In 2018 George Diaco put up 17 points in 12 games while wearing a Knights logo on his chest and now the 20-year old London, Ont., native is getting a chance to do that all over again.
In 2018 the logo belonged to the London Jr. Knights. The next sweater Diaco pulls over his head will have to logo of the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights.
He was acquired from the Hamilton Bulldogs on Tuesday afternoon for a 3rd round pick in 2023 and a 2nd round pick in 2024.
Diaco was a key part of the Bulldogs OHL championship last year and their run to the Memorial Cup final game in Saint John, N.B.
Diaco had 70 points in 68 games during the 2021-22 regular season and 14 more points in 19 playoff games.
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One of the things that has always been a propelling factor in London is championship pedigree. Winning begets winning and what it takes to win gets passed along. The pandemic robbed the Knights of an expected long playoff run in 2019-20. There would still have been players from that team on London’s current roster, mentoring younger players and using that playoff experience as an important tool.
Diaco brings that know-how.
He joined the Bulldogs during that season after spending a year with the London Nationals when he and the Nats went all the way to Game 7 of the Sutherland Cup finals against the Waterloo Sikinds. Waterloo won in overtime.
The year before, Diaco led the Alliance league in goals and points.
Diaco is five-feet-seven-inches and 168-pounds but has never let size get in the way of producing points and he is set to make his Knights debut in the OHL on Friday, October 14 at 7 p.m. against the Mississauga Steelheads at Budweiser Gardens.
London will be looking for their first victory of the season after dropping games to Owen Sound, Erie and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
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