Kadri in, Aliu snub surprises Knights
By RYAN PYETTE, FREE PRESS SPORTS REPORTER
Nazem Kadri got the nod.
The London Knights’ leading scorer will play for Team OHL at the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge stops in Guelph and St. Catharines next month.
Akim Aliu did not.
That won’t mean the Knights’ power forward will be automatically snubbed by the Canadian world junior hockey team in December. But this doesn’t help.
“What’s in the past is the past and it’s absolutely crazy if Hockey Canada doesn’t consider Akim for the world junior team,” London assistant coach Pat Curcio said. “If Akim keeps his head on straight and stays focused, then there’s nothing he can’t conquer if he puts his mind to it.
“He can be dominant on any team.”
Aliu scored twice in his London season debut Friday at Sudbury. He had an assist in an 8-0 thrashing of Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday.
“He’s a power guy with speed and he brings another dimension to our hockey club,” Curcio said. “He had about four clear breakaways this weekend just by using his strength and speed. He just overpowered people, took off all alone and no one could stop him.”
The 19-year-old Chicago Blackhawks prospect heads to his original OHL home — Windsor — tomorrow to face the top-ranked Spitfires (15-1). London has just one loss in nine October games: a shootout defeat at home to Guelph.
The Knights lost their first meeting with the powerhouse Spits but Aliu wasn’t back from the Windy City yet and hadn’t properly healed from a groin injury. Now, he’s in full flight and London is excited to see how much better the club has become since that 4-2 defeat on Sept. 26.
“Absolutely, you look at games against a team like Windsor and judge yourself to see where you are,” London defenceman Steve Tarasuk said. “We’re on a roll and I think it’s because we have everyone back now and it took a little while for everyone to get used to each other.”
Tarasuk knows all about these kinds of streaks. He started last season with Kitchener when the Memorial Cup-bound Rangers won 15 of their first 17 — a run Windsor can top with a victory over the Knights.
“The attitude you have to take is there’s always something you can improve and do better,” said Tarasuk, who turns 19 on Saturday. “You don’t want to start believing you’re too good or worrying about losing one game. You keep it going by working hard in practice and not falling into bad habits.”
London workhorse defenceman John Carlson, who bruised his shoulder trying for a loose puck in the Soo, is expected to be able to play against Windsor.
“It was just a precaution to take him out in the Soo because we were up by a lot of goals and we didn’t want to risk further injury,” Curcio said.
The Knights have collected points in every game that GM Mark Hunter has helped coach this season. He has a scouting trip to Chicago this weekend but he’s planning on being behind the bench whenever possible.
“I think we’ve been working well together with three on the bench,” he said. “When you bring in a new guy, there’s an adjustment period where he has to learn what Dale (head coach and Mark’s older brother Dale Hunter) likes. But I know what Dale likes to do, the systems he wants to play so there’s none of that.”
Hunter said the Windsor game is a nice, early test but not “the be all and end all.”
“We have a lot of games left but at some point, you have to prove that you’re capable of beating the best and they’re (the Spitfires) the No. 1 team in the Canadian Hockey League,” Hunter said. “So in that respect, it’s important. You want to show you can play with them at their level.”
Hunter knows Windsor GM Warren Rychel is looking at a lot of the same areas of improvement as the Knights but vows he won’t make a deal just to keep a talented player from the Spitfires.
“When you try to trade to block another team, it just screws up what you’re doing,” Hunter said. “If it doesn’t make our team better, I’m not going to do it.”
KNIGHTWATCH
Tomorrow: at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.
Friday: vs. Plymouth, 7:30 p.m. at the John Labatt Centre. Tickets available at (519) 681-0800 or www.londonknights.com
Saturday: at Sarnia, 7:30 p.m. at the Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre.
