Breaking down Spencer Knight's goaltending style: Blackhawks already impressed by technical precision

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Some NHL goalies make goaltending look like art. New Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight makes it look like science.

The 23-year-old Connecticut native and suddenly integral piece of the Hawks' rebuild brings a level of technical precision to the crease that hasn't been seen inside the United Center in some time.

He's not a finished product yet, but his understanding of — and ability to execute — by-the-book goaltending is already rather remarkable.

During Knight's first three Hawks starts, in which he has saved 95 of 101 total shots against Los Angeles, Utah and Colorado, he has arguably been square for every shot from the moment it left the opponent's stick until the moment he stopped it. Hawks goalie coach Jimmy Waite has been immediately impressed.

"He's a student of the game," Waite told the Sun-Times last week. "He reads the game well. What impresses me is his explosiveness to move side-to-side — and, after a save, how quick he is to react to a second shot.

"He gets really low and wide, and his edges are really good at pushing left and right. He's able to make saves that other guys don't make because of how quick he is, and he's got good hands to make that second stop. That's impressive."

Shortly before the Hawks traded Seth Jones to the Panthers for Knight and a first-round pick, Waite — along with Hawks goalie scout Dan Ellis and other goalie-related coaches in the organization — were asked to watch tape of Knight and share their opinions. They all signed off on the decision to acquire him.

Since Knight’s arrival, though, Waite has discovered he's even more of a "tremendous talent" than Waite previously realized. What Knight lacks in flair — and to some extent size, because he's a very skinny 6-3 — he makes up for in consistency, athleticism and cat-like quickness.

"There was a drill [where] he has to make a save and there's a rebound, and I couldn't believe how quick he was, getting to the post," Waite said. "That's a big part of the game nowadays, how good you are at sealing the post and pushing out. He's very clean and good at that.

"And he's a good kid, very intelligent. He wants to know more. If you do something with him, he wants to know why."

Knight's squareness and compactness — he keeps his arms close to his body, ensuring there are no holes for pucks to squeak through him — allows his puck-tracking skills to shine. That approach can spit out more rebounds, but he seems to know that and is therefore mentally prepared to react.

Two early rebound saves in his Hawks debut against Kings demonstrated that perfectly. In both cases, he instantly identified what he needed to do, sprung to his feet in one singular motion, used his edges to push laterally and robbed Warren Foegele twice at his left post.

He then did the same thing again in the first period Monday against the Avalanche, quickly moving to his right post to deny Nathan MacKinnon on a rebound.

"If you put yourself in the best position physically, and you really work on things and push yourself, you naturally can find you can do little things like that," Knight said. "People say, 'Oh, you got up there.' I'm like, 'I didn't even know I did.'"

Knight's puck-handling skill is another strength; he's comfortable leaving his crease to corral dumped-in pucks and make accurate passes to defensemen. On the power play especially, his eagerness to fire pucks up toward the offensive zone initially took the Hawks by surprise, but they seem to be adjusting.

"He dictates play a lot in our 'D'-zone with breaking things out or talking, or how he sets up pucks for our [defensemen]," captain Nick Foligno said. "He has been a real calming force back there for us."

Said Knight: "I don't mind having [the puck] on my tape, but I'd rather have it on their tape than mine — they get paid to move the puck. If I can save those guys two or three times from getting hit, or get us out of the zone, that makes it a lot better."

Knight was stunned by the trade but has quickly embraced the challenge of helping the Hawks gradually build up to where the Panthers are now, and he has found his new teammates "helpful and welcoming." The time they're getting together on this road trip has been beneficial.

He and Waite, however, are still getting to know each other. Although Waite has identified a couple tweaks he wants to try making to Knight's style, he plans to wait for the right time to bring those up.

And Knight possesses enough confidence — and learned enough from Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and esteemed Panthers goalie coach Rob Tallas — to make suggestions back to Waite, as well.

"That's how you go forward: You get the good ideas from each other," Knight said. "It's a two-way street. I'm open to all the things he does, and he has said he's also looking to see what I like, too."