"Nikolai is a reliable and versatile defenseman who can play in many situations," said Will. "His development through the Barracuda along with his intense work ethic allowed him to matriculate to being an NHL regular."
Knyzhov, 24, has not appeared with the Sharks this season due to injury.
In the 2020-21 season, Knyzhov skated in 56 games with the Sharks in the 2020-21 season, recording ten points (two goals, eight assists) and earned Sharks' "Rookie of the Year" honors. The defenseman was one of four NHL rookies to appear in all 56 games (others: Nils Hoglander, VAN; Alexis Lafreniere, NYR; Josh Norris, OTT) and ranked seventh among League rookies in blocked shots (54) and ninth in hits (84). He scored his first career NHL goal on Mar. 31 against Minnesota and collected assists in back-to-back games Apr. 2-3 against Los Angeles to mark a career-long three-game point streak (one goal, two assists).
During the 2019-20 campaign, Knyzhov appeared with the Sharks and San Jose Barracuda, making his NHL debut on Mar. 7 against Ottawa. He finished the season with the Sharks appearing in three games recording two penalty minutes. With the Barracuda, he registered five points (one goal, four assists) in 33 contests and finished the season tied for 15th among AHL rookie defensemen and fourth among Barracuda defensemen in plus/minus (4).
Prior to returning to play in North America, Knyzhov spent parts of three seasons playing in three different Russian leagues, including appearing in three games with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) during the 2018-19 season. He spent most of his time playing for SKA's Vysshaya Hokkeinaya Liga (VHL) and Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga (MHL) teams, registering 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in 54 MHL games and 11 points (three goals, eight assists) with a plus-26 rating in 79 VHL games.
Internationally, he has represented Team Russia at the 2018 World Juniors, appearing in five games.
The six-foot-three, 222-pound native of Moscow, Russia was signed by San Jose as a free agent on July 2, 2019 following his participation in the Sharks' 2019 Prospect Development Camp.
