This upcoming Spring will be seven years since the Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews took home the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top Rookie of the Year in 2017.
It was the first a Toronto Maple Leafs player who had won the award since Brit Selby took home the trophy in 1966.
This upcoming season fans could see one of their own contend for the award again as Matthew Knies vies to not just make the team, but earn a role in the top six for the entirety of the season.
The Maple Leafs drafted Knies in the second round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft after he led his Tri-City Storm in points per game average while playing in the United States Hockey League (the top junior league in the country).