KNIGHT ADJUSTING TO LIFE IN IOWA
Mar 25, 2015By Tom Witosky
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When Jared Knight learned he’d been traded to the Iowa Wild, the Providence Bruins forward understood what kind of situation he would be entering.
But going from a likely playoff contender to a club that won’t be in the playoffs this season wasn’t on his mind.
“I was excited because I needed a fresh start,” Knight said. “Things weren’t clicking, just weren’t working out. And, I really like it here.”
The 23-year-old Battle Creek, MI native arrived here when the Wild decided to trade Zack Phillips, the club’s 2011 first round draft choice, for Knight, who was the Bruins’ second round draft choice in 2010. Both players seem to have responded well to the change in scenery with Phillips collecting six points in nine games and Knight bringing a scrappy, speed game to the ice for the Wild.
“The other night he was one of our top forwards using his speed. You could see it,” John Torchetti, the Wild’s head coach, said of Knight’s recent play against the Charlotte Checkers. “He had a breakaway and clearly went after it.”
Knight, who is in the final year of his entry-level contract, is among a number of Wild players, who will be assessed over the next several weeks about whether they return to Des Moines next year. It’s a time, Torchetti said, that everyone on the roster gets a lot of scrutiny.
“We are trying to build the base for this team next year so these guys understand coming in what they are going to be looking at for next year,” Torchetti said.
Knight said that he is looking forward to the rest of the season as well as returning to Iowa, if possible, because the club is showing signs of improvement as the newer players get accustomed to each other. In recent weeks, club call-ups and injuries have forced the club to expand its active roster to 32 players including eight injured players.
“We will be a good team. It is just a matter of time. We are relatively young and we have a good mix of young and old,” Knight said. “Things will start clicking here.”
Torchetti has placed Knight on a line with forwards Olivier Archambault and newcomer, Ian Schultz, that both increases the team’s speed on the ice, but also makes the fourth line a lot grittier.
“I like his speed, he works hard on the boards and finishes his checks,” Torchetti said.
Knight said that there is going to be a period of adjustment for the line to get into sync, but sees progress already.
“The first few practices were difficult as were the first couple of games,” Knight said. “We have now gone five games and we are getting used to where each other is. Finding the chemistry is what is difficult.”
Knight’s path toward professional hockey began when he was drafted by the OHL London Knights after several years of commuting with his father, then a Battle Creek police officer and now retired, to Detroit to play hockey.
“That was about a 90-minute drive back and forth every day to practice,” Knight remembered saying that was when he began to understand he might have a hockey future. “It was a long way to travel, but it was worth it.”
Knight and his father also shared a love of the Detroit Red Wings.
“I remember we would sit in chairs in front of the television for almost every game and not move,” Knight said.
Drafted by London in 2008 as a 16-year-old, Knight said that the adjustment wasn’t great because his home was about 200 miles away. But Knight said that he chose to remain in the OHL instead of playing collegiate hockey for Michigan because he was gaining needed experience with one of top Junior A franchises in hockey.
“There were more games and more it was more pro style than college,” Knight said. “London is probably the best organization at that level. They have 9,000 fans for each game and you are actually a celebrity in town as a junior. “
From the beginning, Knight showed proficiency in scoring, ranking as one of the top five scorers in his last three seasons, including leading the team with 70 points in 2010-11. When he left London, Knight had collected 209 points in 250 games.
Now Knight expects to find his scoring ways again under the Wild’s approach to hockey – something that he is learning under Torchetti.
“Since getting here, I have learned a lot from Torch. I love playing for him,” Knight said. “He will definitely teach me a lot. “
Knight also has been impressed with the Wild’s hockey facilities in Des Moines. He said that the locker room is one of the best in AHL.
“They treat players really well with the locker room and so many other things,” he said. ”Everything is first class.”
He added that the Des Moines area reminds him a lot of growing up in Battle Creek and that he has found the fans to be a lot of fun. At a recent bowling event with fans, Knight said that Wild fans reminded him of family.
“It was just like bowling with one of my uncles,” he said. “ Everyone is nice. They are down to earth and just nice people.”
As for his hockey future, Knight said he is looking forward to playing for the Wild now and, hopefully, in the future. On the ice, Knight said, he has to increase the number of shots he takes each game as well as improve on his consistency on both ends of the ice.
“When you are young, you have a tendency to play lights out one night and then take the next night off,” he said. “NHL players play the same way every night. That is what experience teaches you.”
Off-the-ice, Knight said he already knows he would enjoy remaining in Des Moines with a chance to move up to the NHL.
“You are motivated again because it is a new start, you want to prove yourself again,” he said. “There is new staff, new guys on the team, everything is fresh and brand new. I love it here."