How having fun helped Brady Knowling become top goalie prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft
PLYMOUTH, Michigan – If you’re going to complain about something, you'd better be ready to do it yourself.
That’s a lesson Brady Knowling learned growing up playing house league hockey in Toronto.
“I was complaining about our goalie, how they weren’t very good,” Knowling said. “Then my dad told me that I wasn’t allowed to do that unless I was willing to try it myself. He was a goalie, too, so I think maybe he did it on purpose."
Intentional or not, roughly a decade later, Knowling is one of the top goaltending prospects eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. A 17-year-old currently playing for the United States National Team Development Program Under-18 team (he has dual citizenship because of his mom) is the top-ranked North American by NHL Central Scouting and recently served as USA's third-string goalie, getting one start against Sweden, at the Under-20 World Junior Championships in Minnesota.
Knowling checks all the physical boxes NHL teams look for in a goalie prospect. He’s 6-foot-5 with decent footwork and strong composure. There’s also a dose of lanky athleticism that allows Knowling to adjust and sometimes thrive while under duress.
“There’s a legit top prospect here,” one NHL goalie scout said. “There’s a lot to build on, the things that any goalie coach, I believe, would love to work with and allow to mature.”
While those physical tools stand out, and have been noted in multiple Elite Prospects scouting reports, Knowling’s current goalie coach, David Lassonde, said it’s the mental approach that excites him most about the goalie.
“I would say the thing I think that helps him the most is he goes out there and sees this as fun,” Lassonde said. “That sounds simple, but some goalies are miserable out there. He’s fun, he has personality, and others feed off that. It’s a strength, for him I think it’s one of the biggest reasons he’s dealt well with adversity and put it behind him.”
That adversity is notable. Knowling missed the first half of his Under-17 season with the NTDP and only played 13 mostly unremarkable games during the 2024-25 seasons, posting a .813 save percentage and looking heavily overwhelmed by USHL competition.
“It was tough with the injury and missing half the season. I never really got going,” Knowling said. “When you jump in when I did, you kind of are fighting uphill, and I was never able to really get into a fully fair fight I think.”
That’s one of the reasons USA Hockey picked Knowling for the Under-18 select team that went to the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, following a recent trend of allowing NTDP players coming off injury to use the tournament as a jumpstart to their season.
Knowling was dominant in that opportunity and led the United States to their second-ever title at the tournament with a .914 save percentage and 4-0 record. Knowling said it was a big confidence booster. He carried that into USHL play and eventually a standout showing in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, where posted an impressive 42-save performance.
According to Lassonde, it wasn’t the only reason, but that performance solidified the USA Hockey’s decision to bring Knowling to World Juniors as a double under-aged goalie.
“A year earlier, we had a similar conversation when we stuck with Sam Hillebrandt as the No. 3 goalie because he was older and had been there before,” Lassonde said. “But we had a conversation this year about Brady and what he did, and after the CHL showing we said, ‘You know what?’ let’s give this kid a chance in Minnesota.”
Knowling was shelled in his only start against Sweden, allowing five goals on 28 shots before getting pulled after 40 minutes, but the goalie took more positives than negatives out of the experience.
“I got to start for my home country at home against Sweden,” Knowling said. “I think that’s something that’s easy to forget about with the result, but I’m proud of that. I’m so happy to build off that and learn on it for next year.”
And for Knowling, where he learns next season will be an interesting decision.
He’s committed to Boston University and was drafted by the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League. Knowling said both options are still on the table for next season, but his decision will likely hinge on what happens with Mikhail Yegorov, a New Jersey Devils second-round pick, who is currently a sophomore with the Terriers.
“I think it’s important to make sure I’m playing,” Knowling said. “In the long run I’m looking forward to college hockey and BU, but I think I’m gonna learn a lot more in the next couple months of when the best time will be to arrive there.”
In the short-term, Knowling is working on his game with the NTDP and focusing on the Under-18 World Championships. He’s been slowly tweaking his stance, trying to copy Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman a bit more, while also working on adopting elements he’s picked up from watching Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, who he met this summer when the Stars goalie was back in Michigan for USA Hockey’s Olympic camp.
“It’s kind of cool. He’s another big BU goalie, so obviously I’m rooting for him a bit now,” Oettinger said. “Hopefully he’s better than me someday.”
