"If people find out you're mic'd up, they're going to try and shoot at your head and go bar-down the whole time," Knight joked with fellow goaltender Dustin Wolf during the team's pre-practice stretches. "Then they start following you around. They just want a little clout, a little screen time on Instagram]."
Before facing any shots, Knight also made sure to blame any goals on his new red, white and blue pads.
"If any goals go in, I've got new gear on," he said. "One-hundred percent that's the reason why."
Oddly enough, for Knight, the highlight of practice wasn't making a big save, but rather scoring a goal.
Skating down the slot, he called "bar-down" before rifling a shot with his paddle off the crossbar and in.
"I'm still pretty proud of that shot," Knight said aloud before heading to the locker room.
To watch the full video - which includes more than a few funny moments - check out the full clip below.
[Watch: Youtube Video
One of three netminders on USA's preliminary roster, Knight, the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, looks to be locked into the team's starting job after having already served as the team's No. 1 last year. At the 2020 World Juniors, he went 2-2-0 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.
On the heels of a stellar freshman season at Boston College, he also entered USA's camp fresh off an exceptional start to his sophomore campaign with the Eagles. Over his first four starts, he racked up a perfect 4-0-0 record with a 1.50 goals-against average, .955 save percentage and a pair of shutouts.
On Dec. 13, Knight and his USA teammates will head out to begin their stay at the bubble in Edmonton.
Hoping to bring home a gold medal, the World Juniors will run from Dec. 25, 2020 through Jan. 5, 2021.
"Playing last year definitely helps," said Knight, who won a silver medal as a backup goalie at the event in 2019, told FloridaPanthers.com. "As a goalie, I think every good goalie wants to play. They feel better when they're playing and not just going in and out of games and stuff. That causes inconsistency. Being able to play a bunch, feel the grind of a tournament, it's a lot. I think that's actually a good part."
For more updates on Panthers prospects at the World Juniors, stay tuned to FloridaPanthers.com.
