Knies weighed in at 227 pounds to begin the year, 10 pounds heavier than he was last season.
Matthew Knies is leaving a strong impression — quite literally — on his teammates through 10 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs to begin the season.
The 22-year-old forward has five goals and one assist to begin the year, skating alongside Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. It's a trio that's worked well for Toronto since Knies arrived in the organization in 2023.
There were a lot of people within the hockey sphere raving about the forward's strength and size before — and after — the Maple Leafs selected Knies in the second round (57th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Even Max Pacioretty, who joined the Maple Leafs on a PTO before signing a one-year deal, admitted that Knies' true strength surprised him when he arrived in Toronto.
"I knew he was big, but he's really big, especially at a younger age to be physically mature like that is rare. He's a smart player that plays in all situations, which is also rare for a young player," the veteran forward said on Wednesday.
"I think when you have those areas covered, you can kind of be a little bit more free and work at all the other areas of the game, and from what guys have been saying, he's been doing that. Every night, he's a dangerous player and a big part of this team."
Following the Maple Leafs' practice on Wednesday, Knies spoke with Ryan Reaves about what appeared to be fighting. The 37-year-old admitted after the skate that he was just handing out pointers but mentioned Knies' strength could be valuable if the forward ever needed to fight.
"He's a brick. A house. Whatever you want to say, I can't say it on TV, sorry," Reaves smiled.
"I said at the beginning of the year, I was really excited to see Kniesy. Those exhibitions before the season, he just looked like he was coming in with a lot of confidence and he's brought that into the games, brought the intensity, using his body really well, so yeah, it's been exciting to see his development in just one year."
According to Reaves, Knies, who weighed 217 last season, entered the summer wanting to lose weight. The power forward came into training camp at 227 pounds, 10 more than he previously weighed.
"I mean, last year, he looked pretty solid, too," Reaves added. "He said he wanted to lose weight and I was like, 'Nah, I wouldn't do that.' Just with how powerful he is, his skating, it's hard for guys to handle him down low. You can see when he has the puck, it's hard to get it off of him. I think he's at a real good weight for himself right now."
Knies has averaged 17:13 of ice time through the first 10 games of the season, nearly four more minutes than he averaged through 80 games last year.
Part of that is playing on the top line with Matthews and Marner, but it's also because Knies has left a strong impression on Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube.
"I look at big guys like Keith Tkachuk and [Bill] Guerin and those guys back in the day that were power forwards. John LeClair-type, those types of guys that I've been around and played with and played against for a number of years, where you're a heavy guy, you're a good forechecker, and then you're around the net all the time," Berube said of who Knies reminds him of.
"He's doing a very good job of that. He can skate extremely well, he's very powerful, and he plays north and he's doing a good job of getting to the net and with those guys (Matthews and Marner), lets them do their thing and he's around that net."
John Tavares also raved about Knies' strength on Wednesday afternoon, saying it's very rare to see someone that young who's that physically mature.
"I think you just see, he's just got such an amazing skill set. I think the potential is so high and very unique to have someone so young that's so physically mature, but also has the finesse to his game and his ability to create space in tight areas, soft hands in those areas, in and around the net," Tavares said.
"You can just see the belief in himself and the understanding of just the day-to-day, game-to-game, shift-to-shift, playing in the league and certainly playing with Auston and Mitchy and the matchups that you're going to get and the challenges those present, it's just how well he's adapting to that and how consistent he's becoming, so obviously, a major part of our lineup and great to see the growth in him."
Tavares added that it's sometimes difficult to remember that Knies is so young with the strength and size he possesses, both on and off the ice.
"He's got his moments off the ice, that's for sure," Tavares laughed. "His youthfulness, his energy, sometimes a bit naive on a few things, that I think work in his favor, but something we get a good chuckle at from time to time."
What's he naive about?
"When we lived together, sometimes we're sitting there having breakfast and he's just scrolling on his phone and just totally missing some of the conversation we're having. We think he's listening, but he's not always quite there. He's also very aware at the same time, so it's kind of funny that way," Tavares chuckled.
"But, my boys in particular love him, always asking how Kniesy's doing and when he's coming back over to come hangout. We miss him over at my household, but he gives us a good chuckle from time to time in here, and like I said, a big part of our locker room. I think, not just about his play, but I think his presence and that youthfulness and just what his potential is."
It's clear early on in the season that Knies has left a strong impression on his teammates and coaches. And with how he's playing to begin the year, it doesn't feel like his performance will dip any time soon.