The London Knights have added another National Hockey League draft pick to their roster.
On Thursday the Knights announced that they have signed Finnish forward Jesse Nurmi to a standard OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.
Nurmi was selected by the New York Islanders in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
He is known for having a great hockey IQ and pairs that with energy and skill on the ice.
London drafted Nurmi 58th overall in this summer’s CHL Import Draft after the Valkeala, Finland native split the 2023-24 season between Kookoo’s top Liiga club and their U20 team.
He recorded better than a point per game for Kookoo U20 and was great in the playoffs with two goals and seven points in eight games.
Nurmi also represented Finland at the 2024 world junior hockey championship in Gothenburg, Sweden. Finland made it to the semi-finals before being edged 3-2 by the eventual champion Team USA.
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Nurmi is taking part in the World Junior Summer Showcase from July 26 to Aug. 3, where he will face potential future Knights teammates Denver Barkey, Easton Cowan, Oliver Bonk and Sam Dickinson.
The potential part of that equation will depend on where each player’s NHL team decides to have them play in 2023-24.
Bonk and Barkey are draft picks of the Philadelphia Flyers, Cowan is one of the top prospects in the Toronto Maple Leafs system and Dickinson was selected 11th overall by the San Jose Sharks this past June.
The Islanders will have to decide whether Nurmi would be served best by a year in London or whether he should play in the American Hockey League with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers or even return for another year in Finland.
The Knights still have three other forwards as potential import players for 2024-25 in Ruslan Gazizov, Kasper Halttunen and Gleb Semenov.
Halttunen is a second-round pick of the Sharks and could also play in the AHL.
Semenov was London’s second selection in the 2024 CHL Import Draft and Gazizov could also seek out options playing professionally.
The Knights will open training camp in late August and begin their four-game pre-season schedule at home against the Erie Otters on Friday, Sept. 6 at Budweiser Gardens.
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