Knowling on Having Fun in Net, Wedgewood’s Skating, Funny Goalie Origin Story

The San Jose Sharks drafted Brady Knowling at No. 127 overall in the fourth round of the NHL Draft on Saturday.

The 6-foot-5 left-handed goaltender wants to be known for his skating ability, not just his size.

“I want my name to be a part of a sentence where it’s like, ‘Wow, his skating is really good for his size,'” Knowling said. “Because a lot of these bigger goalies are stereotypically not as good as skaters as everyone else, and it’s like, yeah, I’m 6-foot-5 but I want to be able to be an unbelievable skater.”

Scott Wedgewood’s skating, for example, has impressed Knowling

Knowling spent his last two seasons with the USNTDP, where he played 52 games across this year. He’ll head to the Saginaw Spirit for a year, before joining Boston University.

Knowling spoke about his mind-set after September surgery, having fun and being competitive in the net, his dual citizenship, knowing ex-Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings star Jason Allison, being a Jake Oettinger fan, and more.

On how difficult it was to miss time after a September right knee debridement surgery…

One of the things people don’t really understand is obviously surgery sucks, but it taught me so much, and I grew so much off the ice and matured so much as a guy. It was the first time being away from my parents, new billet house, all this stuff. I’d never really gone through something like that, and to be able to sit on the sidelines and watch my team go around America play at the U-17 World Challenge, it sucked. I’m going to be honest, it wasn’t fun, but I think I did a really good job of having a good mindset of my rehab and stuff like that, and I did what I could to get better while I wasn’t playing.

On when he first started playing goalie…

It’s kind of a funny story. I basically told my dad that our goalies weren’t good in house league, and then he was like, ‘You can’t say that unless you try it.’ My dad was a goalie. I don’t think he really wanted me to be a goalie, but as soon as I tried, I just fell in love. The biggest thing was I liked being on the ice the entire time, not having to sit on the bench. But I never really looked back.

On what the future holds now that he has been drafted…

One of the biggest things my agent’s ever told me was, ‘Getting drafted doesn’t make you better, it doesn’t give you more skill.’ I’m still going to have to work. First round, fourth round, don’t get drafted, you’re still going to have to put your head down and work. The work just starts now. I’m excited to see what the future holds, but my head wasn’t really racing or spinning thinking about where I’m going to get picked.

On his dual citizenship, being born in Toronto…

My mom’s from Chicago. The whole scouting process to the OHL when you’re super-young, growing up in Toronto, is obviously super-big, and it’s pretty much the only thing you hear. But I went to private school my entire life, so my parents, not really me (laughs) but more my parents cared a lot on my education. I cared about it, but they always knew that, who knows what I was going to do when I was older. And then I started thinking about college hockey, and I was like, ‘This is really cool.’ Then the rule changed, and then we explored with my agent the dual citizenship part, and we were like, ‘This is a real opportunity to go to the program.’ I skated with them, and then I was like, ‘This place is unbelievable.’ Then obviously I got the opportunity to try out and made the team, and it was a like no-brainer of choosing the program. Second to none, there’s really nothing like it in the world.

On how he brings competitiveness to the net…

The biggest thing is, it starts in practice, right? I like to make my teammates better and challenge them. I do have a smile on my face in practice, and like to make it fun and energetic. But it’s not like I’m bad. I’m still dialed and focused, and want to make my players better and my teammates better, and it’s not just me. It’s the same thing in games. I want to be loud on the ice, and I’m not yelling at people, it’s not constructive criticism, it’s more just hyping guys up and getting them going at TV timeouts, those things like that. You’ll hear me if you come watch a game.

On the decision to come to the Draft…

It was a no-brainer for me wanting to be here. No matter when you get picked, it’s still a super cool thing to be able to wear the jersey, be in front of you guys, it’s pretty special. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life and be able to tell my kids one day.

On how it felt to be drafted…

I can’t even describe it to you. It’s just speechless right now. To actually hear your name called, it’s pretty special. There’s a lot of emotions right now, but having a smile on my face, is all I care about.

I can’t even describe the feeling of getting up to hug my dad, and my mom, and my sister. … I know my other family’s in the stands, to know that they’re there, and to share this opportunity and this moment with them. They’re going to remember it for the rest of their lives, just like I am. It’s pretty special.