Those same eyes have been watching him closely in his second go-round this week in Wilmington, but the talented young forward hasn't wilted under the close inspection. If anything, he's been even more impressive this year.
"I think my overall game's improved," Knight said after Sunday's fourth day of workouts, which included the first scrimmage of the camp. "I remember last year in the scrimmage I was kind of out of it a little bit, the pace was a little fast for me. This year I feel good. I feel fast. I feel a lot more ready for this year."
Knight set the tone on the opening day of the camp when the 19-year-old drove hard to the net in one drill and bowled over goalie Michael Hutchinson. Knight has continued to shine throughout the camp, displaying not only the offensive skills that created such a buzz last year but also a more complete game honed in another full season of junior action.
"The season before I had 36 goals and I didn't go over that this year, but my defensive game has come a long way," Knight said. "At the beginning of the season I was just looking to score goals, and by the end I was a two-way guy, killing penalties, just doing the little things."
Knight dropped from 36 goals in his draft year to 25 this past season with the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights, but he increased his point total from 57 to 70 by more than doubling his assists. He also joined Providence at the end of the season and added two more assists in three games there. Getting that taste of pro hockey further increased his confidence coming into this year.
"That helped me a lot," said Knight, who was selected 32nd overall in the 2010 draft with one of three picks the Bruins acquired from Toronto in the Phil Kessel trade. "To get to play against older guys and just see how they worked and what it takes to get to the next level, you just try to soak it all in and absorb it all."
Bruce Cassidy, who was named Providence's new head coach last month after spending the last three seasons as an assistant there, saw Knight and fellow 2010 second-round pick Ryan Spooner make their AHL debuts this spring, and he's continued to monitor their progress while helping to run this development camp.
"They're definitely ahead of the curve, just the way they conduct themselves with a little bit of a swagger," Cassidy said. "You know Spooner's a very dynamic player. Well they both are, just in different ways, but these are the guys you kind of wait for September to really watch because they are going to be the best guys out there, well [they] should be. And I don't think they've disappointed anybody, so those are the guys you watch down the road because I think they have a legitimate shot to push on people for jobs here."
Knight is certainly approaching this year's main training camp with the intention of sticking around, though he knows cracking the roster of a reigning Stanley Cup champion won't be easy.
"I think for me this year is going to be a lot better because I know what to expect," Knight said. "Last year I just kind of went in and was open-minded. I didn't really know what was going to go on. This year I kind of have a taste of what it's like. Leaving [development camp] here I'm just going to have to keep working hard and working every day."
Knight may not have known exactly what to expect in his first camp last year, but he at least found a capable mentor to look after him.
"I was on a line with Shawn Thornton, so that was a lot of fun," Knight said. "He's a great guy. He told me to just go out there and not worry about anything, he'd protect me. He was a real good guy. He helped me out a lot."
Knight isn't ever going to be a tough guy in Thornton's mold, but he has packed on some muscle to his 5-foot-11 frame. He came into camp at 202 pounds, and Knight uses that strength to his advantage with an aggressive approach to the game. That physical maturity could give him a chance to compete for a spot in Boston this fall.
"Jared's a little more ready-made in terms of his physical stature and what he's going to be as a physical player," Bruins assistant general manager Don Sweeney said. "The cerebral part of the game for him, you know, we're going to continue to work upon and I think we did that in Providence, when they got a snapshot."
Knight has given the Bruins another glimpse of his progress at this development camp, and he's hoping to force them to take a much longer look in September.
