'At A Crossroads', Knight Takes The Road To Kazakhstan
It's been quite a journey for Corban Knight in his pro career following four years as a standout at the University of North Dakota. And the next chapter begins in Kazakhstan.
In his senior season, Knight - a dynamic two-way center, posted a 19-game points scoring streak. It remains the 4th longest such scoring streak in the program's history, and no one at UND since 2003 has had more than 17 straight games with a point - and that includes guys like Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, Brock Nelson, Travis Zajac, Drew Stafford and Brock Boeser just to name a few. (Special thanks to Brad E. Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald for this tid bit)
But, for whatever reason, Knight's offensive game wasn't to be translated to the pro ranks. He found himself playing that bottom-six, defense-first and penalty killing role almost exclusively as a pro in the American Hockey League (AHL) beginning with two years in the Calgary Flames organization from 2013-15 before being acquired by the Florida Panthers - the team that originally drafted and subsequently traded his rights to Calgary prior to Knight signing his entry-level contract with the Flames and turning pro.
After splitting the 2015-16 season between the NHL with the Panthers (20 games, two goals and five assists) and with their AHL affiliate Portland Pirates (33 games, four goals and seven assists), Knight was only able to secure an AHL contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms - in essence starting over in a new organization and needing to work his way up the ranks.
A 40-point campaign in his first season with the Phantoms in 2016-17 saw Knight signed to a two-year NHL contract extension by the Philadelphia Flyers, and after another solid AHL season in Lehigh Valley in the first year of his new deal Knight was able to make the NHL club out of training camp this past season before a serious injury in the beginning of the regular season derailed his season -- and the work he had put in to work his way back into the NHL.
EDITOR'S NOTE: After the news broke in June that Knight had signed a one-year contract in the KHL with Barys Nur-Sultan in the capital city of Kazakhstan, Knight was kind enough to call in and talk with Inside AHL Hockey about a wide variety of topics, translated below:
On his decision to head overseas
For me, it was kind of something I had been thinking about for awhile. Kind of where I'm at in my career, my age. The last couple years have been great, but at the same they've been pretty hard on my body and everything. When this opportunity came up I really wanted to think about it and weigh my options. As time went on, it seemed more and more like something I wanted to do. I was just, kind of like I said, I'm at kind of a crossroads in my career where I kind of get to decide what I want to do. It's just going over there and playing maybe a little different role and in a different situation is going to be good for me and I'm looking forward to it.
On his new role reverting to his roots
It was a big factor in why I went over there. For most of my pro career I've kind of been in that role - defensive role and PKing and stuff. I mean I've enjoyed every second of it, but at the same time I'm at a point in my career where I want to get back to playing hockey the way I used to in college and junior and stuff. The role I played the last couple of years, it's a hard role to play. It's tough to do. When I was weighing everything out, and I thought about getting back to playing a little more of an offensive skilled game excited me and ultimately why I decided to make this change.
On his time with Phantoms/Flyers organization
It was quite the journey when I first signed with the Phantoms and had to work my way up.This past season to finally make the team out of camp, it was a good accomplishment. It kind of felt like things were working out and all the time I was putting in was kind of paying off. An injury like that happens and there's nothing you can do about it, but yeah that definitely kind of put things into perspective for me. It was a pretty serious injury, almost to the point where it was career ending.
I spent a good amount of time in the AHL and spent some time in the NHL and I've enjoyed every moment of it, but sitting back looking at the big picture of things I'm going to be 29 this season so in hockey player terms that's kind of getting into the peak of your career and into the back nine in a sense. I figure the way my body has held up for the last couple years I just want to try to go over and play in a different role and maybe stretch out my career a little bit longer and play a different role and see where it goes from there.
Thinking back on what ifs with tough luck injury this year, would a full year in NHL with Flyers have changed your mindset about heading overseas?
It's hard to say. If I could hit rewind and go back it would be nice not to have that injury, but there's just so many unknowns this year. Such a change over this year, from management down to coaches. So much stuff you can't control.
The way I played in my pro career over here is a lot different kind of the way I used to play in college and growing up. It's been great, I don't regret any of it but at the same time it comes to a point where you kinda gotta do what brings you joy and brings that excitement for the game. For me, getting back to a different style and a different role - that excites me. It's going to be a new challenge and Im really looking foward to it.
Who knows, if I would've stayed healthy and been able to play the whole year up there things might have been different but I haven't really focused on that too much because I obviously can't change what happened. Kind ogf got to roll with the punches here and I'm just really excited to start this new chapter in my career.
On Kazakhstan, what/who he knows going into the upcoming season
I tell you what, six-year-old Corban never would have dreamt that I'd be playing hockey in Kazakhstan. I've quite a few buddies that have played on the team that Im going to. That was one of the big reason I took this opportunity is because everyone spoke so highly of the city and the organization and the style of hockey and everything. I hadn't heard a bad thing about it.
I did my research before I made the decision and I feel like Im a pretty level-headed person in a sense where I'm not just going to take something without doing my due diligence on it. I was able to do that and it just seemed like it was a great fit for me and a great opportunity and like I said i know a lot of guys who played there in the past and are on the team so that made the decision easier for me.
