Nikolai Alexandrovich Knyzhov (russian: Николай Александрович Кныжов; born 20 March 1998) is a Russian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

for the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL).

Playing career

Knyzhov first played as a youth in his native Russia with hometown club, Energia Kemerovo, before moving to North America to play amateur junior hockey in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

with the Phoenix Firebirds and Jr. Coyotes. He was selected 41st overall in the 2015

CHL Import Draft The CHL Import Draft is an annual event in which every team in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) may select the rights to eligible import players. An import is classified as a player who does not have residency status in either Canada or the U ...

by the

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * R ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL). He joined the Pats in the 2015–16 season, registering just 1 assist in 19 games, before leaving the team and opting to return the United States, playing with the

Springfield Jr. Blues The Springfield Jr. Blues are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's Midwest Division. The team plays their home games at the Nelson Center in Springfield, Illinois. History Founded by John D. O'Laughlin and Al ...

and

Austin Bruins The Austin Bruins are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's Central Division. The Bruins play their home games in the Riverside Arena in Austin, Minnesota. History The Bruins were an expansion team that first pl ...

in the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

(NAHL). During the 2016–17 season, Knyzhov left the Bruins to return to his native Russia, agreeing to play within the

SKA Saint Petersburg The Hockey Club SKA (russian: Спортивный клуб СКА), often referred to as SKA Saint Petersburg and literally as the Sports Club of the Army, is a Russian professional ice hockey club based in Saint Petersburg. They are members o ...

junior program. In the 2017–18 season, Knyzhov made his professional debut with

SKA-Neva HC SKA-Neva (russian: Хоккейный Клуб СКА-Нева) is a Russian professional ice hockey team playing in the VHL, the second level of Russian ice hockey. The club was founded as VMF St. Petersburg in 2008 in Saint Petersburg as a fa ...

in the

Supreme Hockey League The Supreme Hockey League (SHL) (russian: Высшая хоккейная лига (ВХЛ), links=no, ''Vysshaya hokkeinaya liga (VHL)''), also known as the Major Hockey League or Higher Hockey League (HHL), is a professional ice hockey league i ...

. He appeared in 33 games from the blueline, adding 2 goals and 6 points in the second tiered VHL. Continuing with SKA-Neva in the 2018–19 season, Knyzhov as a defensive defenseman appeared in 46 games with 5 points. He was recalled by SKA Saint Petersburg and made his

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...

debut, in a 7–1 victory over

Dinamo Riga Dinamo Riga ( lv, Rīgas Dinamo) is a professional ice hockey team based in Riga, Latvia. It is a member of the Latvian Hockey Higher League. The club is affiliated with HK Zemgale/LLU. The club was re-founded on 7 April 2008 as a successor of ...

on 26 January 2019. He was returned to SKA-Neva after three scoreless games, and made 11 playoff appearances. On 2 July 2019, Knyzhov returned to North America after he was signed by the

to a three-year, entry-level contract. After attending his first training camp with the Sharks, Knyzhov was assigned to begin the 2019–20 season with AHL affiliate, the

San Jose Barracuda The San Jose Barracuda are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. The team will play at Tech CU Arena beginning in the 2022-23 season. The Barracuda is a relocation of the ...

. After 33 games with the Barracuda, showing a sound defensive game, Knyzhov was recalled by the injury-hit Sharks on 7 March 2020. He made his NHL debut that night in a 2–1 overtime loss to the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

. He recorded his first NHL point, in a 4–3 shootout win over the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

, assisting the second goal. Knyzhov scored his first NHL goal on 31 March 2021 against the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

. Despite not playing in 2021–22 due to an injury, he signed a one-year contract extension on 1 April 2022. He tore his achilles in the 2022 off-season.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knyzhov, Nikolai 1998 births Living people Expatriate ice hockey players in Canada Expatriate ice hockey players in the United States People from Kemerovo Regina Pats players Russian expatriate ice hockey people Russian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Russian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Russian ice hockey defencemen San Jose Barracuda players San Jose Sharks players SKA-Neva players SKA Saint Petersburg players Undrafted National Hockey League players