Cornell University Athletics

Senior Season — 2015-16
Knisley scored three goals and added three assists for six points while battling through injury. After the season, he was presented with the team's Iron Man Award, which is presented annually to the player who, in spite of being bruised, broken, spliced or otherwise hurt, most demonstrates the will and determination to overcome injury and contriubte to the team. He was also one of the team's four captains. His first goal of the season came in his first weekend after returning from in-season surgery, then he scored twice in February — including the lone goal of a 1-0 victory Feb. 6 at Princeton.

Junior Season — 2014-15
Knisley's five goals were tied for third on the team, including his first career multi-goal game on one of the sport's biggest stages. He scored two goals and was a plus-3 in the Big Red's 3-1 victory over Penn State on Nov. 29 at The Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden in New York. Knisley added a goal in the next game, a 4-1 victory over Denver on Dec. 5, then he scored a goal Jan. 30 at Colgate which forced overtime before the Big Red eventually won on Ryan Bliss' tally. Knisley's final goal came on a short-handed breakaway, proving to be the difference in a 2-1 victory over Union on Feb. 21 on Cornell's Senior Night. One of the team's regular centers, Knisley won 52.6 percent of his faceoffs for the season.

Sophomore Season — 2013-14
Knisley played in 27 of the Big Red's 32 games, mostly as a center. He had his first career multi-point game in the Big Red's 3-2 overtime win Jan. 31 at Yale. After opening the scoring on a wraparound goal in the first period, Knisley set up Jeff Kubiak's tally in the second period. He also factored into the team's final goal of the year, assisting on Joakim Ryan's strike in the ECAC Hockey Championship semifinal against Union on March 21.

Freshman Season — 2012-13
Knisley appeared in 24 games, which was second-most among the squad's freshmen and the top number among forwards. He proved to be versatile, seeing significant time at both center and on the wing. He was the first freshman to score his first collegiate goal, scoring from long range against Harvard on Nov. 16 in front of a national television audience on NBC Sports Network. He would later add a second goal on Senior Night, kicking off the scoring with an unassisted tally just 6:21 into the Feb. 23 game against Union. His lone assist then came in Game 1 of the ECAC Hockey Championship quarterfinal series at Quinnipiac on March 15.

Prior to Cornell
Knisley ranked fifth on the team in scoring in each of the last two seasons with the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL, totaling 22 goals and 48 assists for 70 points over 106 games. He had a career-high five-point game in his finale with the team on March 10 against Salmon Arm. The previous season, Knisley helped Vernon win the BCHL title and advance to the Royal Bank Cup, which is Canada’s Junior A championship tournament. Knisley had three goals and one assist over the six games at the event, helping the Vipers win five of their six games to finish second. Prior to his time in Canada, Knisley played for the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s Syracuse Stars, potting seven goals with 13 assists for 20 points in just 34 games. He originally hails from Pittsford, N.Y., which is within minutes of Rochester.

Personal
John William Knisley is the son of Jeffrey and Patricia Knisley. He is enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.