Report: Toronto Maple Leafs sign Matthew Knies to entry-level contract

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Matthew Knies to a three-year, entry-level contract, per multiple insider reports.

Knies, 20, collected 21 goals and 42 points in 40 games as a sophomore with the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the 2022–23 collegiate season. The Maple Leafs originally drafted the Phoenix, Ariz. product in the second round (No. 57 overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft.

ESPN’s John Buccigross was the first to break the news of Knies signing, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and TSN’s Darren Dreger following suit soon thereafter. Buccigross indicated that Knies will meet the Maple Leafs on the road in Florida, coincidentally also the state in which he lost the Frozen Four Final against Quinnipiac with the Gophers on Saturday.

Knies did not record a point in Minnesota’s heartbreaking 3–2 overtime loss to Quinnipiac in the national championship game, which took place at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. The Maple Leafs will take on the Florida Panthers on Monday before facing off against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.

Knies joined the Gophers in time for the 2021–22 season after spending parts of three seasons with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, with whom he scored 31 goals and 87 points in 90 career games.

The six-foot-three winger, who shoots left, racked up 15 goals and 33 points in 33 games during his freshman year at Minnesota. He then slotted in on the left side of one of the most dominant units in college hockey as a sophomore, ultimately finishing third in team scoring behind linemates Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud.

Knies is the first member of that trio to turn professional. His entry-level contract will take effect immediately, setting him on course to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025.