Spencer Knight

Spencer Knight grew up in Darien, Connecticut, and arrived at the NHL with a notable distinction: when the Florida Panthers called him up for the end of the 2020–21 season, he became the first goaltender born in the 21st century to play in the NHL. His debut came the day after his 20th birthday.

The Panthers had selected Knight 13th overall in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft — the franchise's first time taking a goaltender in the first round. Before turning pro, Knight spent time in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and then at Boston College, where he set a program record with 59 wins across two seasons with the NTDP. At Boston College, he was named both the Hockey East Goaltending Champion and the Player of the Year in his sophomore season, and was a two-time finalist for the Mike Richter Award.

Knight left Boston College in 2021 to join Florida for the stretch run of the pandemic-shortened season. In four games that year, he went 4-0 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. He also made 36 saves in his playoff debut before the Panthers were eliminated by Tampa Bay in the first round.

The 2021–22 season marked Knight's first full year in the NHL. He appeared in 32 games, posting a 19-9 record with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage, with 2 shutouts. Those numbers represented his best single-season marks through the first portion of his career. The following year, 2022–23, he appeared in 21 games for Florida, going 9-8 with a 3.18 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.

Throughout his time in Florida, Knight worked alongside goalie coach Rob Tallas and had the benefit of two veteran presences: Roberto Luongo and Sergei Bobrovsky. He described that support network on InGoal Radio, where he discussed the reality of adversity early in an NHL career ^[1]. Colin Hodd's 2025 InGoal article digs into what Knight took from those relationships and what Tallas specifically taught him about letting go after bad games — Knight's own words on the subject are worth reading in full ^[2].

The influence of Bobrovsky extended beyond the mental side of the game. In a locker room visit to Vancouver, Knight walked InGoal through a custom stick grip and tape job that drew directly from his former teammate's setup — including the tapered paddle shoulders Bobrovsky made famous, and a knob Knight described as his own personal touch ^[3]. InGoal also captured Knight working through his pre-practice skating warm-up after his trade to Chicago, where he discussed a lateral release movement, his approach to skate sharpening — he noted he's settled at 7/8, going duller to reduce hip strain — and how he adjusts his hollow depending on the ice surface at different rinks ^[4].

Knight's technical work during games was the subject of an InGoal drill breakdown from December 2022, filmed during a morning skate in Vancouver before a game in which he made 31 saves. The piece focuses on a recovery drill Knight ran with Tallas, and includes Knight's own explanation of what he is working toward in his movement patterns ^[5].

Knight appeared on InGoal Radio as far back as June 2019, shortly after being drafted ^[6], and again in January 2021 alongside Dustin Wolf ^[7], before his better-known 2022 appearance ^[1]. InGoal Magazine has covered Spencer Knight in three podcast appearances, one drill breakdown, and four InGoal articles.

After the 2022–23 season, Knight did not appear in an NHL game in 2023–24. He returned to the Panthers for 2024–25, playing 15 games with a 5-8 record, a 3.18 goals-against average, and an .896 save percentage. Florida then traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom he has appeared in 55 games in 2025–26 — a career high — going 19-25-11 with a 2.82 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage, and 3 shutouts.

Across 150 NHL regular-season games through the 2025–26 season, Knight has compiled 68 wins, 58 losses, 20 overtime losses, a 2.83 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage, and 8 shutouts, with a total time on ice of 8,611:59.

A mid-season analytics piece published by InGoal in January 2026 noted that Knight ranked third in the NHL in Goals Saved Above Expected at 8.88 through games of January 12, according to Clear Sight Analytics ^[8].