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Fantasy Summary

An aggressive, explosive skating defenseman that lacks size with good puck-moving skills. While not an elite offensive contributor, he can chip in when called upon. The upside is limited.


Observations

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June 2024 – After two seasons with the Winnipeg Jets franchise, Knaizev didn’t receive a qualifying offer on June 30. He is now an unrestricted free agent. Mark Henry

December 2023 – The Winnipeg Jets organization sent defenceman Artemi Kniazev to the Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. In 20 games for the Manitoba Moose in 2023-24, he produced five assists. Kniazev will remain under contract with the Winnipeg Jets through the 2023-24 season, but the Jets must qualify him to retain his rights in the off-season; if they choose not to, he will become an unrestricted free agent. If Kniazev signs with Torpedo or another KHL club, he will remain on Winnipeg’s reserve roster unless the Jets choose to deal his signing rights elsewhere. Mark Henry

August 2023 – Kniazev was acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Leon Gawanke on July 2, 2023. He played 61 games for the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2022-23 and recorded 28 points (five goals and 23 assists). Knaizev is entering the 2023-24 season playing in the final year of his contract and will be a restricted free agent (RFA) at the end of the season. Mark Henry

January 2022 – After a successful three year QMJHL career where he saw his points per game increase in each successive season, Knyazev made the jump to the professional ranks joining the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL. While the offence hasn’t followed him to start the year, he has made a fairly seamless transition and has already earned a call-up to the big club for his first NHL game. The fact that he’s already on the shortlist for NHL duty bodes well for his NHL certainty as he seems likely to be factored into the Sharks’ long-term future. His fantasy potential however will continue to hinge on how he develops mentally. He has the smooth skating stride and puck skills that you look for in an offensive presence, however, as the pace of play increases he loses some of the creativity and offensive awareness he shows against lesser talent.  Donesh Mazloum

December 2020 – Although not initially listed on the team’s training camp roster, Team Russia has announced that Artemi Knyazev will be joining the 2020-21 World Junior Championship squad. The Sharks have high hopes for the young defenceman they selected in the second round of last year’s draft. The tournament will be a good opportunity for scouts and fans alike to get a good look at their prospect, who has not returned to play since the end of the QMJHL season. Alex Howes

June 2019 – The Sharks selected Knyazev with the 48th pick in the second round of the 2019 NHL entry draft. Knyazev will be a longer term project as he has some warts in his game, but the Sharks will be hoping he can iron those out in the QMJHL. A smooth skating defenseman, he fits the mold of the modern NHL puck moving defenseman. If he can work on his instincts and make better decisions on when to rush up ice and when to stay home, he could become a solid top four defender one day. Expect a long wait with Knyazev, he’s likely to spend the next two years in junior. Chris Legg

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 4.0
NHL Certainty 4.0
Country RUS
Position D
Roster Type Europe
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth January 4, 2001
Height 6‘0”
Weight 181 lbs
Drafted 2019 Round 2; Overall: 48

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2014-2015 Ak Bars Kazan Selects U14WSI U147 2 35 2|        
 2015-2016 Ak Bars Kazan U16Russia U1612 1 78 6|        
  Ak Bars Kazan U16Russia U16 Finals4 0 00 0|        
  Team Volga Region U15Districts Cup U156 5 510 2|        
 2016-2017 Ak Bars Kazan U16Russia U16- - -- -|        
  Ak Bars Kazan U18Russia U18- - -- -|        
  Ak Bars Kazan U16Russia U16 Finals6 2 24 10|        
  Russia U16 EYOF4 4 812 4|        
 2017-2018 Irbis KazanMHL39 4 37 20|Playoffs5 0 00
  Russia U17WHC-175 1 23 4|        
  Russia U17 (all)International-Jr13 2 35 12|        
 2018-2019 Russia U18Hlinka Gretzky Cup5 0 00 0|        
  Chicoutimi SaguenéensQMJHL55 13 2134 32|Playoffs4 0 22
  Russia U18 (all)International-Jr11 2 02 6|        
  Russia U18 |WJAC-19|WJAC-196 2 02 6|        
 2019-2020 Chicoutimi SaguenéensQMJHL51 11 3243 62|        
 2020-2021 Bars KazanVHL5 1 34 2|        
  Irbis KazanMHL2 1 01 2|        
  Chicoutimi SaguenéensQMJHL14 5 1318 10|Playoffs9 4 59
  Russia U20WJC-207 1 34 10|        
 2021-2022 San Jose SharksNHL1 0 00 0|        
  San Jose BarracudaAHL60 7 2128 55|        
 2022-2023 San Jose BarracudaAHL61 5 2328 32|        
 2023-2024 Manitoba MooseAHL20 0 55 18|        
  Ak Bars KazanKHL18 0 00 6|        
  Russia 25 (all)International3 0 11 0|        
 2024-2025 Ak Bars KazanKHL7 0 00 2|        

Highlights