoffs. While coming off a 58-point regular season, good for fifth in Maple Leafs scoring, Knies carried his offensive game well into the postseason, where his five playoff goals were tied for second on the team, per MoneyPuck.com . The transition of that success will be tested this coming season for Knies, as his linemate, Mitch Marner, who left Toronto via a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights the day before free agency, leaves behind an offensive void that will surely be felt.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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