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Knight Watch: London has several new faces, and they’re busy gelling in a new-look Knights lineup; Will Nicholl is enjoying his return to action; Ryan Brown tallies first points; Several Knights on NHL Central Scouting list; It’s a road trip in Sarnia, Owen Sound and Sault Ste. Marie this week.
The London Knights got back in the win column with a 4-1 defeat of the Erie Otters last Saturday. Sebastian Gatto made 23 saves in the win, which ended a stretch of five straight games where the Knights had allowed four or more goals against.
Will Nicholl had a goal and an assist in last Saturday’s contest. It was his second goal of the season but first on home ice since offseason surgery delayed his debut by three months.
“It feels great to be back battling with the boys after being on the sidelines for so long,” Nicholl told Gameday London. “There’s no better feeling than scoring at home in front of the best fans in the league.”
Following London’s moves at the trade deadline, Nicholl is now the longest-serving Knight and is the only remaining player from the 2023 Western Conference championship team.
“It’s new. A lot of my best friends are gone and traded,” Nicholl said. “Obviously it takes a bit of adjusting, but there’s a lot of great guys in this room.”
Nicholl made his season debut against Sarnia on New Year’s Eve. Surgery during the offseason forced him out of the lineup for the first half of the season.
“I spent three months off the ice. That’s probably the longest stretch in my entire life,” he said. “Fortunately, I have a great community around me, between staff and teammates, and they’ve really helped me through the whole process.”
With Disney On Ice taking over Canada Life Place this weekend, the Knights will head out on the road for their next three games. They’re in Sarnia Friday, Owen Sound Saturday, and Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday.
Former Knights goaltender and London native Michael Simpson is joining Providence College in the NCAA. He’s spent the last season and a half in the AHL and ECHL. In other alumni news, former Knight captain Denver Barkey has been named an AHL All-Star.
UPCOMING GAMEDAYS
Friday (Jan. 16, 7:05pm) @ Sarnia Sting (23-24-4-1, 9th in Western Conference)
The Sting had two very good showings against the Knights at the end of December, winning one of those games 5-1 in London. In a pair of wins last weekend, the Sting outscored opponents 12-2, by far their most convincing showing in back-to-back performances this season. Jack Van Volsen was credited with the game winner in both. He had a hat trick in the lopsided 9-1 win over Erie. Kale Osipenko won his first OHL game last weekend. He joins the Sting on a full-time basis after signing with the team this week. Sarnia also signed American-born defender Kalib Capecci to add to their blueline depth. The team is coming off a 5-2 loss to the Soo Thursday night. After missing the postseason the last two years, Sarnia currently sits six points back of the final playoff spot.
Saturday (Jan. 17, 4:00pm) @ Owen Sound Attack (18-19-1-3, 6th in Western Conference)
Three of the four games between these two teams this season have needed overtime. Owen Sound’s lone win against London was the season opener for both teams. The Attack come into the weekend with just one win in their last 11 games, a sharp contrast from a team that lost just twice in their first 11 games of the season. They get a bulk of their scoring from Pierce Mbuyi and Tristan Delisle, and both do the majority of their damage with the man advantage — a big reason Owen Sound has the league’s third best powerplay. They also have the third worst penalty kill, allowing a league-high 42 goals while shorthanded. Former Knight Julian Brown made his Attack debut last weekend wearing number 5.
Wednesday (Jan. 21, 7:07pm) @ Soo Greyhounds (25-14-1-1, 4th in Western Conference)
After playing Carter George‘s former team Saturday night, they Knights will face his new club on Wednesday, as the Knights make a midweek trip to Sault Ste. Marie for a third straight road game. The Greyhounds have been streaking; they won six straight games to start December before losing four in a row. They’ve won three games since, with three different starting goalies in each. George had a 20-save shutout in his Greyhounds debut, a 5-0 win over Niagara. Justin Cloutier has returned to the team but has yet to make his season debut. He had 28 goals and 54 points last year and spent the first half of this season with Arizona State University. Marco Migosa leads the team with 46 points, while Jordan Charron has a team-high 22 goals. Draft-eligible defenseman Chase Reid has 15 goals and 38 points. Both numbers are second most among OHL blueliners. Londoner Brodie McConnell-Barker has points in his last two games. This matchup could be a potential first round playoff preview. As of Friday, the Greyhounds are three points up on the Knights with the same games played.
KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS
6 – Six London Knights are listed in NHL Central Scouting’s Midseason rankings for North American skaters: Jaxon Cover (45th); Braidy Wassilyn (50th); Jacob Xu (112th); Cohen Bidgood (125th); Maksim Sokolovskii (132nd); and Cody Wood (179th). Recently traded Ben Wilmott (165th) and Julian Brown (197th) also made the list.
3 – It was a solid showing for some Knights draft picks at the GOHL Top Prospects Game this week. The first three goals of the game all came off the stick of a Knight prospect, with Owen Miniotas, Michael Pope and Cody Wood finding the back of the net. Parker Graham and Alexandre Campeau each had an assist in the game.
3 – After not picking up a point in his first three games as a Knight, Ryan Brown has now recorded a point in three straight.
A LOOK AT THE LOCALS
– A handful of locals are on NHL Central Scouting’s Midseason Rankings: Niagara’s Ryan Roobroeck (27th); Sarnia’s Beckham Edwards (46th); North Bay’s Parker Vaughan (141st); Guelph’s Eric Frossard (151st); and Peterborough’s Aiden Young (193rd).
– Parker Vaughan has five points in his last three games, giving him 10 goals and 21 points this season with the North Bay Battalion.
– Guelph defenseman Eric Frossard scored his second goal of the season. He has points in back-to-back games for the Storm.
