A Knight to remember
Darien native wins his NHL debut, making 33 saves in victory
Darien’s Spencer Knight made his NHL debut Tuesday, just a day after his 20th birthday.
The Florida Panthers goalie recorded 33 saves on 34 shots in his first professional game, a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. He became the youngest goalie to win for the Panthers and the first in franchise history to win in his debut.
“I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be,” Knight told ESPN following his debut. “The guys did a good job of keeping it light and telling me to just go out and play hockey. At the end of the day, it’s just hockey. It was awesome.”
Knight signed a three-year entry-level contract with Florida on March 31 after finishing his sophomore year at Boston College. He became active on the Panthers’ roster Monday and was listed as the backup for starting goalie Sergi Bobrovsky in Florida’s game against the Blue Jackets.
When given the starting nod on Tuesday, Knight recorded a .971 save percentage allowing just one goal when Columbus’ Jack Roslovic scored on a power play with 3:44 left in the first period.
“He looked very cool and calm in the net. The way he came out and handled pucks, assessed all his options, you could see an understanding of where everybody is around the rink,” Florida coach Joel Quenneville told ESPN. “He tracks the puck extremely well, looks big in the net. He’s positionally aware. It was a great start for his career.”
The victory gave the Panthers their seventh win over the Blue Jackets this season, improving their overall record to 30-12-5. Florida is now tied with the Hurricanes for the top spot in the Central Division with just nine games left in the regular season.
“We knew he was going to be great,” Florida left wing Jonathan Huberdeau told ESPN. “He might have been nervous, but it didn’t show out there. The way he moves the puck when he’s out of the net is incredible.”
Knight helped lead Boston College to the Hockey East regular season title before the team was upset in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by St. Cloud State. Knight finished the season with a 16-4-1 record, a .932 save percentage and three shutouts. He was named a finalist for both the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in collegiate men’s hockey, and
the Mike Richter Award, given to the top collegiate goalie. He was also named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Year and Player of the Year.
Knight finished his collegiate career 39-12-3, with a .932 save percentage, 2.05 goals against average and eight shut outs in 54 games for the Eagles.
Both of his two years at Boston College were interrupted by national team tournaments, including most recently leading Team USA to gold at the 2021 IIHF World Championships in January in Edmonton, Alberta.
Knight’s 34 save-performance in the championship game, in which USA upset Canada 2-0 for the gold medal, marked USA’s first shutout in the World Junior Championship medal round as he was named USA’s Player of the Game. His three shutouts in the overall tournament are the most by a USA player in the World junior Championship.
“He is an immensely talented and dynamic young goaltender who has been an elite player at every level that he has played,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said in a release following Knight’s signing on March 31. “From the collegiate ranks to international tournaments, Spencer has consistently elevated his game, a testament to his work ethic, compete and character. We are excited for him to take the next step in his career with the Panthers and look forward to his future with our club.”
Knight was the top-ranked goalie in the 2019 NHL Draft and selected 13th out of the US National Team Development Program. He’s the fourth BC player to join the NHL this season, joining forwards Logan Hutsko, Mike Hardman and Matt Boldy.