On May 29, 2016, Cliff Pu, Robert Thomas, Max Jones and Evan Bouchard were standing up on the bench as Matthew Tkachuk unleashed a wrist shot that ticked off the body of Christian Dvorak and landed in the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies’ net. Seconds later, all four were part of a big pile of celebration in the corner.
They are the final four remaining on the London Knights’ roster from their Memorial Cup victory in 2016.
And they will be reunited Friday night at Budweiser Gardens.
Bouchard has been in London since August. He was just 16 years old when London won and because he was born later than September 15, he is not eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until June, 2018.
Pu returned last weekend from Buffalo where he played in two pre-season games with the Sabres and recorded an assist.
Thomas was selected 20th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2017 NHL Draft and impressed them enough to earn his first professional contract. He was assigned to London on September 27 and makes his Knights’ season debut against Kingston.
Jones was a big question mark for London this year. He is big and powerful and skilled and got a long look from the Anaheim Ducks, who selected him 24th overall in 2016. In the end, Anaheim elected to send him back to the Knights for one more year before Jones becomes a pro for good. Before getting injured in 2015-16, Jones had 26 points in 15 games and only Owen Sound had been able to hold him off the score sheet entirely.
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Still away
Alex Formenton was in Red Deer with the Knights in May of 2016. He was an 11th round draft pick at that point. But, London had seen something special in him and wanted him to go through the experience of the Memorial Cup tournament, even though he would just be practicing with the team. Formenton was on a very veteran team last year in his rookie season and spent much of the season playing outside the Knights’ top-six forwards.
He didn’t record a single point in the playoffs.
Still, he showed enough to be selected in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators and has had the pre-season of a lifetime.
Formenton has a breakaway goal and two assists in the four games he has played for Ottawa and his play has kept him with the team longer than a lot of other older and more experienced players.
Victor Mete is still skating alongside Shea Weber in Montreal. Both Weber and Canadiens’ head coach, Claude Julien have been very complimentary of Mete. Montreal is 0-6 in the pre-season, but Mete continues to stand out.
Jesper Bratt has only worn a Knights’ uniform once. It was in the pre-season against the Sarnia Sting. Bratt scored a short-handed goal and then flew off to New Jersey, where he has been ever since. Videos featuring Bratt with the puck, being chased around the ice have been circulating throughout the pre-season. He has impressed the Devils. Bratt has five points in four games and continues to earn more playing time with them.
Like Mete and Formenton, the question becomes, What is best for his development?
Only meetings behind very closed doors within each of those organizations can make determinations like that.
Olli Juolevi
Don’t forget about him.
The Vancouver Canucks made some roster moves on Friday and it appears that Juolevi will not start the season with them, so they need somewhere for him to go. Juolevi cannot be sent to the American Hockey League. There has been some suggestion that he could go to Europe, but that may take some effort. He could also come back for a final season with the Knights.
The opposition on Friday
The Knights go up against the Kingston Frontenacs on Friday night, making for the first part of a 1-2 weekend against teams from the Eastern Conference. London will be in Oshawa on Sunday evening.
Kingston allowed just four goals in their first two games and won both of them.
They have one of the league’s top goalies in Jeremy Helvig. He is a draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The line of Jason Robertson, Linus Nyman and new captain, Ted Nichol was very productive through Kingston’s first weekend. They accounted for seven points.
Rookie Cody Morgan was selected 12th overall by the Frontenacs in April and has two goals in two games.
If you are a Maple Leafs’ fan, keep your eye on big #77 on defence. His name is Eemeli Rasanen and Toronto took him in the second round of June’s NHL Entry Draft. He is 6’7″ and 226 pounds.
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