Five Questions: London Knights
The London Knights entered 2022-23 with one of the primary concerns being how they were going to replace 55-goal scorer Luke Evangelista and puck-handling wizard Antonio Stranges. It turns out they did, and they did it by committee with tremendous results.
The Knights locked up yet another Midwest Division title and claimed the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as Western Conference champions before coming to within two wins of an OHL title. London’s successes were many, with the emergence of first round NHL Draft picks Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia) and Easton Cowan (Toronto) along with the excellent play of Logan Mailloux on the back end and contributions from former OHL champions Ryan Winterton, Ryan Humphrey and George Diaco in the lineup.
After coming so close last season, Five Questions looks at a Knights team returning to the ice later this month with a pretty solid group ready to do battle for the OHL’s ultimate prize.
1. Can the Knights win a fifth straight division title?
They play in what’s widely considered to be one of the most competitive divisions in the entire CHL year in and year out, making it all the more impressive that the London Knights have won four straight Midwest Division titles. London eyes a fifth, but will face resistance in Guelph, Owen Sound and potentially an upstart Erie Otters team if everything goes the right way for them. There’s a lot to like if you’re a Knights fan, with Montreal Canadiens first round pick Logan Mailloux looking like he’ll be the only significant departure from the blueline. Overagers George Diaco, Sean McGurn and Brett Brochu will be tough to replace, but the way the Knights seem to develop players, they always tend to find the right solution as the season wears on. The Knights own the rights to San Jose Sharks second round draft pick Kasper Halttunen out of Finland. The 6-foot-3 right-winger would look good in green and gold.
The @LondonKnights skated to a 5-1 win over the Sarnia Sting in Game 6 on Sunday afternoon, claiming the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as Western Conference Champions for the seventh time in franchise history.
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) May 7, 2023
2. Is there a more entertaining duo than the twins?
Whether it’s with the puck off the rush, or without it on the forecheck and in pursuit, these guys are relentless. Denver Barkey and Easton Cowan are both well under 6-feet tall, but their combination of speed, grit and tenacity has opposing defenders on high alert. The two close friends were excellent in last year’s playoffs when Seattle Kraken prospect Ryan Winterton played down the middle between them. It will be interesting to see who accompanies them moving into a new season as the Knights look to once again capitalize on their tremendous chemistry.
The Twins get the @LondonKnights on the board first!
#NHLDraft prospects Denver Barkey and @EastonCowan connect for the first goal of the #OHLChampionship Series
#LDNvsPBO pic.twitter.com/oPS7oiP8Zx
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) May 12, 2023
3. Is Dickinson the league’s top draft-eligible defenceman?
He’s got some competition, with Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medalist teammates Zayne Parekh (Saginaw), Anthony Cristoforo (Windsor), Henry Mews (Ottawa), Frankie Marrelli (Ottawa) and Ben Danford (Oshawa) all offering a variety of different strengths. Sam Dickinson though, appears to be the frontrunner out of the gate this season. The former fourth overall OHL Draft pick stands 6-foot-3 and 195Ibs., being voted a first team all-rookie team member after recording 23 points (9-14–23) in 62 regular season games last year. Dickinson was equally impressive in the playoffs, recording eight points (4-4–8) and a plus-12 rating as London won the Western Conference. Everyone has their favourite, but Dickinson might offer the most in the way of a complete, two-way game on the back end.
Is it too early to be excited for Sam Dickinson in #2024NHLDraft? pic.twitter.com/XRCGGi5HQg
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) June 30, 2023
4. Is Bowen ready to step into Brochu’s starting role?
You don’t really want to frame it that way, but that’s how fans are going to see it. The Knights have had excellent goaltending for the past three seasons, with Brett Brochu graduating after piling up 89 wins and a 2.67 goals-against average over 132 regular season games. Some have said a healthy Brochu might have made the difference for the Knights in last year’s OHL Championship Series, but to be fair to Zach Bowen, he presented himself very well for a 17-year-old goaltender, playing a big part in London’s Western Conference Championship Series triumph over rival Sarnia. Bowen got on a roll last season, winning 15 in a row at one point – the second-longest mark by an OHL rookie netminder since 1997. He was last year’s F.W. Dinty Moore Trophy winner for the league’s lowest goals-against average by a rookie, and was voted a first team all-rookie team member by OHL general managers.
2022-23 Regular Season #OHLAwards
:
Zach Bowen of the @LondonKnights earns the F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy for the lowest #OHL goals-against average by a rookie netminder, posting a figure of 3.10.
READ
: https://t.co/yDpRXDRjDy pic.twitter.com/IhECX0ImqY
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) March 27, 2023
5. How impactful are O’Reilly and Nicholl after dominant GOJHL seasons?
As previously mentioned, the Knights have a way of developing their draft picks and aren’t in any rush to bring them to the OHL prematurely. Easton Cowan and Oliver Bonk are past success stories through their development in the GOJHL and 2022 picks Sam O’Reilly and William Nicholl are showing a lot of promise after great 16-year-old seasons in Junior B. Taken 37th overall by the Knights in 2022, O’Reilly racked up 63 points (26-37–63) in 35 games for the London Nationals, tacking on 11 points (6-5–11) in eight playoff games. Nicholl, who was taken 52nd overall in 2022, finished as the GOJHL Western Rookie of the Year with 64 points (20-44–64) over 43 regular season matchups for the St. Thomas Stars. London has a few openings up front, and these two are leading candidates to assume some of that responsibility.
GOOD TIME FIRST YOUR FIRST OHL GOAL NICHOLL! pic.twitter.com/Qnf7RV7CgV
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) February 9, 2023
Five Questions is put together by Josh Sweetland (@joshsweetland). Follow along throughout the summer for an offseason look at all 20 OHL clubs.