Defenceman William "Nick" Knott played 14 games with the Brooklyn Americans during their last year of existence, 1941-42. He possessed good size and was comfortable playing the point on the power play. Knott played at several levels but was perhaps best known in the USHL during the post-war years.
Hailing from Kingston, Ontario, Knott played two seasons with the OHA's Oshawa Generals then turned pro as a member of the Pittsburgh Hornets in 1940-41. The next season he acquitted himself well and scored three times during his 14 games in the NHL.
Knott may well have never played in the NHL if the Toronto Maple Leafs had not loaned him and three other players to the Americans in exchange for Lorne Carr on October 30, 1941. He spent the majority of the 1941-42 season with the AHL's Springfield Indians where he was one of the top offensive defenseman in the league.
After two years of military service in World War II, Knott enjoyed five strong years in the USHL with the Tulsa Oilers. Twice he topped the 20-goal and 50-point mark and in 1946 he was selected to the league's second all-star team. Knott retired after the 1949-50 USHL season and was able to look back on the fact that he played in the NHL during the last year before the "Original Six" era.
