Exclusive: “I Want To Play 65 Games A Year…I Want To Be The Man!” Spencer Knight Embraces New Role In Chicago

Spencer Knight #30 of the Chicago Blackhawks (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images)

As his former team, the Florida Panthers, is playing for a second-straight Stanley Cup, Chicago Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight is back in his native Connecticut, already training for his first full season between the pipes for his new team.

Since entering the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance program in February 2023, life has been a whirlwind and full of change for the 13th overall pick (Florida Panthers) from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Last spring, after spending the regular season playing for the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL, Knight could still hoist the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. Then, after going 12-8-1 with a 2.40 GAA and .907 save percentage for the Panthers this season, the 24-year-old, Darien, Connecticut native (along with a 2026 conditional first-round pick) was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Seth Jones.

Knight recently took some time with RG to reflect on what he’s learned over the last two years and who he is becoming on and off the ice.

Accepting Change And Learning To Be A Pro

“A lot, I think. I think last year playing in Charlotte (AHL) was a great experience,” the 24-year-old netminder replied when asked how much has changed for him since entering the Assistance program in 2023.

“I think it was an experience that I honestly think I needed to get to where I want to be. Being able to play a lot of games, being the main guy somewhere was important to kind of get that experience because as much as you think sitting on the bench, it’s valuable at certain times and you can do it, but if it’s the only thing you’re doing, it’s a lot of – I don’t think you get everything you can out of the experience."

One of the biggest lessons Knight has learned is that to succeed on the ice and fulfill the potential so many still see in him, he needs to be as disciplined and focused as he is on the ice, away from it.

“I think there’s so much that goes into being a pro and going into preparation and how to handle just the season,” Knight replied. “It’s not just like the games themselves, like in the moment of the games. It’s the time between the games. It’s the time after a bad game. It’s time after a really good game. There are so many different scenarios. And learning how to deal with them, I think, is something that comes from developing more as a person rather than a player. The on-ice stuff is obviously something you’re always going to work on. But I think that all the stuff away from the rink, depending on who you are as a person, matters just as much, if not more. I think I learned a lot about that side of pro hockey in the past couple of years.”

Becoming the Backbone in Chicago

As for being traded, after getting over the initial shock of it, Knight has been enjoying every minute of being part of a rebuilding team like the Blackhawks. He has now gone from being a permanent back-up to the main man between the pipes in Chicago, and he’s embracing the increased playing time.

“It’s been a cool experience coming in and being able to play so many games,” Knight said. “To me, I think if you ask anyone close to me, you know, what do I like? I think a lot of them will just they’ll tell you that I just love to play. That’s what I want to do, right?"

I don’t like sitting on the bench at all. I frankly kind of despise it. I hate it.

"I just don’t like being on the bench when the team’s out there. I always say I want to play 65 games a year. I don’t know. Not many people do that anymore, but I want to play 65. I mean, sometimes I say 70, but that might be crazy to say! But that’s just the mindset I have. …is that I want to be the man!

"So, to me, being able to play a lot more games at the end of this season was so much fun! I felt like I was a professional hockey player again, and that my teammates knew they could depend on me to stop the puck and be there for them.”

Guiding Chicago’s New Superstar

Just as Knight has gone through his growing pains as an NHLer and a person, he’s seeing his new superstar teammate, Connor Bedard, do the same. The top overall pick from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft found himself under fire from the media and some fans this season as he too, struggled to adapt to the NHL and deal with the constant losing by the Blackhawks. Knight has done his best to help Bedard and is confident he will come back stronger and better for the 2025-26 season.

“I just got to know him a little bit over the past couple of months of being there,” Knight said of Bedard. “Very nice kid. You know, he’s only what, like 19, 20 years old or something. He’s a very young kid. And I think everyone has to remember that. He does take a lot of criticism, and sometimes I wonder why he receives all that, but at the end of the day, I think it’s just because of how much is expected out of him. I think the only reason why there’s that much expectation is because people know how great of a player he is. It’s almost a privilege to have that."

"Is it easy? No. But I think he handles it tremendously well.

He’s a very even-keeled person. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion, but he’s a competitor. He loves hockey. He always wants to get better, and that takes time. He’s one of those young kids who’s just getting better every game.”

Knight made it very clear that the reports and belief that Bedard will want out of Chicago when his entry-level contract expires on June 30, 2026, couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Yeah, that’s not the case at all,” Knight said.

“He loves it here, and he wants to grow with this team and help as much as he can. Is he frustrated at times? Of course he is! We all are, and that’s because we care. But just because he looks frustrated or acts that way, that’s normal. You want him to care like that. He knows he can be better at times, and he wants to be better, like I said before.”