George Richards, FHN Publisher
A good indication rookie goalie Spencer Knight is preparing to be part of the Florida Panthers when the season opens in October is that he already has a place in Fort Lauderdale.
Still, Knight said on Monday after another development camp workout that his mindset is to keep working toward that goal.
“I want to consistently build and that’s part of my mindset,’’ Knight said Monday afternoon. “I’ve never really made the team until I’m on the team. When I’m there, I still have to stay there, you know?”
The Panthers are expected to go into the 2021-22 NHL season with a goalie tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Knight with Sam Montembeault starting the season with AHL Charlotte.
Right now, however, Knight says he is just taking things as they come.
Participating in Florida’s development camp in Coral Springs, Knight says he is not thinking about training camp or the start of the season. He is using this time to get used to being back on the ice after a summer spent in the gym.
“Coming into camp, with (development camp), the rookie tournament and main camp so there’s a lot of time before games actually start and the season actually starts,’’ Knight said.
“So, I am using this as the first building block in terms of being on the ice since I spent most of summer off the ice. I didn’t really skate as much, knowing that I’d come down here in development camp. This is just a good building block.’’
Knight, 20, left Boston College after his sophomore season ended in the NCAA regional final against St. Cloud State last March.
The initial thought was he would get in a game (maybe two) headed into the playoffs.
Knight got a lot more than that — and his road to the Panthers appears to be completely bypassing the minors.
Knight ended up becoming the youngest goalie in NHL history to start his career 4-0 — and, actually, he started 5-0 although his Game 5 win against the Lightning doesn’t count in that total.
One of the traits players on the Panthers said impressed them the most about Knight was his mental focus and the fact he did not seem to get rattled by anything.
His mental toughness showed in the playoffs when Florida threw him in with the season on the line and he made 36 saves against the Tampa Bay Lightning to win Game 5 and extend the playoff series.
“He won the game for us,” Sasha Barkov said.
Added coach Joel Quenneville: “He was great. That was a goalie win. He did everything he could do to keep him in. I’m happy for him.”
General manager Bill Zito has said on numerous occasions that the Panthers will put Knight in the best situation to succeed.
Whether that is in Florida or with Charlotte, Zito said, would be determined.
Of course, he said that before Knight ended up starting the final two playoff games of the Panthers’ series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Those two games were not only good experience, but showed Knight — if Florida did not know this already — is ready for Prime Time.
Still, he reminds everyone that he is a young player who will be attending his first training camp in the coming weeks.
Knight definitely does not sound like someone resting on his own laurels.
“This is my first camp despite already having played games last year. So I’m just using this as a time to work on my game,’’ Knight said. “I don’t really do things any differently than I would if I was, you know, a younger guy or an older guy. At the end of day it’s just hockey. I need to work at my game to do what’s best to perform in game.
“Frankly, I don’t really look at myself as having made the team or in making the team. I need to still prove to myself that I can do this every single day. I never want to have that sort of comfort that I’ve already made the team. I think it’s good to kind of push myself and say to myself, ‘I still need to prove to everyone that I’m still capable of doing what I did’.’’
As far as playing in the postseason goes, Knight said he is not discounting that opportunity but neither is he putting too much stock in it.
The NHL has had dozens of young goalies come in and make a splash — and then fade into the background. Knight does not want to suffer such a fate.
“It was definitely cool and it was fun but it’s still just one hockey game,” Knight said.
“I’ve seen so many goalies and so many players who start off really hot and kind of deteriorate or get comfortable. For me, I never want to really have that. I want to consistently build and that’s part of my mindset: I’ve never really made the team until I’m on the team. When I’m there, I still have to stay there, you know?
“My mindset is that anyone can win one game, anyone can win a playoff game. But you have got to do it consistently. That’s what the best people do is they do it — every single day.”