Can Knights enter break on winning note?

Knight Watch: London will play shorthanded with three headed to World Juniors; Boulton gets 10-game ban, penalties mounting for Knights; Simpson busy in net. Columnist Jake Jeffrey has the latest Knights news & notes …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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A busy three-game weekend lies ahead for a London Knights team that will be missing some of its top players.

Top goal scorer Kasper Halttunen is with Team Finland preparing for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, while Oliver Bonk and Easton Cowan, who were named to Canada’s roster Wednesday evening, are also heading to Sweden shortly. 

The Knights played shorthanded in Sault Ste. Marie last weekend, with several call-ups getting some OHL action. And that will be the case again this weekend. Though Sunday’s contest in the Soo was a good back-and-forth affair, London’s comeback bid ultimately fell short.

There was also a bit of drama. The Greyhounds’ Jack Beck scored with just under four minutes left in the second period to give the home side a 4-3 lead. There was a lengthy review on the play at the blue line prior to the goal, but it was ultimately ruled onside and a good goal.

Later in the game, Knights forward Sawyer Boulton was assessed a game misconduct penalty for a hit to the head of Bryce McConnell-Barker after the latter scored to put the Soo up 5-3. That elbow will sideline Boulton from action for the next month, as he was suspended for 10 games by the league for the elbow. He won’t be eligible to return until Jan. 12. 

This weekend, in London’s final action before the holiday break, the Knights will face three teams who have done their fair share of winning lately. First, it’ll be a fast-improving Windsor team. Then, it’s Owen Sound, who has played London tough in both meetings this year. The Knights will wrap the weekend Sunday against Sudbury, who devoured them to the tune of 9-2 when they last met.

With several regulars out of the lineup for the next while, the Knights are going to rely heavily on players like Jacob Julien, Denver Barkey, Ruslan Gazizov, Max McCue and Sam Dickinson.

Julien has 25 points over his last 14 games, and McCue has goals in four straight. Barkey just missed making Canada’s roster for the World Juniors, so look for the Philadelphia Flyers prospect to come back to the Knights with something to prove. With 41 points through 28 games, he currently sits seventh in OHL scoring — with an opportunity to gain some ground over the next couple of weeks.

London will also need goaltender Michael Simpson to steal some games in net. He’s been busy, starting in six straight games for the Knights. He’s one of 10 OHL goalies to play more than 1,200 minutes so far this season.

Kasper Halttunen, who has a team-leading 20 goals in 28 games for the Knights, will compete for Finland at the World Junior Championship in Sweden, beginning later this month. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Thursday (Dec. 14, 7:05pm) @ Windsor Spitfires (9-19-1-0, 5th in West Division)

After losing eight straight, the Spitfires have turned things around, winning five of their last eight contests. Ian Michelone has won each of his last four starts, including a 25-save shutout victory. Draft-eligible forward Liam Greentree leads the team with 19 goals and 38 points, while overager Oliver Peer is coming off a five-point game against Flint last weekend. The last time these two teams met, it looked more like a football score with London winning 10-7.

Friday (Dec. 15, 7:00pm) vs. Owen Sound Attack (15-12-2-0, 4th in Midwest Division)

Winners of eight of their last 10, Owen Sound is creeping up the conference standings. Overager Deni Goure leads the Attack with 37 points, while Goure and Montreal Canadiens prospect Cedrick Guindon lead the team with 16 goals apiece. Sam Sedley is third in OHL scoring among defensemen with 33 points on the season. The Knights have won the two meetings this season, both come-from-behind, one-goal victories. Rookie netminder Carter George is among the league leaders in save percentage — and is second in the OHL with three shutouts. The Attack’s powerplay has been a big reason for their recent success, and they’ve moved up to second in the OHL with a 33% efficiency rate.

Sunday (Dec. 17, 2:00pm) @ Sudbury Wolves (15-10-2-1, 2nd in Central Division)

The Knights will be looking for some redemption after dropping the first meeting between these two teams by a 9-2 margin. Quentin Musty, who tallied a hat trick in that game, is averaging two points per game with 13 goals through 17 contests. David Goyette is among the top offensive talents in the OHL. The Seattle Kraken prospect leads the team with 43 points. Sudbury will likely be without St. Louis Blues first rounder Dalibor Dvorsky, who has 18 goals in 20 games. He’s likely to be with Team Slovakia as they prepare for the World Juniors. The Wolves acquired Dorchester’s Marcus Vandenberg in a trade with Niagara last week, and he could get the start in net for Sudbury.

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

Hunter Haight and Owen Van Steensel, former teammates with the Elgin-Middlesex Canucks, are tied for 19th in OHL scoring. Haight, a Minnesota Wild prospect, has 18 points in his last 12 games, while Van Steensel has 14 points over his last nine contests.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

14 - With points in his last 14 games, Kasper Halttunen is tied for the longest active point streak in the OHL with 11 goals and 19 points over that stretch.

442 - The London Knights are the second most penalized team in the OHL, behind only Mississauga.

4 - Overage forward Max McCue has scored a goal in each of his last four games.

AROUND THE OHL

The Kitchener Rangers traded overage defenseman Roman Schmidt to Kingston for a pair of draft picks. The Rangers had an extra overage player, so this move brings them down to the league limit of three.

Guelph has added some help to their depleted blueline, acquiring Thomas Budnick from Kingston for three draft picks.

The QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic have been selected to host the 2025 Memorial Cup.

Former Owen Sound Attack head coach Greg Walters has been suspended from coaching — or participating in any way — in the OHL until June 30, 2024. That decision came as a result of an investigation that found Walters had an inappropriate verbal altercation with another Attack employee during a game on Oct. 14. The league says he violated the OHL Code of Conduct.