Maple Leafs' Matthew Knies on next step: 'I want to be that power forward, that traditional hockey player'

By Terry Koshan

Matthew Knies has big plans for the coming hockey season.

“I want to play with the big players, I want to play with the big club and I’m just going to work my best to play there,” Knies said on Wednesday at the Ford Performance Centre. 

“I want to be that power forward, I want to be that old, traditional hockey player that works hard, can play physical and can move the puck well and produce. That’s what I’m going to try to be and I think it starts with my work ethic.”

We take you back several months and recall Knies’ initial look with the Maple Leafs.

After leaving the University of Minnesota in April to sign a three-year entry-level contract with Toronto, the winger shone in a total of 10 games with the club, getting his feet wet in three regular-season games before skating in seven Stanley Cup playoff matches.

So quick was the 20-year-old on the learning curve that not only did coach Sheldon Keefe have enough trust in Knies to use him in overtime during the playoffs, Knies was on the ice for three Leafs OT winners in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning. That included an assist on captain John Tavares’ series-winning goal in Game 6 in Tampa, sending the Leafs to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004. 

In short, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Knies made his mark, whether it was winning battles along the boards or using his smarts to make plays and the right decisions.

Had Knies not suffered a concussion in Game 2 of the second round against the Florida Panthers when he was slammed to the ice by Panthers forward Sam Bennett, we’d bet the impact Knies was making would have continued to be positive.

Knies said he was cleared to return to the lineup on the day that the Leafs lost Game 5 against Florida and were eliminated.

“I was very fortunate to get those opportunities to play,” Knies said about his NHL playoff experience. “I didn’t really worry about the moment. I just tried to play my game, play to my strengths and I think it went from there and fortunately we got the bounces and it went in for us.”

With Leafs training camp starting next week, Knies is taking nothing granted, never mind his impressive showing last spring. 

A glance at the Leafs’ depth chart indicates that the top-six appears set, with newcomers Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi joining Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Tavares and William Nylander on the first two lines. 

In the playoffs, Knies had looks alongside each of Matthews, Tavares and the departed Ryan O’Reilly. At no time was the youngster out of his element.

Whether a fit on the third line for Knies, at least to start the season, would work best remains to be determined, but the Phoenix native is going to do what he can to make Keefe’s ultimate decisions difficult. 

“It’s never easy,” Knies said. “I don’t think there is any guarantee to play in the NHL. You have to work your butt off and bury your head every day and go back to work.”

That starts in earnest this weekend in Traverse City, Mich., where Knies will lead the Leafs prospects in a tournament against Columbus, Dallas and Detroit.

The exhibition tuneup comes after Knies spent part of the summer skating with Matthews in Arizona and taking a different kind of care of himself off the ice. He took nutrition notes when he lived with Tavares at the end of last season.

“I tried to train my body to withstand such a long season and try to be prepared as best as possible,” Knies said of summer regimen. “I think (Tavares) opened my eyes to some things … how much John works out and how much he takes care of what he eats and what he puts into his body. It was good to take that in.

“(Skating with Matthews), having someone that is a huge role model to me, with me on a daily basis was huge. Pick his brain, watch practice, watch how he takes his reps, it was a really big thing for me.”

First, though, the prospects tournament in Michigan.

“It’s a nice opportunity for me to get some games in, get some bumps in before training camp starts,” Knies said. “It gets me in a position to learn to be a leader, learn some leadership skills, and I think that’s wonderful being around the younger players that are eventually going to be here. I’m just excited to be a part of it.”