View From The Other Side: London Knights
By: Marc Smith/Moose Jaw Warriors
As the Moose Jaw Warriors prepare to make their first appearance in the Memorial Cup, the team will be facing off with new opponents from the OHL and QMJHL.
During the round robin, the Warriors will battle the host Saginaw Spirit, OHL Champion London Knights and QMJHL Champion Drummondville Voltigeurs.
A big showdown with the Knights will come in the middle of the round robin for the Warriors on Monday, May 27.
This is the sixth Memorial Cup appearance in the last 19 seasons for the Knights, who will be looking for their third title after previously winning in 2005 and 2016.
London is the only team at this year’s Memorial Cup to have previously won the title.
The Knights put together a dominating season in the Ontario Hockey League, winning the regular season title by two points over the Spirit and then sweeping the Oshawa Generals in the league final, outscoring them 31-9 in the four games.
Easton Cowan led the Knights in the post-season, leading the OHL in scoring with 10 goals and 34 points in 18 games.
The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect won the OHL’s most valuable player award after finishing with 34 goals and 96 points in 54 games.
Denver Barkey, a Philadelphia Flyers prosepct, led the Knights in regular season scoring with 35 goals and 102 points. He followed that up with six goals and 21 points in the playoffs.
San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen exploded for 17 goals and 26 points in 18 playoff games for the Knights.
After helping the Peterborough Petes to the OHL title in 2022-23, goalie Michael Simpson was acquired by the Knights before the season and was a workhorse in the regular season and playoffs.
Simpson went 34-10-1-1 in 48 appearances with a 2.61 goals against average and 0.905 save percentage during the regular season. He would then go 15-2-0 in the playoffs with a 2.59 goals against average and 0.908 save percentage.
The Warriors and Knights will meet on Monday, May 27 at Dow Event Center.
Moose Jaw opens the Memorial Cup on Fri, May 24 against the host Saginaw Spirit. Puck drops at 5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time.