OHL 20 in 20 Season Preview: London Knights

By Josh Sweetland September 20, 2016

After an unforgettable run highlighted by a 17-game winning streak to claim the MasterCard Memorial Cup, the London Knights return with plenty of ammunition for their title defence.

114 days after they raised the Memorial Cup in Red Deer, the London Knights begin their title defence, entering the 2016-17 season as kings of the CHL mountain.

Their 17-game run of dominance that spanned the OHL Playoffs and culminated in Matthew Tkachuk’s thrilling Mastercard Memorial Cup overtime winner against Rouyn-Noranda is one for the memory books. It’s a tale the Knights organization will always be proud of, but with a new season on the horizon and questions surrounding the ultimate destinations of stars Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk and Olli Juolevi, the Knights have set their sights on the challenge before them.

“We don’t look at it as continuing a 17-game winning streak, it’s a new season and we’re focused on our season opener and home opener,” said newly instated Knights general manager Rob Simpson who takes the reins from Basil McRae who took a position with the Columbus Blue Jackets. “It’s one of the great memories in the history of our franchise,” Simpson continued. “To be a part of it was very special.”

What an unreal day! Thanks London for being the best fans in the CHL! #Diamonds #BigRings @cliffp_28 @vmete98 pic.twitter.com/GGyz7jAN4N

— Max Jones (@Jones_Max19) August 26, 2016

The Knights have a league-leading 16 players from last year’s roster attending NHL training camps, a list of names that includes all four of the club’s overage eligible options in Chris Martenet (Dallas), JJ Piccinich (Toronto), Owen MacDonald (St. Louis) and Chandler Yakimowicz (Pittsburgh).

With so many possible outcomes to be revealed over the coming weeks, Simpson and his staff are doing their best to cover the bases.

“You have to look at both sides,” he said. “You have to plan what you’ll do if you get some of these guys back, but on the contrary there’s always the possibility that they aren’t going to return and you have to adjust your depth chart accordingly. We’re at the hands of the NHL teams and what they wish to do with their prospects.”

While reigning CHL Player of the Year and Mastercard Memorial Cup MVP Mitch Marner attends camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2016 fifth overall pick and World Junior gold medalist Olli Juolevi is in camp with Vancouver and sixth overall selection Matthew Tkachuk is in camp with Calgary, the Knights still have a treasure trove of talent in the Forest City.

Anaheim Ducks first rounder Max Jones, Buffalo Sabres prospect Cliff Pu and Carolina Hurricanes second round pick Janne Kuokkanen step in to lead the charge out of the gate this season.

With the 69th pick the Sabres select @cliffp_28 from @GoLondonKnights. pic.twitter.com/xGt68mwRyY

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 25, 2016

“When you see a guy that’s as big and powerful as Max and combine his speed and tireless work ethic, he drives the pace of your team through the roof,” said Simpson. “He’s so quick to pucks and so quickly on top of defenders that he’s a presence every time he sets foot on the ice.”

While Jones netted 52 points (28-24–52) as a rookie, Pu developed a well-rounded game down the middle for the Knights, proving to be a valuable piece during their championship run.

“Turns out that deal we made with Oshawa to get Cliff worked out for both teams, we both won Memorial Cups,” noted Simpson. “He’s a guy with good size and elite speed and we moved him to centre last season. He played against the best the opposition had to offer and made big strides in the faceoff circle, in his defensive zone coverage and also found ways to create offence at the same time. His playoff performance really boosted his draft stock and he was a big part of the success we enjoyed.”

A new addition to the Knights this season, Finnish forward Janne Kuokkanen registered 53 points (22-31–53) over 47 games with Karpat of the Finnish Junior circuit last season.

“Janne has looked very comfortable here,” said Simpson. “He has great edges, exceptional passing ability and he’s able to maneuver through traffic and make plays. He’ll have a big role with us this season.”

Drawing from a deep well of talent, the Knights also had strong pre-seasons from Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Kole Sherwood and 19-year-old Sam Miletic who returns to the club after spending half of the season in London last year.

Sophomore centreman Robert Thomas and rookie winger Alex Formenton will step forward this season while youngsters in 2016 first round pick Liam Foudy and prospects Billy Moskal, Richard Whittaker, Cole Tymkin and free agent addition Josh Nelson await the trickle down from NHL camps to see where they’ll slot in.

.@vmete98 felt very much at home in his 2016 Rookie Tournament debut.
READ | https://t.co/McWH2AREgU #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/bjIxBfGFFx

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 18, 2016

The London blue line sees both Juolevi and Martenet as possible options once NHL decisions have been made, but Montreal Canadiens prospect Victor Mete, who played in a top four role as a 17-year-old last season, will be an important part of the plan.

“Victor makes it look effortless. He gets around the ice incredibly well and has a great engine,” said Simpson. “He can play a two minute shift and then backcheck 200-feet if he’s jumped into the rush. I’ve heard Dylan (Hunter) and Rick (Steadman) say plenty of times that they’ll think he’s coming off tired, but he ends up being just fine. You don’t see many guys who can skate the way he does but yet still defend very effectively despite their smaller size.”

Veteran shutdown defender Brandon Crawley returns while sophomores Evan Bouchard and Nicolas Mattinen are ready for more prominent roles. New additions Ian Blacker and Jacob Golden will also factor into London’s blue line plans along with 17-year-old free agent commit Riley Coome.

After silencing any critics he might have had last spring, Tyler Parsons returns to the London crease as a Mastercard Memorial Cup champion and prospect of the Calgary Flames.

“Everyone I’ve talked to only has good things to say about Calgary.” – @Tylerparsons22 ~ https://t.co/fKVl07tNuG pic.twitter.com/prJUQYd6n1

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) June 25, 2016

“In any position, until you’ve been through playoff runs or won championships, there’s always going to be doubters because you’ve never been there before and we heard a lot of that around the league regarding Tyler,” said Simpson. “He came out and performed and proved his point that, not only is he a number one guy, but he’s one of the OHL’s best. It’s something that’s pretty spectacular when you think that three or four years ago he was playing AA hockey. He has come a long way.”

Newly acquired Tyler Johnson and 18-year-old Emanuel Vella will duel for minutes behind Parsons in the London crease.

Just months after their unforgettable Mastercard Memorial Cup triumph, the London Knights will face what any championship team has to in the ensuing season: they become the team to beat – the date that gets circled on the calendar.

“That’s part of the territory I guess,” Simpson admitted. “The plan doesn’t change for us though. Your goal coming into the season is to firstly win an OHL championship and then work towards that Memorial Cup championship. We’re one of 20 teams in the OHL that are trying to do that this year and we’ll go about the process one victory at a time.”

2015-16 Record: 51-14-2-1 (2nd Midwest Division)
Head Coach: Dale Hunter (16th season)
Key additions: Janne Kuokkanen, Liam Foudy, Billy Moskal, Richard Whittaker, Ian Blacker, Tyler Johnson Alex Formenton, Cole Tymkin, Jacob Golden, Josh Nelson, Riley Coome
Notable graduates: Christian Dvorak, Aaron Berisha, Jacob Graves, Daniel Bernhardt, Chad Heffernan, Brendan Burke
Leading scorer: Mitchell Marner*^ (57 GP, 39-77–116)
Leading scorer (defencemen): Olli Juolevi^ (57 GP, 9-33–42)
Leading scorer (rookie): Max Jones (63 GP, 28-24–52)
Leading goaltender: Tyler Parsons (49 GP, 37-9-2-1, 2.33 GAA, .921 SV%, 4 SO)
Fast Fact: The Knights led the league with seven players chosen in the 2016 NHL Draft, the most by the franchise since 1998. It continues a record streak of players chosen annually since 1969.
#OHLOpeningWeek schedule: Wed. Sept. 21 at SAR (7:05pm), Fri. Sept. 23 vs. ER (7:30pm)