Jr. Knights looking to peak this week at OHL Cup

They reached the quarterfinals last year. Can coach Danny Syvret lead his talented crew — including Ryan Roobroeck, Ethan Weir, Aiden Young and more — to a pressure-filled OHL Cup this week?

(Photo: Wild Ave Photography).

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Think March Madness.

They’ll be playing hockey, and not basketball, of course, but the London Jr. Knights’ U16 AAA team will need to bring the same intensity and must-win attitude this week to the OHL Cup that is required of collegiate hoops teams advancing in the prestigious tournament – with the hopes of winning it all. 

The games will come fast and furious. After an original field of 25 teams is whittled down to 20 after Tuesday’s play-in games, Wednesday will feature a whopping 16 games at the OHL Cup, split between the two rinks at Scotiabank Pond in Toronto. And they’ll cycle through quickly. Period lengths are just 15 minutes at the tournament, which features the top minor midget teams in the province.

“I remember from last year the games being so quick. It was like, ‘Holy cow.’ The games are really crammed in, so it’s different,” said Danny Syvret, head coach of the Jr. Knights’ U16 AAA squad. “We’ll have to earn our way through to the quarterfinals, and from there it’s just a scenario where you have to be at the top of your game for the next three games to be the ultimate champion.” 

In other words, be the hot team when it matters. Last year, the hottest team was the Mississauga Senators, with now-OHL rookie star Michael Misa, who beat the Toronto Jr. Canadiens, 6-2, in the tournament final to hoist the OHL Cup. The aforementioned Misa scored a hat trick and added two assists in the finale.

This year, it’s the London Jr. Knights who boast arguably the top prospect heading into the OHL Draft, in forward Ryan Roobroeck. Fresh off a dominant minor midget season, in which he led the ALLIANCE league in scoring, the 15-year-old also captured a gold medal for Ontario at the Canada Winter Games (he also led that team in scoring during the tournament). 

And this won’t be Roobroeck’s first rodeo. He’s one of two returnees for Syvret to this year’s OHL Cup, as he and team captain Ethan Weir are in their second year with the squad (they earned exemptions last year to play a year ahead).

“They’ve been through it once already,” said Syvret, “and hopefully some experience will rub off in calming nerves and whatnot to help us move on.”

Roobroeck had seven points (3G, 4 A) in five games in the 2022 tournament, while Weir had an assist and tied for second on the team with 13 shots. Weir finished second in the ALIANCE in scoring this year, and he’s fired up for his second shot at an OHL Cup.

“We’ve been working towards it all year,” the 16-year-old forward said. “I think we’re ready. We’ve overcome a lot of adversity this season, and we’ve all been working really hard for this goal. Now, it’s right around the corner for us.”

Captain Ethan Weir. (Photo: Wild Ave Photography).

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The Jr. Knights have certainly proved they’re among the best teams in the province this year. The squad went 27-2-4 during their ALLIANCE regular season, finishing atop the standings, six points ahead of the Huron-Perth Lakers. The team scored a league-best 173 goals in 33 games and allowed the second fewest (62).

In the playoffs, London dispatched the Elgin-Middlesex Canucks in five games in a quarterfinal series, and then, last week, beat the Sun County Panthers in four games in their semi-final matchup to advance to the league’s championship series, against the Waterloo Wolves, which will be played after the teams return from the OHL Cup.

Each week, the OHL Cup’s ‘Top 10 rankings’ are released. Last week, the London Jr. Knights found themselves at No. 7, up a spot from the week prior. They’re the top-ranked ALLIANCE squad.

The London team features plenty of offensive firepower. During the ALLIANCE regular season, they finished with the top three scorers in the league – and two more in the top 10. Roobroeck was the leader, with 51 goals and 79 points in 30 games. Weir, who had a league-best 44 assists, was second with 65 points, while Aiden Young hit the 30-goal mark and compiled 59 points to finish third.

Parker Snelgrove, who joined Roobroeck in PEI and won Canada Winter Games gold for Team Ontario, was eighth in the league in scoring with 45 points in 29 games. Jayden Hazelwood, meanwhile, tied for 10th with 40 points (10 G, 30 A).

Oh, they’re no slouches in net either. Goaltender Easton Falls posted an impressive 1.46 goals-against average (49 goals in 31 games), collecting six shutout wins along the way.

Parker Snelgrove. (Photo: Wild Ave Photography).

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In other words, there’s no shortage of talent on this year’s squad.

“We were one of the top 10 teams last year, and this year we’re the same. It’s just a matter of getting everyone peaking at the right time,” said Syvret, who is in his fourth year coaching at the minor midget level. “As a team, we feel we’re prepared tactically and systematically. We’re comfortable with our line chemistry, everyone’s in good shape, and everyone’s healthy right now.

“It’s just a matter of staying healthy. And then it’s having that willingness to compete and that will to succeed that’s going to be at the forefront.”

That raw competitive desire and grit, Syvret says, is what it takes to win tournaments like these – especially once the playoff round begins. With four divisions of five teams, a round robin format consists of four games each. The top eight teams of the 20-team field then advance to the quarterfinals. And then? It’s one and done.

“It becomes a lot of internal individual mental preparation and willingness to compete,” Syvret said. “Your skill is always there. But in this format, sometimes it’s just the teams that are willing to do whatever it takes to win that end up being the ultimate victors.”

That’s what Weir took away from last year’s tournament, as well, and he believes this year’s team is well-suited for the pressures of the must-win format.

“We’re willing to do whatever it takes to win, and that’s something this team has been willing to do all year,” said Weir, who projects as a top 10 pick in this year’s OHL draft. “I think at this important time, that’s going to show very well.

“Compete and work ethic are our strengths,” he added. “All throughout the lineup, every guy brings it every night. And that’s an important thing, playing as a team together. It gives you a chance to win every night.”

How does a team prepare for such high-pressure hockey? Syvret believes it starts with a strong foundation of a team’s structure and a good understanding of systems. A team’s skill and grasp of its systematic play and style puts them in a good position. And then?

“In a tournament like this, you can’t afford to have lapses or mental lapses,” the coach said. “You have to be at your peak performance for that week to come out on top.”

“You gotta trust the system,” said Weir. “You gotta stick to what we’re good at, stick to what we’ve been doing all year. Treat it just like every other game, but with the sense that there is no tomorrow.”

The Mississauga Senators mastered that last year – and the Jr. Knights got an up-close look. After going 3-1 in round robin play, London advanced to the quarterfinals and dropped a 4-1 contest to the Senators, the eventual Cup winners.

“We gave them a pretty strong game,” Syvret recalled. “We had our chances. We had a couple breakaways that we didn’t capitalize on. If things go in that way, it’s a little bit of a different story …”

The Jr. Knights will see the Senators again this year, as they’re set to take on Mississauga in a round robin game as part of the Subban Division’s preliminary play. First up, London will play one of the wild card teams on Wednesday at 4:00pm. They’ll continue Thursday with a 9:00am game against the Southern Tier Admirals, and then play a pair Friday – first at 10:15am against the Senators, and then at 4:45pm (opponent yet to be determined).

Ryan Roobroeck, a highly-touted OHL prospect, led all ALLIANCE players in scoring during the 2022-23 season. (Photo: Wild Ave Photography).

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Can the Jr. Knights run the table and win it all? Syvret is certainly confident in his troops.

“There’s a reason we were the top team in the league,” the coach said. “There’s a reason we’ve advanced in the league playoffs. The guys play all year long. We’ve obviously worked hard on the ice all season, and they do off-ice training to get their endurance and strength up.”

That said, the coach knows a knockout tournament can bring all sorts of surprises.

“You could run into a hot goalie and have to find a way to score. You could have a hot goalie who can carry you. You know, a guy could just get the hot hand. You see it sometimes in the playoffs in the NHL where the unexpecting scorer becomes a guy that scores at will.

“There are all kinds of different storylines that can be written.”

Weir is ready for whatever awaits.

“I’ve been waiting the whole year for this,” he said. “It’s been a long year. Everything I’ve been training for the last year, on-ice and off-ice, mentally and physically, it’s all for this.”

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Video: Paul Culliton / Joint Media Group inc.