CHL on TSN: Five players to watch — Sting @ Knights

An enticing contest between two of the top teams in the OHL will hit the airwaves as the Sarnia Sting (27-17-6) visit the London Knights (37-13-1) tonight in the CHL on TSN broadcast.

London’s 37 wins are tied for the OHL lead while the Sting own the sixth best record in the league.

Goals are likely on the docket tonight; the two clubs have combined for 407 goals this year and when you look at the firepower each club possesses, it’s easy to see why both sides score with relative ease.

Christian Kyrou – Sarnia

One of the CHL’s elite defencemen, Kyrou’s (DAL) second full OHL season has surpassed the high expectations he set after his rookie campaign.

Kyrou sits third in scoring among OHL d-men with 54 points, 18 of which have come as a member of the Sting after his trade from Erie Dec. 14.

His 21 power play assists are tied for the fourth most in the OHL while among blueliners, he ranks fifth in goals (14) and third in game-winners (three).

Over the past two OHL seasons, only Pavel Mintyukov (ANA) has more points than Kyrou among defencemen.

The script writes itself 📜

In his first game with @StingHockey, against his former side, Christian Kyrou finds the back of the net! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/aTR7XhCS61

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) December 15, 2022

Denver Barkey – London

In his draft season, Barkey has exploded onto the scene in 2022-23 with 49 points (17 goals) in 50 games.

Ranked as the 84th best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft, Barkey sits third in Knights scoring this year and fourth in goals.

Barkey, who participate at the 2023 Kubota NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game last month, has won 53.8 per cent of his draws this year.

The 17-year-old was part of Canada’s gold-medal winning team at the 2022 Hlkinka Gretzky Cup.

Denver Barkey pushes 🇨🇦 closer to the gold medal game! #HlinkaGretzkyCup | @LondonKnights pic.twitter.com/qHenmW70gZ

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) August 6, 2022

Sasha Pastujov – Sarnia

After somewhat of a slow start to the season with Guelph, by his standards anyway, Pastujov (ANA)has exploded offensively as a member of the Sting.

In just 28 games, he has 18 goals and 52 points and sits third in Sting scoring despite not playing for the franchise until their 18th game of the season.

In all, Pastujov has 71 has points in 2022-23 and sits seventh in OHL scoring. His 11 power play goals are tied for the sixth most in the league while his 1.69 point-per-game average is tied for the third best.

"Welcome to Sarnia!"

Sasha Pastujov with an immediate impact in his first game with @StingHockey! 🐝 pic.twitter.com/6pB62Ra4Li

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) November 19, 2022

George Diaco – London

Already a J. Ross Robertson Cup champion, Diaco is looking to add another OHL title to his collection in his final season.

After he helped lead Hamilton to the title a year ago, Diaco was traded after just two games this year to London and as a Knight, he has made a massive impact offensively.

Named co-captain Nov. 7, in 48 games, the 21-year-old has 20 goals and 61 points to second in Knights scoring. His 16 power play assists lead the team while he is second in goals on the man advantage with eight. For what it’s worth, he’s also scored four of his five shootout attempts this season.

The @LondonKnights leave Kingston with the extra point! ✅@George_Diaco pulls off his signature deke and @BrettBrochu shuts to door to earn his second shootout win of the season 🎥 pic.twitter.com/YD5FmtSdvL

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 29, 2023

Ty Voit – Sarnia

On the heels of an 80-point campaign a year ago, Voit is on pace to surpass the 100-point plateau this year.

If he does, he’d become just the 12th Sting to do so and with 18 games to play, Voit currently sits on 77 points, tied for the second most in the OHL.

The Pittsburgh native leads the CHL in assists with 62 while his 27 power play helpers top the OHL. Of his 15 goals, a third of them have been game-winners.

ICYMI: @StingHockey's Luca Del Bel Belluz and Ty Voit became the second pair of @OHLHockey teammates to score a hat-trick in the same game this season! 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/TWly5hhwPz

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) February 4, 2023