"What would a kid from the desert know about hockey?" If you are a Minnesota Gophers fan who asked that question a year ago, you received an emphatic answer from Matthew Knies on the ice last season. The good-sized forward who is a draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs burst onto the college hockey scene and was an offensive catalyst with his size and skill, playing a vital role in their Big Ten title and their run to the Frozen Four. He also skated for Team USA at the World Junior Championships and the Winter Olympics in his "spare time." Back in his native Arizona for the summer, where it was 111 F when he talked to The Rink Live, Knies is preparing to host a summer hockey camp and looking forward to another college hockey season in maroon and gold.
TIME STAMPS:
2:00 Freshman year with the Gophers
4:00 Skating in the Olympics
5:00 Being a first-generation American
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6:00 Youth hockey in Arizona
8:00 Other youth sports and roller hockey
9:00 Starting his first summer hockey academy
11:00 Advice from Sammy Walker on running a hockey camp
12:00 Playing USHL hockey with Tri-City
14:00 Hitting his growth spurt
15:00 What brought him to the U of M
17:00 The playoff win vs. UMass
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20:00 Playing for Bob Motzko
22:00 Looking ahead to next season
24:00 Playing at Arizona State next season
26:00 Decision to return for soph season
28:00 Auston Matthews
30:00 Surviving his first Minnesota winter
31:00 Details on the hockey academy
