He played junior hockey for the Oshawa Generals in 1938-39 and 1939-40, winning the Memorial Cup in each of those seasons. His rights belonged to the Toronto Maple Leafs and he turned pro with their farm team the Pittsburgh Hornets in 1940-41. Knott was loaned to the Brooklyn Americans in 1941 as part of the deal for Lorne Carr. He got into 14 games with Brooklyn in 1941-42, scoring 3 goals and an assist.