The Florida Panthers announced Wednesday that the club has agreed to terms with Boston College sophomore goaltender Spencer Knight on a three-year, entry-level contract.
“We are thrilled to have agreed to terms on a contract with Spencer,” said Panthers GM Bill Zito in a statement. “He is an immensely talented and dynamic young goaltender who has been an elite player at every level that he has played. 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 completed his sophomore season with Boston College in 2020-21, appearing in 21 games and owning a 16-4-1 record, 2.18 GAA, .932 save percentage and three shutouts.
The native of Darien, Conn., ranked fifth in the nation in save percentage and tied for fifth in wins, the most among sophomore goaltenders.
Named a finalist for the 2021 Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey since 2014, Knight was named the 2020-21 Hockey East goaltender of the year, player of the year and a named a first team all-star. Knight was also named a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Knight backstopped the United States to a gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. He completed the tournament with a 5-1-0 record, 1.63 GAA, .940 save percentage and three shutouts.
Originally selected by Florida in the first round (13th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Knight appeared in 54 games over two seasons for Boston College (2019-21) amassing a 39-12-3 record, 2.05 GAA, .931 save percentage and eight shutouts.
On the international stage with USA Hockey, Knight has earned a World Junior gold medal (2021), silver medal (2019), IIHF World U18 Championship silver medal (2018), bronze medal (2019) and World U17 Hockey Challenge gold medal (2017).
