You can't prevent every exchange and you don't have to: Just try to prevent you get two doubled pawns maybe.
What you can do is: (c4) g3, Bg2, Ne2, castling, then some time a3 and Nc3.
I don't understand your fascination for knights, but this is a way to avoid exchanges.
you bring out your white knight to c3 or f3 and then they bring out a black bishop at g4 and b4. Then, they exchange, what would be the best response? because I want to keep my knight...