The Coyotes are set to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night in a game that is deeply personal for Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.
The Arizona Coyotes have helped shape two forwards from the Toronto Maple Leafs into the players that they are today.
Growing up in Arizona, both Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies watched the Coyotes which helped spark their own hockey careers.
“The Coyotes are the reason I started playing hockey,” Matthews said in an interview with Sportsnet in 2016. “We’re pretty fortunate to have them in the Valley.”
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Matthews and Knies were fortunate to be around multiple former NHL players growing up who stayed in the Valley following their playing days including guys like Shane Doan, Tyson Nash, Derek Morris, Steve Sullivan, Steve Potvin and Mark Ciaccio.
All of these players were involved with the hockey community in Arizona at some point or another, helping create NHL caliber players in a state that is not known for its hockey.
“I was pretty fortunate to be growing up in Arizona to have a ton of retired NHL players stay and coach,” Knies said.
Matthews is a guy that really needs no introduction. The 26-year-old forward is regarded as one of the best hockey players in the world today. He currently has 49 goals, 24 assists and 73 points in 53 games, on pace for yet another historical season.
Knies is emerging into a promising young talent. In his first full season in Toronto, the 21-year-old has 10 goals, 13 assists and 23 points in 52 games.
On Wednesday night, the Maple Leafs are set to take on the Coyotes in a game that means a lot to Knies. It will be the first time that Knies plays in his hometown at the NHL level and against the team he grew up idolizing.
“It’ll be a really cool experience for him to do that for the first time,” Matthews said. “You just have to take it all in and have fun and compete.”
While Matthews has already returned to Arizona on multiple occasions to play the Coyotes, Wednesday night will be the first time he gets to experience all of it with Knies.
“It’s really cool to be on the same team and playing together,” Matthews said. “Going back to where our roots go back to, it’s going to be really cool to play at home.”
This is more than just a game. It’s very significant for these two players and Arizona as a whole. It shows the importance of having professional hockey in a market like Arizona because who knows if Matthews or Knies would be playing today if it weren’t for the Coyotes.
“I want to give back,” Knies said. “(Arizona) is where I grew up playing. I want kids to have a similar experience to what I did, with older players staying back and helping out.”
They may be the opposition on Wednesday night, but Matthews and Knies are role models for kids in the Valley looking to play hockey. They will always have a home right here in Arizona.