Leafs' Auston Matthews makes his feelings known about teammate Matthew Knies' USA Olympic orientation camp invite

Auston Matthews spoke to reporters on Friday before the Hockey Night in Brampton event. The Toronto captain was asked about his teammate Matthew Knies. He has received an invite to USA Hockey’s Olympic orientation camp.

Earlier this week, USA Hockey announced 44 players will attend the camp in Plymouth, Michigan. The camp runs August 26-27, and it is mostly for administration and team-building. There will be no on-ice activities.

On Knies, who is 22, Matthews said the invite was well deserved. He called Knies a young player still improving.

"I have talked to him a little bit, yeah," Matthews said (4:17 onwards). "I think it's well deserved. He’s a great player, and he’s still coming into his own. He's only going to get better. He's looking forward to the opportunity."

Matthews has already been named to the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team. Other early selections include Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy. The final roster will be announced in January. Knies joins a group of young American players hoping to earn a spot. It also gives him another chance to gain international experience.

The Leafs faced another playoff disappointment last season. They lost in seven games to the Florida Panthers in the second round. Knies had a breakaway chance in overtime of Game 3 but was stopped by Sergei Bobrovsky. Toronto held a 2-0 series lead before that game. Afterward, they could not finish the series despite the strong start.

Now, the upcoming season is going to be a test for the Leafs and captain Auston Matthews. The team traded forward Mitch Marner, who was Matthews and Knies' linemate, to the Vegas Golden Knights this summer. It will be interesting to see who fills that spot.

Matthew Knies wants to help Toronto "as much as possible"

Matthew Knies signed a six-year, $46.5 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in July. He said he wanted a long-term deal instead of a short one.

"I just wanted to be here as long as possible, really," Knies said about his extension. "I wanted a longer term. ... This was kind of the sweet spot for both of us. I was excited to get it done and get it done before free agency and try to help them out as much as possible."

Matthew Knies scored 29 goals and 58 points last season. Now, this was his career high, and he also scored five goals later in the playoffs. Knies's goal is to help Toronto compete for championships.