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Jaxon Cover, a leading forward for the Knights, played in-line hockey as a youngster. A latecomer to the ice, he’s made the transition successfully and is looking forward to big things — in London and beyond.
The way London Knights rookie forward Jaxon Cover has adjusted to the OHL, you’d think he’s been playing high level hockey all his life.
Well, technically he has — just not on the ice.
“My dad got me into in-line hockey and I’ve been playing since I was three years old in the Cayman Islands,” the 18-year-old Cover told Gameday London. “When I first moved to Canada, I wasn’t big on the on-ice game, but then I started skating more and more and felt I was getting better and started really enjoying it.”
Cover made the AA team for his U14 season and played at the level again the next year. Then, for his U16 OHL draft season, he was able to make the jump to AAA with the York-Simcoe Express, a program that has produced NHLers like Quinton Byfield and former Knight Robert Thomas.
“I was really happy to make that team, and then my coaches were telling me that I had a lot of talent and I could do big things, so I credit a lot to them for helping me develop.”
Very rarely does a player in their first year of AAA catch the attention from OHL teams the way that Cover did. But with how quickly he developed in just a handful of seasons on the ice, teams saw the high ceiling in Cover’s potential.
The Knights certainly liked what they saw. Enough to select Cover in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, ahead of players who had been playing AAA for close to a decade.
The forward says that several skills he developed at a young age have transferred from the roller rink to the ice.
“Like my hockey IQ, and the way I can see the ice and make plays that a lot of other guys may not see. And I credit my hands to the inline game as well.”
Only 12 of Cover’s 48 points this season have come on the powerplay, a credit to his ability to see the ice at even strength.
After signing with the Knights last March, Cover got into a handful of games towards the tail end of last season, recording a pair of assists in three contests.
As a full-time member of the Knights this season, he wasted no time making an impact, scoring his first OHL goal in the first game of the year. He’s navigated the highs and lows and the challenges that come with playing a full OHL schedule.
“It’s been really eye-opening for me, seeing how much time, effort, and dedication you really have to put in,” he said. “I’ve really bought into the systems and everything Dale (Hunter) has been teaching me.”
Cover has adapted as well as one could making the transition to the OHL. He’s scored the sixth-most goals among first year players and is tied for fifth in rookie points.
“I didn’t even realize I was top five. I’ve just been trying to play my game and do what I can to win games.”
The current squad is a younger Knights team than we’ve seen the past couple of seasons, and that’s something that isn’t lost on the players.
“We’re really excited with the group we have,” Cover said. “A lot of the guys are looking to stay for next year. We’re really excited to see what we can do the rest of this season, but especially for the seasons to come. We want to be a dominant force again.”
Cover couldn’t believe the fan support during his first couple of home games as a Knight — just one of the many things he loves about playing in London.
“Ten thousand fans every night, it doesn’t get much better than that,” he said. “From the coaching staff, to the locker room, and the people around the team, I just love it and want to be a Knight as long as possible.”
Cover is eligible for the NHL draft this spring, and it’s not anticipated he’ll have to wait until the fourth round to be selected like he did in the OHL.
