NHL Draft: Panthers select goaltender Spencer Knight with 13th overall pick
SUNRISE, Fla. -Florida Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Dale Tallon announced today that with the 13th pick of the 2019 Draft, the Panthers have selected goaltender Spencer Knight.
“We are proud to have selected Spencer with the 13th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft,” said Tallon. “He is a big, athletic and dynamic young player with the potential to be an elite goaltender at the NHL level. He had an outstanding season playing for the US National Team and proved to be a difference maker in international play. Spencer will begin his next stage of development in an excellent program at Boston College and will be an exciting addition to the future of the Panthers.”
Knight, 18, made 39 appearances for the USA National Team Development Program, owning a 32-4-1 record, 2.36 goals against average, .913 save percentage and two shutouts. Knight was ranked the no.1 North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting on their final draft rankings.
The 6-foot-4, 193-pound native of Stamford, Conn., represented USA on the international stage at the IIHF 2019 U18 World Junior Championship, earning a bronze medal and posting tournament-best numbers in save percentage (.936) and goals against average (1.51) over six games played. Knight served as the third goaltender for USA at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, earning a silver medal.
Knight is committed to play for Boston College for the 2019-20 season and is the first goaltender in franchise history to be selected by the Panthers in the first round.