Matthew Knies entered the roster with a lot of fanfare just before the playoffs last season and blew away expectation.
This season he has had strong runs and also came back down to earth with cold streaks, and some rookie mistakes…. but generally he is showing a lot of potential.
Knies is top 10 in Rookie Scoring so far and scored perhaps his prettiest goal on Monday against St. Louis.
What’s your assessment and prospects for Knies?
by FonziesCousin
11 Comments
Fun fact: Knies now has more points this season than Timo Meier, who many suggested we trade him for last deadline
I think what impresses me most about him is his relentless forecheck, willingness to play the body, and takeaway skills as a rookie. The points will come but I feel like his game already has a ton of really strong intangibles as well as being 6’3 with a strong frame. He’s going to grow into a really nice player for us
He’s the kind of guy we need to compliment our core. Young, cheap and can score some. Truth be told, we need a couple more.
I think he’s ready to go on a tear!
I think his hockey iq is surprisingly higher than what people give him credit for. he’s transitioned well enough from the college end and I think we will get to watch his progress grow year over year. I’ve always aimed for his eventual comparison to be like or better than Alex Tuch.
The fact he’s going against top competition night in and night out while still being trusted to Keefe is a testament to his strong play.
The offense will come, id imagine he’d be up way higher on that chart if he was getting more sheltered minutes and PP time like most others on there.
Can’t help but wonder if recent (hockey play and not the other disturbing things) history will repeat itself with the Blackhawks. They were terrible for years, but after snagging Kane and Toews, managed to snag 3 cups. Presently, they are the worst team in the NHL. No doubt, Bedard being injured has helped achieve this, as has a certain goalie we managed to dump with them. It would be crazy if they won the lottery again, and then jumped to the top. When we snagged Papi, I was really hoping for something similar. 3 years after picking Kane first, they won the cup. Papi was drafted in 2016, and all we have to show for it is one playoff round. It would be very painful to see the Hawks taste success at a faster pace again.
Knies is a future star. Looks so confident out there I always forget he’s a rookie. He’s better than some of the seasoned guys and I rarely catch him making a shitty turnover or risky pass. He doesn’t mind getting gritty and you can tell he really wants it. If he keeps up this pace he will be a monster in like 3-5 years.
Bedard – 1st overall pick
Faber – 45th
Rossi – 9th
Voronkov – 114th
Hughes -4th
Cooley – 3rd
Fantilli -3rd
Zary-24th
Evangelista -42nd
Knies – 57th
I know draft depth year to year will affect things but Outside of Voronkov at 114, Kinies is the only other player picked outside of the top 50 on the list. And 1/4 outside the top 25.
Good for knies. He’s a real good prospect. But also he’s playing on a line with matthews, kid should have a lot more points
Well at least this rookie won’t be able to hold the front office over a barrel and force a terrible contract.