Courtesy of NHL.com

Fantasy Summary

Stay at home defenceman with exceptional skating skills. Positionally solid with high hockey IQ. Not known for his offensive production but does all the little things that coaches love.


Observations

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February 2021 – After a subpar start to the NHL season, Knyzhov is beginning to gain confidence and is trending in the right direction. His two assists through seventeen games may not excite fantasy owners, but Sharks fans should appreciate his hard-nosed defensive play as of late. Hard-nosed may sound like a bad pun since the rookie was left a bloody mess after chucking the mitts with Marcus Foligno in the first period of last week’s tilt between the Wild and Sharks. Nevertheless, it is nice to see the young blueliner step up and answer the bell. Expect Knyzhov’s numbers (especially plus minus) to improve as he gains more confidence in himself and from the coaching staff. Alex Howes

February 2020 – The San Jose Sharks have no shortage of defensive prospects in their system, including 22-year-old Nikolai Knyzhov. The young Russian impressed at training camp this year and earned a roster spot to begin the season. Through eight games this season, Knyzhov is yet to score a point, but that does not come as a big surprise. In fact, his five points in 33 games with the Barracuda last season were the most the youngster has ever produced in a single season (that has been recorded). Needless to say, fantasy owners will not have Knyzhov on their radar even in the deepest of leagues. Sharks fans should welcome a stay-at-home defender though, as the likes of Burns and Karlsson produce more offense than most NHL defencemen. For now, Knyzhov has found a home on the third pairing alongside Radim Simek as a shutdown line. It would not be surprising to see him move up the lineup and pair with a more offensive-minded partner if the Sharks don’t start winning some more games.

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 2.0
NHL Certainty 7.0
Country RUS
Position D
Roster Type NHL
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth March 20, 1998
Height 6‘3”
Weight 203 lbs
Drafted No

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2010-2011 Russia Silver LionsQC Int PW2 0 00 2|        
 2013-2014 Phoenix Firebirds 16U AAANAPHL 16U17 3 25 30|Playoffs4 1 12 18 
  Phoenix Firebirds 18U AAANAPHL 18U8 0 11 14|        
 2014-2015 Phoenix Jr. Coyotes 16U AAAT1EHL 16U24 1 34 16|Playoffs4 1 12
 2015-2016 Regina PatsWHL19 0 11 8|        
  Springfield Jr. BluesNAHL17 0 33 8|        
 2016-2017 Austin BruinsNAHL4 0 00 0|        
  Serebryanye Lvy St. PetersburgMHL41 1 78 24|        
 2017-2018 SKA-Neva St. PetersburgVHL33 2 46 16|Playoffs12 0 11
  Serebryanye Lvy St. PetersburgMHL9 1 56 10|        
  Russian Selects U20Jr Super Series6 0 00 4|        
  Russia U20WJC-205 0 00 0|        
  Russia U20 (all)International-Jr15 0 00 6|        
 2018-2019 SKA St. PetersburgKHL3 0 00 0|        
  SKA-Neva St. PetersburgVHL46 1 45 22|Playoffs11 0 11
  SKA-Varyagi St. PetersburgMHL4 0 44 4|        
 2019-2020 San Jose SharksNHL3 0 00 2|        
  San Jose BarracudaAHL33 1 45 22|        
 2020-2021 San Jose SharksNHL56 2 810 39|        
 2021-2022 San Jose SharksNHL0 0 00 0|        
 2022-2023 San Jose SharksNHL12 1 01 8|        
  San Jose BarracudaAHL19 0 22 7|        
 2023-2024 San Jose SharksNHL10 0 11 6|        
  San Jose BarracudaAHL40 3 1114 24|        

Highlights