Friedman Made NHL Debut Last Night
April 7, 2019
Lehigh Valley, Pa. – The Philadelphia Flyers have announced today that they have loaned forward Corban Knight and defenseman Mark Friedman to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Knight, 28, has played four games for Lehigh Valley this season, tallying at least a point in all four games, and six total (2g, 4a) after returning from injury. Overall, Knight has tallied 27 goals and 56 assists for 83 points and a +32 rating in 134 games with the Phantoms. Knight played 23 games for Philadelphia this season during two stints. He posted four points on one goal and three assists and scored his first goal with the Flyers on March 21 in Chicago.
Originally drafted in the fifth round (#135) in the 2009 NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers, Knight had his rights traded to the Calgary Flames and made his NHL Debut on March 5, 2014 against the Ottawa Senators. Knight played nine games with Calgary and 92 games with their AHL affiliate (Abbotsford Heat/Adirondack Flames) before being traded back to the Florida Panthers on January 9, 2015. The 6-foot-2 center played 20 games with the Florida Panthers notching seven points (2g, 5a) and also spent 69 games in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage and Portland Pirates.
A native of Oliver, BC, Knight played four seasons at the University of North Dakota. He won three WCHA Championships with North Dakota (2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12). Knight was a Hobey Baker Award finalist during his senior year (2012-13) after a career-high 49 points (16g, 33a) in 41 games. Overall, he totaled 146 points in 161 games during his NCAA career.
Friedman, 23, has played in 71 games for Lehigh Valley this season and has put up new career-highs in goals (5), assists (19), and points (24). He is also a mainstay on the Phantoms top penalty kill unit that currently ranks third in the AHL. He was recalled by the Flyers on April 5 and made his NHL debut last night against the Carolina Hurricanes.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Friedman was drafted in the third round (#86 overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. He has played 137 games in the AHL for Lehigh Valley and has accumulated 41 points on seven goals and 34 assists. Prior to turning pro, he played three seasons at Bowling Green State University where he was named to a conference All-Star team in all three seasons. He was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team in 2014-15, WCHA First All-Star Team in 2015-16 and WCHA Third All-Star Team in 2016-17. Before attending Bowling Green, Friedman played two seasons in the USHL for the Waterloo Black Hawks from 2012-14.
