Matthew Knies leaves fans awestruck with who he modeled his game after
Matthew Knies has been modeling his game to look like former Leafs fan favorite Zach Hyman and it's already influencing head coach Craig Berube's on his tactics.
As seen in Maple Leafs Daily, as the Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Tampa Bay Lightning, both Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies returned to the lineup after their injuries.
With their return, Craig Berube made some adjustments by deploying a five-forward power play unit featuring Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.
Craig Berube's decision was partly because of Matthew Knies' efforts to emulate Zach Hyman in front of the net.
The 6'3" forward is becoming a great presence near the crease, an area where Zach Hyman excels when he was with the Leafs.
Here's what Berube have to say on Matthew Knies' physicality and potential:
"He's that type of guy, and we love his size and strength there. Big body, and he has a good stick. Tipping pucks in and things like that. He's only going to get better over time and become a real good net-front guy on that power play."
Matthew Knies also talked about the ability to use his body to score goals:
"He can score goals around the net. I think kind of just like his footwork and his stick placement. Just little things like that could help my game. Obviously, I play net front on a power play and there most of the game, so just trying to make myself available and get my stick open to kind of tap those in. It's something I kind of need to get a better grip on."
Zach Hyman's evolution into a top-tier scorer with the Edmonton Oilers which is including a career-high 54 goals last season and 30 power-play goals over the past two years-gives Knies an excellent blueprint.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 2 | 115 ANSWERS Matthew Knies leaves fans awestruck with who he modeled his game after Do you think Matthew Knies should follow Zach Hyman's steps? | ||
| Yes | 85 | 73.9 % |
| No | 30 | 26.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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