The Chicago Blackhawks have an important season ahead of them. The organization has committed to building through the draft, and a plethora of draft picks are NHL-ready, or on the cusp of being NHL-ready. Many young players will have a chance to make their mark this season; some becoming everyday players while many others will make their NHL debuts. Meanwhile, a small group of veterans will be tasked with helping the youngsters find their way.
In this series headed into the 2025-26 campaign, we’ll preview each player projected to make the roster, and what their role will be with the team. This edition’s spotlight is on goalie Spencer Knight.
Knight By The Numbers
Drafted: 13th overall in 2019 by the Florida Panthers
Position: Goaltender
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 191 pounds
Age/Birthdate: 24 years old (4/19/2001)
Country: USA
2024-25 Stats: 5-8-2, 3.18 GAA (goals-against average), .896 SV% (save percentage) in 15 games. Note: not including his stats with the Florida Panthers
Career Stats: 49-33-9, 2.83 GAA, .904 SV% in 95 games (85 starts)
How He Got Here
Knight has been a cool story in the NHL. He was drafted 13th overall out of the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP). At the time, it was reported by the USNTDP that his 32 wins that season tied for the most in a season, and that his 59 career wins were best in program history.
He then went to Boston College in 2019, where he spent two seasons, going 39-12 in 54 games with an impressive .931 SV%. After his sophomore season ended, he made his way to the Florida Panthers in April 2021 and played in four games, with a .919 SV%. He split time between the Panthers and the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL since 2021, and in February 2023, he bravely sought treatment from the NHLPA Player Assistance Program for OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder).
When he returned for the 2023-24 season, he spent it with the Checkers. Knight had a lot of success there, with a .905 SV%, even setting the team record for longest shutout streak lasting 213:23 minutes.
Then, during the Panthers’ Stanley Cup run, he was added as the third goaltender on the team and even got a day with the Stanley Cup.
Knight got another NHL shot in 2024-25 with the Panthers, where, our Joey Ganzi wrote in January, “Panthers’ Starter Spot Is Now Spencer Knight’s to Lose” after a run where he had .907 SV% and a 2.43 GAA in 19 games.
However, Knight was traded to the Blackhawks in March in the Seth Jones trade package. It was a move that benefited both sides. Jones went on to win the Stanley Cup with Florida, and Knight made a quick impression with a 41-save win in his Blackhawks’ debut.
After 15 games with the Blackhawks, general manager Kyle Davidson gave Knight a three-year contract extension on Sept. 13, calling him a “crucial piece of our future.”
Who doesn’t love a good comeback?
Knight’s Role in 2025-26
Now that Knight has a contract extension, there’s no doubt who will have the Blackhawks’ net next season and beyond.
Knight is primed to take most of the starts in Chicago with Arvid Söderblom backing him up. In his NHL career, he has not started more than 27 games in a season. So, expect that number to jump. It will be a test for him, but it’s also something that should be beneficial to him.
Related: Chicago Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Previews
After all, it seems like everything has been leading up to this moment for him. A NHL hockey scout told Corey Pronman of The Athletic in 2019, “He’s a sure thing to be a NHLer. He can be a game-stealing No. 1 goalie. His technical skill is elite. His hockey sense and skating are high-end.” (from ‘Pronman: Spencer Knight and the debate over drafting a goalie in the first round’ – The Athletic – 03/27/2019).
Now, Knight has the next four years to take over, and the Hawks are looking forward to the heights he can reach in net.
