Spencer Knight officially wrapped up his college career by signing a three-year ELC (entry-level contract) with the Florida Panthers. Knight, 19-years-old, was drafted 13th overall by the Florida Panthers in 2019.
Spencer Knight
Spencer Knight played in the World Juniors and the Hockey East this year. Although Knight had a scare to begin the World Juniors, he proved why he is such a highly regarded goalie prospect. Spencer followed those struggles, with two shutouts. He stood as a brick wall in net for the United States, throughout the rest of the tournament. This also included a shutout in the gold medal game vs. Canada. Through six games played in the tournament, the 1st round pick held a 5-1-0 record. Additionally, the American held a phenomenal .939 SV%, and a 1.63 GAA.
This season in college hockey, Spencer Knight was just as incredible. Knight held a record of 16-4-1, with a .932 SV% and a 2.18 GAA. Furthermore, Boston College won the regular-season title. However, they fell short in the semi-finals of the Hockey East playoffs. Although the Eagles did not win the Hockey East, Spencer’s goaltending helped push them into the NCAA tournament. Boston College was the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament, however, they lost to St. Cloud State in the quarterfinals. Even though Boston College’s season ended in the loss, Knight had a .906 SV%.
Spencer Knight is one of ten candidates for the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the top college player in the nation. On April 1st, Knight will find out if he makes the top three, and on the 9th, the award winner will be announced. Spencer also finished as a top-three candidate to win the Mike Richter Award, which goes to the best goalie in the nation. Without a doubt, the 13th overall pick was lights out in college. Hopefully, Knight can bring this with him to the Panthers organization.
Knight’s Contribution
Spencer Knight will bring elite goaltending to the Florida Panthers. However, with no shortage of goaltender talent, Florida will likely place Knight in the AHL. There will be no reason for the 1st round pick to be sitting stale on the taxi squad. With this signing, Florida’s four goalies are Chris Driedger, Sam Montembeault, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Spencer Knight. This likely means that Florida will move Driedger or Montembeault before the deadline. The rumors of a potential trade tend to sway towards Driedger leaving Sunrise. If Driedger were to be traded, the NHL backup position will be a contest of Montembeault and Knight. On the other hand, if Montembeault is traded, Knight would likely be AHL starter. If neither are traded, Knight and Montembeault will battle it out for AHL Starter.
Knight on working with Bobrovsky: “It’s going to be really cool. I really admire his game and the way he plays. I think, technically, he’s one of the best goalies in the league. I’m looking forward to it and hopefully will learn a lot.”
The best plan of action for the Boston College product would be to guarantee him playing time. Right now, that playing time resides in the AHL. Towards the end of the season, depending on Florida’s playoff position, there can possibly be a chance of NHL time. That type of NHL time would allow Knight to get high-quality experience, with less stress on him. Spencer will be the face of the franchise in years to come, and likely a top-five NHL goalie. However, it is a matter of how long it takes the young star to reach that level.