On Wednesday November 11th, the Cincinnati Cyclones announced the signing of Canadian forward Graham Knott. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season.
Knott, 23 years-old, is entering his fourth year of professional hockey. Throughout his career in the league thus far, Knott has scored tallied 23 points, having scored 11 goals along with 12 assists. In addition, Knott has totalled 10 penalty minutes in 31 games.
Knott opened 2019-20 on a one-year contract with the Indy Fuel. Throughout, he compiled nine points, having scored five goals along with four assists. He did so in 13 games. He was then traded to the Wheeling Nailers, where he tallied six goals along with eight assists.
He did so over 18 games which made for a total of 14 points. Knott also played 11 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League. Despite the ice time, he didn’t get on the scoreboard.
Knott’s professional career started when he was drafted 54th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2015. Upon having been selected, the forward spent the next two seasons with the Rockford Icehogs in the AHL. There, he collected 21 points, a total he’d amass in 126 games.
Prior to having been selected, the winger spent four seasons playing with the Niagara IceDogs in the OHL. Knott scored 124 points there, a total he’d amass over 205 games.
He accompanied the team on three playoff runs, playing 42 games while scoring 14 points. In his final year of junior hockey, Knott was traded to the Windsor Spitfires, in 2016-17, won the Memorial Cup.
In a statement from the left-handed shooter, he said on Wednesday upon signing his contract, “I am excited to get to Cincinnati and get the year started. Cyclones fans can expect a 200-foot power-forward with good speed and skill who likes to go to the net and work below the goal line. I am aware defensively and reliable in my own end. It has been a long and crazy offseason and I am hungry to get going.”
As for the thoughts of Matt Thomas, head coach of the Cincinnati Cyclones, he said of the team’s latest signing, “Graham is a talented player that has significant experience in the AHL. He has the ability to play anywhere in our lineup and make an impact. His size, speed, and power forward game will be tough for our opponents to handle. We look forward to him joining the organization.”