Teammates Praise Matthew Knies After Impressive Debut

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Aaron Itovitch
April 11, 2023 (10:21)

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Matthew Knies wasn't even supposed to play in his first NHL game last night, but when Sam Lafferty left with injury last minute, the 2021 second-rounder got the call.

Matthew Knies Impresses Teammates

While there were some obvious difficulties in the pace jump in the NHL, Knies adapted well, and even threw a few good hits.

He especially gained fans when he pinned the controversial Marc Staal to the boards!

After the game, his teammates praised him. Fellow Arizonan Auston Matthews had a lot to say:

"He fit in really well. You can just see his size & strength out there & he made plays. It's not easy to jump into an NHL game right away especially a game like tonight where they have a lot on the line ... so he looked really good."

"We're trying to do something special here & we believe he can come in and help us. It's just getting him acclimated right away & tonight he didn't look out of place."

Goalie Ilya Samsonov equally joined in on the praise:

"Not easy for him today especially for Florida game. It's not easy to start but he's looking good. He's fighting on the board. I like how he play. He's so nice."

Finally, captain John Tavares tipped his cap to the kid:

"I was really impressed. Not an easy situation to come into. Obviously, you know, helluva 72 hours for him ... you can see the ability, the size & the strength & the puck handling & playmaking ability that he's going to have ..."

Head coach Sheldon Keefe was equally impressed by the kid, who was in the NCAA just five days ago:

"The pace didn't faze him at all. His feet were moving. He made some smart plays with the puck. There were a couple of mistakes out there, but I think some mistakes are good. You can learn thru that & adjust, which I thought he did. He did a nice job."

Clearly Knies has the approval of his teammates and head coach. The only question is, will he be on the roster come Game 1?

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