NHL Prospect Roundup: Toronto Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies is heating up
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We’re heading into a short Christmas break, where some leagues will have light schedules to close out the 2022 portion of the 2022-23 season. So, outside of the World Junior Championship, not much is going to happen over the next few weeks, giving many top prospects a bit of relief ahead of the second half of the campaign.
Let’s look at 10 recent standout prospects from around the world:
NCAA
– In his first 12 games from Oct. 1 – Nov. 11, Matthew Knies had 11 points with the University of Minnesota – not bad, but also not a huge improvement from his fantastic rookie campaign. In his past seven games, he has also managed another 11 points, giving him 22 in 20 games. The 2022 Olympian is starting to really show his muscle right now after seemingly getting overshadowed by Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud. Knies is the top forward prospect for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and one many have high hopes for after exceeding expectations as a 57th overall pick. Keep keeping on, Knies.
– At a whopping 6-foot-8, few goalies stand as tall as New York Rangers prospect Hugo Ollas. And how his play is living up to his frame, with the Merrimack College sophomore posting a 6-4-0 record through 10 games with a .932 save percentage. Merrimack has dominated Hockey East, and just about everyone is getting involved in the scoresheet, but Ollas has been a big fixture this season, literally. The Swedish monster was named Hockey East co-goaltender of the week with teammate Zach Borgiel last week for his efforts. The big Swede was drafted in the seventh round in 2020, but he has quickly become a legitimate prospect.
OHL
– Francesco Pinelli has been on a bit of a scoring rampage ever since being left off Canada’s WJC camp roster. The Kitchener Rangers captain has 20 goals and 39 points in 24 games, including 11 points in three contests since the camp began. The Rangers have been on a scoring rampage, and with 19 points over the past seven games – in which the Rangers have a 7-1-0 record – he’s been exactly what the Los Angeles Kings were hoping for.
WHL
– Josh Filmon had one of the greatest games of the entire season with a six-goal, seven-point effort in an 8-4 Swift Current win over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday. So, naturally, he slacked off and didn’t even record a shot against Red Deer on Saturday. The New Jersey Devils sixth-rounder was having an otherwise solid season before that, but that really showed what he can do when he’s got confidence and momentum on his side.
QMJHL
– Playing at a 60-goal pace, Jacob Melanson is making QMJHL goalies look like they’re in peewee this season. The Seattle Kraken fifth-rounder has 25 goals in 26 games, building upon an impressive 35-goal run from a year ago. The Acadie-Bathurst Titan star had a six-point night on Saturday and has 13 points in his past four games while averaging at least six shots a game. He even has an edge to his game that you don’t always see from a QMJHL-scoring winger.
USHL
– The United States won gold at the World Junior A Challenge this past weekend, and Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Sam Rinzel was a shining star. One of a handful of NHL-drafted prospects on the roster, Rinzel had five points in six games and his big 6-foot-4 frame allowed him to shut attackers on the rush thanks to a long reach. There’s some offensive flair, but if he makes the NHL, it’ll be more as a third-pairing shutdown option that uses his long frame to his advantage. He’s set for the University of Minnesota next year, with this extra year of development being good for him after going in the first round last summer.
AHL
– After two years of so-so AHL action, Jamieson Rees has exploded with 20 points in 23 games – putting him on pace for 63 points this year. That’s a huge step up from his 24 from last year, with the physical, energetic center starting to show some true promise. The Carolina Hurricanes are a deep team right now so they’re going to stay patient with the 21-year-old, but it’s good to see him leading the Chicago Wolves after winning the Calder Cup last year.
– The Tampa Bay Lightning have to like what they’re seeing from Hugo Alnefelt this season, who is the logical successor to Brian Elliott when his time as backup finally ends. The 21-year-old won both starts in a rare back-to-back this weekend and has an 8-1-0 record in his last nine games over the past 30 days. Part of that includes relief efforts, but Alnefelt has done a good job of doing whatever is needed for the Syracuse Crunch and is one of the better U-22 goalies as a result.
– The Belleville Senators have been plagued with injuries this year, so having Yegor Sokolov step up again is huge. He had 50 points a year ago, but he’s on pace for 72 over an entire season as Belleville’s leading scoring threat. The 22-year-old power forward hasn’t managed to crack the Senators consistently, playing just eight games last year, but sustained offensive success should make him a call-up at some point. He was a slow riser, getting drafted by the Ottawa Senators as an overager, but there could be something here in a potential third-line role one day.
SHL
– It’s been a good five or so months for Philadelphia Flyers prospect Emil Andrae, who was one of the best defensemen at the World Junior Championship in August. He led all defensemen in goals with four, the same number he has in the top Swedish league this year. Andrae has 17 points in 25 games, tying with Detroit prospect William Wallinder for the most of any U-21 defenseman. He’s also decimating opponents with a league-leading 63 penalty minutes. Andrae has another year left on his SHL contract, but he’s quickly making his mark as one of the best European defensive prospects.