Early test for Knights this weekend

Knight Watch: Two wins in three tries so far, London now gets two home games vs. tough opponents — North Bay and Guelph. What’s the early assessment of the squad? Columnist Jake Jeffrey has all the latest …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Michael Simpson and Kasper Halttunen couldn’t have asked for a better start to their London Knights careers. Simpson made 57 saves in a pair of victories over Niagara last weekend, while Halttunen scored three goals — two of them coming in the third period of Saturday’s 5-2 road victory over the IceDogs.

The Finnish forward was blown away by his first taste of Budweiser Gardens on a Friday night.

“It was an unbelievable first game for me, the fans were unreal,” Halttunen said. “I love playing here.”

Simpson also appreciated the hometown support — in his hometown. He received a large ovation when he was welcomed to the ice for pregame introductions — despite besting the Knights with the Petes in last spring’s OHL Final. The warm welcome did not go unnoticed by the former London Jr. Knight.

“Hearing that loud roar, it was pretty crazy,” Simpson said. “It’s certainly nice having the fans cheering for me.”

Once the puck dropped, Simpson was immediately put to the test, turning aside a 2-on-1 opportunity just 15 seconds into the game. In a very busy first period, he was called upon to make 19 saves.

“Coming into the game, I didn’t expect to face 20 (shots) in the first period, but I think we did a really good job after that and shut things down,” the new Knights goalie said. “Once we got our feet under us, we really started to dominate.”

Kaeden Johnston, Ryder Boulton and Sam O’Reilly all tallied their first OHL goals over the weekend. O’Reilly, who played five games with the Knights last season, was happy to get that first goal out of the way.

“I just went to the net, hoping to get a stick on it, and good things happen,” the rookie said.

Strathroy’s Rene Van Bommel has played in all three games so far this season, and he picked up his first OHL point, an assist in Saturday’s win in Niagara.

After a sweep of Niagara, the Knights did drop a midweek contest in Sault Ste. Marie, losing 3-2 to the Greyhounds in a shootout Wednesday. Making his first start of the season, backup goalie Owen Willmore turned aside 24 Soo shots. Max McCue scored his first of the season in the loss.

With the return of Boston Bruins prospect Jackson Edward, the Knights dressed seven defencemen Wednesday night. A week away from the start of the NHL season, Easton Cowan remains with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After the first week, London held its spot at the top of the OHL Power Rankings — and the team has moved into first in the CHL Top Ten Rankings. Saginaw (5th) and Sudbury (8th) are the other two OHL teams to crack that list. The Knights will now face two tough tests this weekend …

Michael Simpson, the Knights’ new goalie in 2023-24, has won his first two starts. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (Oct. 6, 7:00pm) vs. North Bay Battalion (1-1-0-1, T-2nd in Central Division)

The Battalion are coming off an overtime loss in Windsor Thursday night, while the Knights dropped a Wednesday night contest against the Soo in a shootout. North Bay is expected to be good again this year, and they’ll be a good early season test for the Knights. Rookie Iggy Pazil has two goals so far this season, while Anthony Romani leads the club with three points in three outings. Ty Nelson has returned from the Seattle Kraken and is expected to be one of the OHL’s top blueliners this season. The Battalion also has one of the league’s top netminders in Dom DiVincentiis. Londoner Charlie Robertson played in Windsor, so it will likely be DiVincentiis against the Knights on Friday. Keep an eye out for locals Owen Van Steensel (Ilderton) and Dylan Richter (Parkhill).

Saturday (Oct. 7, 7:00pm) vs. Guelph Storm (2-0-0-0, 3rd in Midwest Division)

This will be Lonon’s first divisional matchup of the season, and it’ll be against a very strong Storm squad — albeit missing two of their top players, Matthew Poitras (still at camp with the Boston Bruins) and Cam Allen, who is expected to miss a chunk of the season following shoulder surgery. Londoner Jett Luchanko has a goal and assist in his first two games. The Storm are currently 4th in the OHL power rankings after winning their first two games to start the season.

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

New York Rangers prospect Bryce McConnell-Barker has a goal and two assists through his first three games with the Soo Greyhounds.

Dylan Roobroeck, another Rangers prospect, has scored in both games he’s played this season with the Oshawa Generals, also adding an assist.

Strathroy’s Hunter Haight has a goal and three points in his first two games with the Saginaw Spirit.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

4 - With another assist Wednesday night, draft-eligible defenseman Sam Dickinson now has four assists in three games.

5 - The London Knights lead the league with five powerplay goals. It’s a small sample size, but they currently have a 50% efficiency rate with the man advantage.

0 - The Knights are one of four OHL teams who have yet to surrender a goal while shorthanded, killing off all eight opportunities where they’ve been a man down.

AROUND THE OHL

The Ottawa 67’s acquired overage forward Kalen Lawrence from the Owen Sound Attack.

Peterborough Petes forward Jax Dubois is the OHL Player of the Week, scoring two goals and seven points over two games.

Mississauga Steelheads netminder Ryerson Leenders is the OHL Goaltender of the Week, winning both of his games last weekend and recording his first OHL shutout.