Knies knows where he needs to up his game
Leafs prospect gets pointers for return to NCAA
The carrot has been dangled in front of Matthew Knies. Considered to be the top Maple Leafs prospect at development camp this week, Knies got a tour of the team’s dressing room and amenities at Scotiabank Arena during his stay in Toronto.
Now, it’s on Knies to return to the University of Minnesota and improve upon his rookie season in the NCAA, when he had 33 points in 33 games for the Golden Gophers. If all goes well, the expectation is that Knies will sign following the college season and join the Leafs next spring.
“Getting to see the rink, getting to see the locker-room, it’s something you look toward and work for,” Knies said Friday as the camp ended with a scrimmage at the Ford Performance Centre.
“Seeing those things, something that you always dream of as a kid, was really special. You work so hard to make it in that big arena with those fans and to be in the NHL playoffs.”
How does Knies, the Leafs’ second-round pick in 2021, make it work in the next several months so that becomes a reality? He soon will go to the United States camp for the rescheduled 2022 world junior championship in Edmonton in August before making his way back to school.
“It starts with my skating,” Knies said. “I can be a better skater. The NHL is super fast. Same with shooting and stride. Shooting underneath my feet in odd areas was a huge thing that they harped on me. There are quite a few elements that I could work on.”
Knies, who projects to be a top-six power forward, didn’t record a point in the two scrimmages in camp. The Leafs are reading nothing into that.
“This week doesn’t make or break anything for anyone,” said Leafs assistant general manager of player development Hayley Wickenheiser.
“We just talked to him about every day getting a little bit better, work with the skills coaches, take away things that you’re going to use to build into next season. And realize that, when he comes into Toronto, there are other players here that will take over the spotlight.
“He doesn’t have to be the guy, so continue (to work on) the little details in his game that we’re looking for when he comes back to join us.”
For Wickenheiser and the rest of the Leafs’ brass, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Knies’ physical maturity stood out.
“What you take away with Matthew is how much physically more developed he is than many of the other players in this camp,” Wickenheiser said. “For us, it’s continuing to help him being able to be a little bit more agile and continue to impose his will every time he steps on the ice, to be the physically dominant player we think he can be.”
MINTEN GROUNDED
Fraser Minten, who centred a line with Knies and Max Ellis in the scrimmages for the most part, said the camp was a “humbling experience.”
What did the Leafs’ second-round pick in this year’s draft mean by that?
“It’s easy sometimes, if you’re a top player in junior, to think it’s going to be not too hard to make the next step,” Minten said. “It’s not always the hardest to go from midget to junior. Those steps aren’t as big as this step.
“(I learned) lots about the pace that I need to play with, the intensity, how consistent you need to be able to make a roster like this and how much stronger, faster I need to get.”
Minten, who turned 18 in July, had 55 points in 67 games for the Kamloops Blazers last season.
“Great kid, smooth on the ice,” Wickenheiser said. “He’s young and physically his explosive power and strength is going to come with time. You can see that he thinks the game really well.
“We’re trying to encourage him to not overthink situations, because he’s so cerebral on the ice. The skills that he has are very projectable into the way that I think he can become an NHL player.”
LOOSE LEAFS
Wickenheiser on the camp as a whole: “I thought it was a great week. The first thing that jumps out is the level of compete and how much effort the players put in every day. We put a lot in front of them. I was impressed (with) how keen they were to learn. It was a really great group of kids.” ... Among the players who stood out was defenceman Marshall Rifai, whose ability to make quick decisions and recover was noticeable. Rifai, who spent the past three seasons at Harvard, signed a one-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies in March ... Twins Ty and Dylan Jackson, who will go to Arizona State next season, were free agent invitees and were dynamic. “Henrik and Daniel, is what I think,” Wickenheiser said with a laugh, referring to the Sedin twins. “They’re a package deal.” ... Wickenheiser on goalie Ian Scott, a one-time Leafs prospect, who announced his retirement Thursday: “I feel a lot for Ian. I had a chance to be around him a lot in the last few years, mostly in the gym riding the bike, having conversations. It’s never easy to see a player that young — he has dealt with some pretty significant hip issues — to have to retire. He’s going to land on his feet wherever he ends up next in hockey.”