OHL 20 in 20: London Knights

It’s a new season in London and that means the Knights, who are defending OHL Champions, are plotting their approach to staying on top of the OHL mountain. You can always count on London to be competitive and this year looks no different as the Knights could be bringing back some key ’05’s in Easton Cowan, Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk along with other prominent contributors in Edmonton Oilers first round pick Sam O’Reilly, Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Julien and San Jose Sharks top blueline draftee Sam Dickinson. In other news, the Knights have a brand new scoreboard at centre ice, dwarfing their previous version. Another September in London brings fresh excitement as the Knights continue to pursue lofty goals in 2024-25.

Five Questions Heading Into 2024-25:

1. Who ends up coming back?
There’s a world where Easton Cowan, Oliver Bonk, Kasper Halttunen and Ruslan Gazizov all end up back in London. There’s a more likely outcome that maybe sees one or two of those names back in green and gold for 2024-25. With high-end players, you run the risk of them graduating a little sooner than expected and that’s certainly the case with Cowan, who has a realistic shot at sticking with the Toronto Maple Leafs following his outstanding season as OHL MVP. Halttunen, by way of being drafted out of Europe, could be assigned to the American Hockey League by the San Jose Sharks for his 19-year-old season so there’s some uncertainty surrounding his landing spot. There’s lots of questions for the Knights right now, but Mark Hunter and his management team use a lot of draft picks every spring to keep the development machine churning, giving fresh faces new opportunities should spots open up down the depth chart.

2. Can Willmore run with the starting job?
He’s done everything asked of him to this point. The local kid selected in the 14th round back in 2020 has deep playoff experience and strung together 16 wins during the regular season last year. Back as an OA, Owen Willmore will have the opportunity to play lots out of the gate with younger netminders Alexei Medvedev and Finn Wilson behind him on the depth chart. The St. Thomas, Ont. product has a golden opportunity after recently attending Ottawa Senators rookie camp.

3. Who will break out in 2024-25?
London always seems to have a guy who comes out of nowhere to put together a fantastic season and help the team down the stretch. There’s a few candidates that have shown signs throughout the preseason that they may be ready to take the next step. Former fifth round pick Kaeden Johnston had 10 points (6-4–10) over 40 games last season, a figure he’s nearly eclipsed through four preseason games. Johnston embarks on his 19-year-old season looking like a potential breakout candidate. Another name to watch would be former first round OHL Draft pick Henry Brzustewicz who was acquired by the Knights from the Ottawa 67’s last season. Brzustewicz paid his dues and even spent some time up on forward to keep himself in the lineup last year. Back a year older, and stronger, the 2025 NHL Draft prospect will be given every opportunity to prove himself. Three other names to file away would include recent Edmonton Oilers draftee William Nicholl, returning 18-year-old winger Evan Van Gorp and LA Kings sixth round pick Jared Woolley, all players poised to elevate their contributions this coming season.

4. Who sticks as an OA?
There are currently five names in the running for what will eventually be only three spots. Aforementioned goaltender Owen Willmore is one, joined by Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Julien, former St. Louis Blues draft pick Landon Sim, gritty blueliner Alec Leonard and Russian winger Ruslan Gazizov. Knights GM Mark Hunter has been known to make moves early in the season in an effort to find homes for extra bodies on the roster and he may well be forced to do so again here as the Knights have a number of quality names vying for a limited number of positions.

5. How much opportunity will the ’08 group have?
London’s scouting staff did their due diligence, bringing in three capable 2008-born talents this past spring. First rounder Logan Hawery had been courted by NCAA options before choosing the OHL path and he’s looked solid in a small preseason sample size, as has second rounder Caleb Mitchell, who scored a beautiful goal against Sarnia on Friday. Third round pick Max Mews is the younger brother of Ottawa 67’s defender and Calgary Flames prospect Henry Mews. He was big for Ottawa’s Myers Automotive program last season, helping them win an HEO U16 AAA title.