Spencer Knight

Born in Darien, Connecticut, on April 19, 2001, Spencer Knight was selected by the Florida Panthers in the first round, 13th overall, of the 2019 NHL Draft. Now 24 and wearing No. 30 for the Chicago Blackhawks, he has appeared in 148 NHL games across his career, posting 67 wins, 57 losses, 20 overtime losses, a 2.82 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage, and 8 shutouts.

InGoal Magazine has covered Spencer Knight in three podcast appearances, one drill breakdown, and four InGoal articles.

Knight's earliest InGoal appearance came just days after the 2019 Draft, when he joined InGoal Radio InGoal Radio Episode 22 with Spencer Knight. He returned to the podcast in January 2021 alongside Dustin Wolf InGoal Radio Episode 102 with Spencer Knight and Dustin Wolf, and again in October 2022 InGoal Radio Episode 190 with Spencer Knight.

In Florida, Knight worked closely with goalie coach Rob Tallas and had daily access to Sergei Bobrovsky and Roberto Luongo. As he described on InGoal Radio in 2022, that environment shaped how he handled the mental side of the position. "Every time there's a situation where I've been put in a little adversity or whatnot, I talk to Bob or I talk to Lou and they're like, 'Yeah. I mean, I remember when that happened to me,'" Knight said Pro Tips with Spencer Knight ‘You’re Not the Only One that Goes Through This’. The message, repeated often enough, was clarifying: "You're not the only one that goes through this. And, you know, it's not the end of the world."

Tallas also gave Knight a framework for processing bad outings away from the rink. "Tally and I always talked about, 'Just put the cup down. When you leave the rink, you just got to put the cup down,'" Knight explained. "It means you've got to let go. You can't be carrying, holding that baggage of a bad practice or a bad goal from a game for the rest of the time when you're not at the rink. Because you essentially can't stop at any pucks when you're not at the rink, right? So, it's being able to put that down and just continue on with life." Pro Tips with Spencer Knight ‘You’re Not the Only One that Goes Through This’

Going back further, Knight credited his time at Boston College and goalie coach Mike Ayers with building a similar foundation. "I think the relationship I had with the coaching staff and the trust that they had in me allowed me as a goalie to go into every single game and be me," he told InGoal Pro Tips with Spencer Knight ‘You’re Not the Only One that Goes Through This’.

On the technical side, InGoal documented a recovery drill Knight worked with Tallas during a game-day morning skate in Vancouver Spencer Knight Game Day Recovery Drill. The drill focused on shoulder rotation and control rather than sprawling. "I'm really focusing on that next level, which is I'm quick enough and fast enough to where I can go down, rotate, push and be there square and in control and not sprawl," Knight said after recording a 31-save win over the Canucks that night. "I know I can make that save sprawling. But I want to make it an easier save. That's the next level." Spencer Knight Game Day Recovery Drill

Tallas described the drill's dual purpose — technical and psychological. "It's just getting your shoulder square to a puck rather than reaching with your legs first," he said. "And then it's also just feeling good. We always overcomplicate things. Keep it simple and then you feel good, right?" Spencer Knight Game Day Recovery Drill

One of the visible influences of his time in Florida showed up in Knight's equipment. He adopted a version of Bobrovsky's custom stick paddle — a tapered, sloped shoulder design — and walked InGoal through his setup during a visit to Vancouver Spencer Knight shares Bob-Inspired Stick Grip. "The paddle is the Bob paddle," Knight said. "It just feels more comfortable, more gradual, of a decreased in size and I can hold it in different spots." He also applies a sock tape layer over the grip so his hand can slide more freely, a practice he noted Bobrovsky uses as well.

After his pre-deadline trade to Chicago, InGoal observed Knight's pre-practice skating routine and he discussed a lateral release movement he had incorporated Pro Tips with Spencer Knight. "It's a powerful movement and I like it because if you read it's a lateral play, and you don't have to T-push, and you don't have to slide, it kind of sets you up already square and it'll kind of keep you on angle," he explained. The movement also prompted a change in his skate sharpening. "I forget what I started at the beginning of the year, but I was sharper, and now I'm at 7/8," he said. "I've tried to go duller because I feel like it's better on my hips." He added that he adjusts further depending on ice conditions around the league, noting he once went to an inch and a quarter at a rink with particularly soft ice.

In the 2025-26 season with Chicago, Knight has appeared in 53 games, going 18-24-11 with a 2.80 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage, and 3 shutouts over 3,173:34 of ice time. A mid-season statistical review by InGoal using Clear Sight Analytics data placed Knight third in the NHL in Goals Saved Above Expected at 8.88 through games on January 12 Myth-Busters 2025-26 Mid-Season Awards with Clear Sight Analytics.