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Ice Lab

Left wing · #89

Matthew Knies

Toronto Maple Leafs Columbus Blue Jackets(traded during the season)
Age
23
Shoots
Left
Height
191 cm
Weight
103 kg
Born
Phoenix, USA
Draft
2021, round 2, #57 (TOR)

Career · 2022–23 to 2026–27

Games
242
Goals
69
Points
164
TOI per game
16:56
xGF% (5v5)
48.8%
Goals above expected
+7.3
ShowAll teamsToronto Maple LeafsColumbus Blue Jackets

Season by season

The regular-season line for each season, with the total, by team for traded players.

2022–23TOR3011+113:0740.0%00.663.3%
2023–24TOR80152035+913:4111513.0%214.550.9%
2024–25TOR78292958+718:3115219.1%1523.654.2%
2025–26TOR79234366−3018:4814016.4%1622.441.4%
2026–27CBJ2224+116:55540.0%10.656.3%
Total2 teams2426995164−1216:5641616.6%3461.748.8%

Form

Rolling averages smooth out single games so the trend shows.

Form, ten-game rolling

Points and individual expected goals per game (left scale), averaged over the previous ten games. Ice time is on the second chart.

Points per gameixG per gameTOI per game (minutes)
00.511.550100150200
10m12m14m16m18m20m22m50100150200Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2022–23 to 2026–27 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

2nd line

78th percentile among qualified forwards, blending scoring 40%, play-driving 40%, usage 20%.

  1. 1st line
  2. 2nd line
  3. 3rd line
  4. 4th line
  5. Extra / AHL

Scoring

1st line
  • Goals /601.0179th pct
  • Assists /601.3983rd pct
  • ixG /600.9072nd pct
  • Goals above expected+7.385th pct

Play-driving

3rd line
  • xGF% (5v5)48.8%48th pct
  • CF% (5v5)47.1%32nd pct
  • Relative xGF%−0.553rd pct
  • Penalty diff /600.0950th pct

Usage

1st line
  • TOI per game16:5679th pct
  • PP time share43.7%74th pct
  • Offensive zone starts60.4%64th pct
  • Quality of competition25.5%91st pct

Percentiles among forwards with 200+ minutes at 5-on-5 and 20+ games. Ratings rank each column's average percentile among the same players and read it as a role on a depth chart (how).

Most similar players this season

  1. Ivan DemidovMTL0.86
  2. Johnny GaudreauCBJ0.81
  3. Alex Bump0.74
  4. Easton CowanTOR0.72
  5. Egor ChinakhovCBJ0.71
  6. Evgenii DadonovDAL0.70

Finishing

Model-based

Did the goals match the chances?

Goals against expected goals

Cumulative goals (solid) and individual xG (dashed) through the season. The gap is finishing: above the dashed line, the player scored more than an average shooter would from the same chances.

+7.3 goals above expected

02040608050100150200Game

Goals above expected, everyone at the same position with 20+ games

−40−200+20+40+60

Speed and tracking

From the NHL's EDGE tracking system (2021–22 on): skating speed, shot speed, distance and zone time, for the selected seasons and then every tracked season, to show improvement or decline.

Tracking data (NHL EDGE)

Values from the NHL's puck and player tracking, with the NHL's own league percentile for each. Missing values mean the player wasn't tracked enough.

Tracking

  • Top skating speed32.8 km/h16th pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph223rd pct
  • Hardest shot129.8 km/h66th pct
  • Distance skated8 km21st pct
  • Offensive-zone time40.3%39th pct
Tracking, season by season

Each season against the other forwards that season with 20+ games. A season in progress appears once half its games are played, as provisional: season bests only grow. Bursts and distance are per 60 minutes of ice time, so seasons with fewer games still compare. Percentiles are on these rates, so they can differ from the NHL's, which are on season totals.

This playerMedian forwardMiddle half (25th–75th percentile)Hollow dot: too few games to rank, or a season in progress (*, dashed). Dotted line: no NHL games that season.

Top skating speed

35.9 km/h43rd pct

▼ −1.4 km/h since 2024–25

33343536373822–2323–2424–2525–262022–23: 33.8 km/h, 2nd percentile (3 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 35.7 km/h, 43rd percentile (80 games)2024–25: 37.2 km/h, 87th percentile (78 games)2025–26: 35.9 km/h, 43rd percentile (79 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

3.932nd pct

▼ −0.8 since 2024–25

24681022–2323–2424–2525–262022–23: 3.1, 25th percentile (3 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 5.4, 54th percentile (80 games)2024–25: 4.7, 43rd percentile (78 games)2025–26: 3.9, 32nd percentile (79 games)

Distance skated per 60

14.2 km4th pct

▼ −0.2 km since 2024–25

1414.51515.51616.522–2323–2424–2525–262022–23: 14.6 km, 13th percentile (3 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 14.7 km, 11th percentile (80 games)2024–25: 14.5 km, 5th percentile (78 games)2025–26: 14.2 km, 4th percentile (79 games)

Hardest shot

140.4 km/h56th pct

▼ −5.3 km/h since 2024–25

13013514014515015522–2323–2424–2525–262022–23: 139.3 km/h, 32nd percentile (3 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 148.7 km/h, 79th percentile (80 games)2024–25: 145.7 km/h, 77th percentile (78 games)2025–26: 140.4 km/h, 56th percentile (79 games)

Offensive-zone time

41.1%39th pct

▼ −1.7 points since 2024–25

38%40%42%44%46%22–2323–2424–2525–262022–23: 40.3%, 29th percentile (3 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 41.8%, 49th percentile (80 games)2024–25: 42.7%, 62nd percentile (78 games)2025–26: 41.1%, 39th percentile (79 games)