Matthew Knies, 3 other NHLers who are leveling up to start the season

We're approaching the one-month mark of the NHL season, which means meaningful trends are beginning to surface. Among them: breakout players. Let's discuss four guys in their early 20s who are leveling up their game.

Matthew Knies, Maple Leafs winger

Knies is one of those players who looks large on TV, yet is somehow even larger up close. The 22-year-old's hand swallows the other in a handshake.

He's also someone who's taken the standard "get stronger in the offseason, please" assignment to heart, adding 17 pounds since his April 2023 debut.

Now listed at 6-foot-3, 227 pounds, Knies has grown into a "brick-whatever-house" (teammate Ryan Reaves' G-rated description) in relatively short order. The physical package, mixed with improved speed and puck skills, has made Knies an indispensable member of the Leafs' top six and long-term core.

It isn't easy to play with star players, but similar to Zach Hyman and Michael Bunting before him, Knies is carving out a niche as the highly effective third wheel on a line featuring Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. As the main forechecker and puck retriever, he's a different type of headache to deal with.

Knies goes for the rebound, the Blues didn't like it

Knies doesn't like that the Blues didn't like it pic.twitter.com/0A4hzsVQXz

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 25, 2024

Knies has scored six goals (all at even strength), tallied one assist, and delivered 26 hits in 11 games. He's skating for four more minutes a night than he was in 2023-24 thanks to a spot on the No. 1 power-play unit. He's assumed the goal-line/net-front role typically reserved for John Tavares and already logged 24 PP minutes - or almost half of last year's total in 80 games.

New coach Craig Berube wants Toronto to play north-south hockey. Knies has benefited from the style change, and the team's benefited from his breakout. The pending restricted free agent is on track to set career bests across the board.

Cole Perfetti, Jets winger

Perfetti, the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, made it to the pros by being one of the smartest players on the ice no matter the quality of competition. He must continue to tap into that hockey intelligence and vision as his career progresses. It's what differentiates him.

Yet, if an NHLer wants to truly level up, he can't be defined by a single trait. Single-trait players are predictable. Perfetti - a healthy scratch for Winnipeg's first four playoff games last season - knows this. He spent the summer working on offensive-zone routes and quickening his release. He wants to find a happy medium between being a crafty playmaker and instinctual shooter.

"I've always been that guy growing up that's caught the puck, dusted it off a little bit, and then picked my spot," Perfetti, 22, said prior to the season. "But you don't really have that time in the NHL. I'm trying to just fine-tune that - getting the puck on and off the stick in a scoring area."

The early returns are promising. Perfetti's recorded three goals (all on the power play) and six assists in 10 games for the 9-1-0 Jets. Two of the goals were off quick releases. Here's Perfetti not overthinking it versus the Flames:

Cole Perfetti scores. It's 4-3 Jets. #Flames
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/5OvOVXQqfW

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) October 27, 2024

Perfetti, who inked a two-year, $6.5-million bridge deal in late September, views this year as a "clean slate" - new contract, new coach in Scott Arniel.

He's playing more (ice time up to 14:18 from 13:35 last year) and shooting more (shot attempts per 60 minutes up to 15.5 from 14.4 last year). At the same time, he hasn't suddenly lost his ability to create off the rush, get pucks off the wall on the breakout, or halt the opposition with a nifty stick check.

Put another way, Perfetti's added a layer to an already layered game.

Jake Sanderson, Senators defenseman

It's rare, in this era of offense-obsessed defensemen, for a rookie blue-liner to dramatically influence defensive results. But that's what Sanderson did in 2022-23. He became the best defensive defenseman on the Senators almost overnight. Then, in Year 2, he evolved into Ottawa's best defenseman, period.

Now, in the early stages of his third NHL season, Sanderson's arguably graduated to the status of being the club's best player at any position. The University of North Dakota product is riding a seemingly limitless upward trajectory because he brings so much to the table - elite hockey sense, effortless skating, a deadly shot, and much more. He's the total package.

The Senators' expected-goals share is in the red during Sanderson's five-on-five minutes - though, to be fair, he faces stiff competition while playing with the largely ineffective Travis Hamonic. Otherwise, Sanderson's underlying data jumps off the page. As of Thursday, he ranked very highly among 505 defensemen (minimum 100 minutes played) in multiple attack-killing metrics.

To put those rankings into perspective, the likes of Jaccob Slavin, Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Ekholm, and Miro Heiskanen are all in the same range. Sanderson isn't a young player the league just needed more time to figure out; no, he's providing further evidence that he's legitimately dominant defensively.

An October boost in production (eight points in nine games) has vaulted Sanderson into the way-too-early Norris Trophy debate and deeper into the Team USA roster conversation ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

Barrett Hayton, Utah center

Coming into the season, Hayton was probably best known for being selected fifth in the 2018 draft and leading Canada to gold at the 2020 world juniors.

Both of those events happened before Hayton turned pro - in other words, he hasn't lived up to the hype. Until now, that is. The season is young, sure, but it appears Hayton's finally breaking out following an injury-plagued 2023-24.

The Peterborough, Ontario native has pitched in five goals and two assists in 11 games off 17 minutes a night. Hayton loves to cycle the puck and lives for net-front chaos, constantly engaging defenders and screening the goaltender. He's scored off well-executed tips on three occasions while recording 61% of his shots (17 of 28) from the coveted high-danger area of the offensive zone.

Hayton, who's in the first season of a two-year, $5.3-million extension, is off to a blazing start in the faceoff circle, winning 111 of 176 draws for a 62.5% success rate. His career average prior to 2024-25? A blah 49.6%. This new-found prowess is a key reason why he's centering the No. 1 power-play unit.

Utah coach Andre Tourigny theorized recently that Hayton may be feeling less pressure now that he's on a multi-year deal. "He seems more relaxed. He seems more confident," Tourigny told reporters. "He's on a mission."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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