Two years ago, the London Knights won the Memorial Cup.
Last spring, they eliminated the eventual Memorial Cup champions and took the OHL champion Erie Otters to overtime of Game 7.
In the mountain range of junior hockey, those are two incredibly high peaks.
They are the type of climbs that require pickaxes and tents for overnight stays.
The Knights are at base camp right now. How high can they reach in 2017-18?
Well, with the season set to begin Friday night at Budweiser Gardens against the Windsor Spitfires, the organization is poised to begin to find out.
As the Pittsburgh Penguins have demonstrated for the past two seasons in the National Hockey League, if you are strong down the middle, own good puck-moving defencemen, get strong goaltending when needed and have a commitment to your system and your teammates, you can achieve great things.
Let’s examine the early season Knights’ roster in those terms:
Down the middle
The Knights expect to have Cliff Pu and Robert Thomas (both are still away at NHL training camps.) But, that’s an excellent start. As a draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, Pu is entering what is likely his final season in the OHL and is determined to make it his best – and he led London in scoring last year. Pu owns tremendous skill and will now have the opportunity to take on a larger leadership role.
Thomas has a story that just keeps getting better. He was London’s second-round pick in 2016 and he has soaked in every second since. Already blessed with an amazing hockey IQ, Thomas has made it his business to hone all the little things in a player’s game that help his team to win, like being responsible defensively, being strong along the wall and winning faceoffs. Those efforts led to him being selected by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft in June.
On defence
You hear the term “puck mover” an awful lot. With the way the game of hockey moves, you need them and you need as many of them as you can find.
The Knights have one of the fastest, smoothest and most experienced puck movers in the league in Victor Mete, who is with the Montreal Canadiens at the moment and getting rave reviews. Mete played over 17 minutes in his pre-season debut with Montreal and recorded an assist. The thing that makes Mete so valuable is the fact that he is outstanding in his own end. He stands 5-10 but finds ways to neutralize guys who are 6-4. He is also one of the best shot blockers and pass blockers out there. He will rack up big minutes this season, either with the Canadiens or the Knights and his final destination is probably far from decided.
Jacob Golden is another smooth puck mover who was brought along slowly in his rookie season but demonstrated enough to become a draft pick of the Minnesota Wild. He will have a full-time gig in 2017-18.
Evan Bouchard is heading into his third season and his draft year. He has a great head for the game and a great shot from the blue line. Look for him to unleash it more often this season.
Alec Regula has played just two pre-season games of OHL hockey, but he has shown off a great set of skills. Regula also possesses a 6-4 frame and the poise of someone far older than 17. He stands to log more and more minutes as the year goes along.
They make up a very solid top four.
Riley Coome hit London’s radar when he was trying out for the London Nationals. He has size, moves well and has made huge strides in his development.
Added to the mix will be youngsters Andrew Perrott and Ryan Bangs and 18-year old Tim Fallowfield. Perrott is only 16, but he has already shown tremendous poise. His father, Nathan Perrott, played in the OHL and in the National Hockey League, so Andrew’s hockey education has been excellent. He played in all four pre-season games and looked more and more comfortable and confident each time out.
Fallowfield has good size and ability. He has played the past two years with the St. Thomas Stars in the GOJHL.
Olli Juolevi and Brandon Crawley are major question marks at this point. Juolevi appears to have three potential destinations: the Vancouver Canucks, the London Knights or a team in Finland.
Crawley was drafted by the New York Rangers in June and could crack their American Hockey League roster in Hartford. He could also still play an over-age season in London.
In goal
You can’t replace Tyler Parsons. What you can do is find someone with similar traits. In net, you want size, competitiveness, and composure. Experience doesn’t hurt either. Tyler Johnson spent last season as Parsons’ backup and is the most experienced goalie on the roster. He dedicated himself to a tough training regimen in the summer and had an excellent pre-season. Jordan Kooy might only be 17, but when searching for the ingredients that can create a great goalie, you can go back to two games from Kooy’s rookie season that are glowing examples.
He stopped all but one shot for his first OHL win in his first OHL start, but it was his second start that showed off even more. The Knights arrived in Niagara in November, playing their sixth game in nine days in front of a crowd that had to watch them defeat the Ice Dogs and become OHL champions just months earlier. The Meridian Centre was sold out and it was hostile. Kooy stopped two breakaways early in the game and gave his tired team a chance to seize momentum, which they did. It was a pure example of his compete level.
Roughly three months later, the six foot two inch Kooy entered a game midway through the second period in Owen Sound in which a flu-riddled London roster was trailing 5-1. The Attack were on a 15-game winning streak. A goalie’s job in a case like that is to try to keep things from getting worse.
Kooy started making saves. Some big ones. The Knights ignited and pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in their history. They won 7-6 in a shootout. Kooy made 22 saves in 33 minutes and then stopped all three Attack shooters in the shootout. That was a show of his composure.
In 2017-18, Kooy will have an opportunity to show what else he can do to help the Knights climb.
Those areas of London’s team check off some critical competitive boxes.
New roles
Players like Alex Formenton, Liam Foudy and Cole Tymkin will see more minutes and with it, more responsibility.
Billy Moskal and Richard Whittaker each got a taste of the OHL last year and will be looked to on a full-time basis this year.
Lucas Rowe and Dalton Duhart were selected by the Knights in the first and third rounds of the 2017 OHL Priority Selection and bring, character, hockey sense and skill.
What else?
The Knights will have to wait on Max Jones. The Anaheim Ducks could take a very long look at what he could do for them as a 19-year-old.
London is in search of a new captain. They are also in search of forwards who can step into some pretty large roles after the graduation of J.J. Piccinich, Owen MacDonald, Janne Kuokkanen, and Mitchell Stephens.
That opens the door for players like Senators’ draft pick, Alex Formenton, draft-eligible Liam Foudy, Cole Tymkin (the GOJHL Western Rookie of the Year), Billy Moskal, Richard Whittaker, Devils’ draft pick Jesper Bratt and youngsters like Lucas Rowe and Dalton Duhart.
Sam Miletic and Adrian Carbonara will be looked upon to provide offense and veteran presence. Miletic led the Knights with 37 goals last season and has been at training camp with Pittsburgh. Carbonara showed flashes last year of what he can do offensively when given the opportunity. He received a big boost of confidence when the New York Rangers invited him to play for them in the Traverse City Rookie tournament. With Cameron Lizotte no longer in the league, Carbonara takes over the title of best fashion sense in the OHL.
The final piece of the puzzle is the system and the coaching that exists in London. Knights teams are as prepared for games as anyone. Players buy in very quickly and they stay in. It’s a key that keeps the Knights near the top year after year.
This year will feature the greatest infusion of youth that the Knights have seen in years, but that shouldn’t be a concern. They will take some time to settle into the system. Time will also be needed to answer questions regarding the destinations of players who could move on to the professional ranks.
Teams and fans outside of London won’t want to hear it, but once all of that is resolved, it will be possible to make an excellent argument for the London Knights to find a way to scale the mountain again.
Here is a list of who is with the team and who is still away at NHL training camps:
Goalies
1 – Jordan Kooy – Appeared in 11 games as a 16-year-old, going 8-2 with a .927 save percentage.
34 – Tyler Johnson – Posted a 3.25 GAA and .900 save percentage as Tyler Parsons’ backup last season.
Forwards
12 – Alex Turko – Eighth-round pick of the Knights in 2015. Played 10 games in London and 47 in St. Thomas in 2016-17.
15 – Cole Tymkin –Rainy River native, heading into his second year, provides great grit and toughness. Attended training camp with the Dallas Stars.
18 – Liam Foudy – Knights’ first-round pick in 2016 earned more and more playing time as last year went on.
20 – Adrian Carbonara – Overage forward known for his size showed off plenty of skill a year ago. Attended Traverse City Rookie tournament with the New York Rangers.
21 – Lucas Rowe – Knights’ first-round pick in 2017. Won the 2017 OHL Cup with the Mississauga Reps. Set up with GWG with nine seconds left.
26 – Josh Nelson – Got off to a flying start in training camp. Second-year forward possesses good speed and skill.
43 – Richard Whittaker – Put up good numbers with London Nationals last season. The puck seems to find him on the ice. Knights’ fourth rounder in 2016.
49 – Ian McKinnon – Whitby native played 17 games with Charlottetown of the QMJHL last year.
58 – Emmet Pierce – Huge winger (6’6, 192 pounds) is just 16 and played for the Quinte Red Devils last year.
71 – Dalton Duhart – London’s third-round pick in 2017. Scored five goals in four games at the OHL Cup.
76 – Billy Moskal – GOJHL Western Conference Rookie of the Year. Was London’s second-round pick in 2016.
92 – Harrison Cottam – Lit up GOJHL Horseshoe with 62 points in 49 games. Free agent signing last December.
Defencemen
2 – Evan Bouchard – Entering his draft year as a late birthday. Lots of two-way skill.
6 – Riley Coome – Went from AA hockey two years ago to the GOJHL last year. Now trying to crack Knights.
24 – Andrew Perrott – Second-round pick of the Knights in 2017. Son of former OHLer and Leaf, Nathan Perrott.
42 – Jacob Golden – Brought along slowly last season, but showed enough to be drafted by the NHL’s Wild.
44 – Ryan Bangs – London’s third rounder in 2016. Played for CCHL Champ Carleton Place Canadiens in ’16-17.
72 – Alec Regula – The Knights selected the Michigan native in the fourth round in 2016. He is 6’4 and very poised. Regula’s father, Chet, is the Detroit Lions’ team dentist.
77 – Tim Fallowfield – Named to GOJHL’s West All-Rookie team last year while playing in St. Thomas.
Liam Robertson – Third-round selection of the Knights in 2016. Spent last year with Whitby Fury. Impressed in camp and has just signed Standard Player Agreement.
Players currently away at NHL camps
Cliff Pu – Buffalo – Led the Knights in scoring with 35 goals and 86 points in 2016-17.
Robert Thomas – St. Louis – Third in team scoring last year. Selected 20th overall by St. Louis in June NHL Draft.
Sam Miletic — Pittsburgh – Led the Knights in goals a season ago with 37. Heading into overage year.
Max Jones – Anaheim – First-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks. He can play in the NHL or the OHL this year.
Alex Formenton – Ottawa – Speedy forward set for a bigger role after being selected in second round by Ottawa.
Jesper Bratt – New Jersey – New Jersey Devils’ sixth-rounder from Sweden has speed and a great shot.
Victor Mete – Montreal – Draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens will be the leader on the blue line this year.
Comments