Knights look to lock up division

Knight Watch: London can clinch with one win; Hunter reaches milestone victory; Elliott named OHL Goaltender of the Week; A hat-trick times two; It’s a busy four-game week …

Austin Elliott is the reigning OHL Goaltender of the Week. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The London Knights have reached 50 wins for the second straight season, and they’re now looking to lock up yet another Midwest Division title.

It was a milestone weekend for Knights head coach Dale Hunter, who collected his 999th, 1000th, and 1001st wins in the OHL, becoming just the second coach in Canadian Hockey League history to reach the benchmark.

And it was a dominant week for the Knights, as they outscored their opponents 17-2 in a trio of victories. That included shutouts from both Austin Elliott and Alexei Medvedev, the third of the season for both netminders (the Knights lead the league with those six shutouts).

With a pair of wins last week, Elliott was named the OHL’s Goaltender of the Week, the second time this season he has received the honour.

London has allowed just 11 goals over their last eight victories, with two shutouts and three one-goal games during that stretch. They’ll have their hands full this weekend when they face some of the OHL’s top offensive players, including Windsor’s Liam Greentree and Ilya Protas, who are both top-four in the OHL in both goals and points.

Saginaw’s Michael Misa, meanwhile, leads the league with 124 points, and defenseman Zayne Parekh has the second most assists in the OHL. He’s the first blueliner to reach 100 points since Ryan Ellis did so with Windsor in 2011.

London is now on the verge of clinching its sixth straight Midwest Division title. The Knights need just two points in their final seven games to clinch the division — and first overall in the OHL standings.

It will be a busy stretch to wrap up the regular season, with seven games in 13 days, including four games this week. London has an opportunity to finish the season with its second-best record in franchise history. They won’t be able to reach the 120-point season the 2004-05 squad achieved, but they could surpass the 110-point 2003-04 team if they manage nine points through their final seven contests.

Knights head coach Dale Hunter reached 1,000 wins for his OHL career on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

This season marks only the second time the Knights have posted back-to-back 50-win and 100-point seasons. The last time? You guessed it, 2004 and 2005.

Those teams are the benchmark for the Hunter dynasty, and before Tuesday night’s game, the Knights will recognize the 20th anniversary of that 2005 Memorial Cup-winning team. Several members of the team are expected to be in attendance, including Corey Perry, Danny Syvret, Rob Schemp, Dan Girardi and Adam Dennis.

Overage forward Jacob Julien has signed his entry level contract with the Winnipeg Jets. Julien went undrafted in the OHL before eventually being selected by the Knights in the third round of the U18 draft a year later.

Cam Allen could return to the Knights’ lineup this weekend. Following his guilty plea for impaired driving, the OHL announced his suspension would be a total of 15 games. That allows him to return Sunday against Windsor, pending league approval. He last played on Feb. 7, and was arrested on impaired driving related charges the next day.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Tuesday (March 11, 7:00pm at home) & Wednesday (March 12, 6:37pm on road) vs. Guelph Storm (18-33-5-4, 10th in Western Conference)

A rebuilding year for the last place Storm, as they'll miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017. London has won all four meetings so far including an 8-7 barnburner back in November, the other three games were far more decisive with London outscoring the Storm 15-1. William Nicholl (Edmonton Oilers) has three goals and nine points against the Storm this season, Easton Cowan and Noah Read also have three goals in the season series. Former London Junior Knight Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers) is the only Storm player with more than a point per game this season, he has 19 goals and 48 points through 38 games. Parker Snelgrove, another LJK grad, has nine goals and 21 points this season. And good news on the injury front as former Knight Noah Jenkin has returned to the Storm lineup after suffering a scary injury in mid-January. The Ilderton native has two goals since joining the Storm at the trade deadline.

Friday (March 14, 7:00pm) vs. Saginaw Spirit (36-24-2-1, 4th in Western Conference)

The Spirit have two players who have tallied more than 100 points this season, and one of which is a defenseman. Michael Misa leads the league with 124 points, while Zayne Parrekh became the first defenseman to hit the century mark in points since Ryan Ellis did so in 2011. He also has three goals and six points against London so far this season. First year forward Carson Harmer and Jacob Cloutier are among the OHL's top rookie scorers. Former London Junior Knight standout Ethan Weir has two goals and eight points since joining the Spirit. Former Knight Kaeden Johnston is now with Saginaw after being dealt to Sarnia at the start of the season. Hayden Barch, son of former Knight Krys Barch, has a goal and four points with the Spirit this season. Worth mentioning Saginaw's lone win against the Knights came in London, although it was just the 11th game of the season.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

Sunday (March 16, 4:05pm) @ Windsor Spitfires (41-16-4-1, 2nd in Western Conference)

Another team that has a pair of players with more than 100 points. Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings) and Ilya Protas (Washington Capitals) both have 45 goals and more than 100 points this season. Noah Morneau and Ryan Abraham both have 25 goals this season, and draft eligible forward Jack Nesbitt has a career high 21. Joey Costanzo is among the league leaders in most goaltending categories and is the second to reach 30 wins. Thorndale's Carter Froggett has been a steady backup with eight wins in 18 appearances this season. One year after finishing last in the OHL the Spitfires clinched the West Division, their third division title in the last four years. One of two teams in the OHL with more than one win over London, the season series is split at two wins apiece with the home team coming out victorious in all four meetings.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

1,000 - Dale Hunter is just the second coach in OHL history (Brian Kilrea) to reach the 1000-win milestone.

6 - If the Knights get a win over Guelph on Tuesday or Wednesday, they’ll clinch the team’s sixth straight Midwest Division title.

6 - Austin Elliott and Aleksei Medvedev each recorded their third shutouts of the season last week, giving the Knights an OHL-best six shutouts this year.

100 - The Knights have reached 100 points for the second straight season — and the 12th time in franchise history.

8 - Sunday was just the eighth time in team history that two players scored a hat trick in the same game. Rene Van Bommel and Sam O’Reilly did the honours in a lopsided 9-0 win over Sarnia. 

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

- Brennan Faulkner (Peterborough Petes) has goals in three straight games.

- Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara IceDogs) has three goals in his last four games and is two away from the 40-goal mark this season.

AROUND THE OHL

- Brantford’s Nick Lardis has reached the 70-goal mark. He’s the first player to reach that total in a season since John Tavares did it in 2006-07.

- With a big win over Ottawa on Sunday, North Bay jumped four points ahead of the 67’s for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have six games remaining.

- The Eastern Conference is crowded at the top. Brantford holds a three-point lead on Oshawa for top spot heading into a new week, while Kingston and Barrie are two points back of the Generals.

- In the West, three teams are jostling for the final two playoff spots. After 62 games played, Sarnia has 54 points, the Soo has 52, and Owen Sound is currently outside the playoff picture with 51.