Knight Watch: The D is key; Bonk a player to watch

Coming off a season-opening loss, the Knights play two this weekend to learn more about their team identity; What will they do about overage dilemma? Columnist Jake Jeffrey has the latest news & notes …

Bryce Montgomery celebrates his third-period goal during the Knights’ season opener last Friday. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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It took Owen Sound ten tries to finally beat London last year. This time around? They got it done on their first attempt, topping London 5-3 in the season opener for both teams last Friday.

Rarely is there an ‘off year’ for teams in the OHL’s Midwest Division, and the gauntlet looks well alive this season. The Knights got their first taste of that in their home opener against the Attack, who could be one of the conference’s top teams when all is said and done (Owen Sound beat Kitchener, 4-3, the following night at home to improve to 2-0).

But if you take away a second period that was largely dominated by the Attack (shot 15-1 in their favour), the Knights looked quite good during the other 40 minutes, even outshooting their opponents in the final frame (12-5).

For better or for worse, it’s important not to overreact one way or another so early in the season, but here are some of my takeaways from the home opener …

There’s plenty of skill up front, and London will find ways to score this season. It won’t be a top-heavy offence like we saw last year. It will be a bit more widespread. Ryan Del Monte, who was a nice offseason addition, has the ability to create opportunities in the offensive zone. Players like Max McCue, Landon Sim, Denver Barkey, Easton Cowan and Abakar Kazbekov were all dangerous at times in the offensive zone against the Attack.

London went 1-for-3 on the power play last Friday night, and I think that could be a sign of things to come. More often than not, the Knights typically boast an above average power play, and a combination of heavy and well-placed point shots, as well as offensively skilled players up front, could be a recipe for success for the Knights with the man advantage.

Goaltender Brett Brochu was busier than his 23 saves suggests, as he made a number of stops on breakaways and odd-man rushes. The reigning OHL Goaltender of the Year can’t be inhuman every night, of course, so the Knights will need to limit high-quality scoring chances to be successful.

That dreadful second period when the Knights were outshot 15-1 and outscored 3-0? Don’t look too much into it. London bounced back in the third, outshooting Owen Sound 12-5 and, although they weren’t able to climb out of the hole they dug for themselves, they did score twice in the period (Cowan and Bryce Montgomery).

Depth is a good thing, especially on defence, and London’s D corps is certainly deep — in fact, it’s a bit crowded. The Knights have eight OHL-calibre players on their blueline, and I would argue a good chunk of them are top-end guys. There was no Gerard Keane, Logan Mailloux or Isaiah George in the home opener, and all three of them have been OHL regulars for awhile now.

Speaking of the blueline, there are two defensemen in particular I think will have big seasons — in Bryce Montgomery’s case, that’s literally true. At 6-foot-5 and north of 220 pounds, Montgomery is a force and could be poised for a dominant season. He is far more mobile a defender than a player his size and strength has any right to be.

The other D-man to keep an eye out for is Oliver Bonk. He played only 10 games as a call-up last season, but he’s already looking to be a big part of London’s blueline. He certainly got off to a quick start, scoring his first OHL goal last Friday (the first Knights goal of the 2022-23 season). He skates well and he’s a fantastic puck mover. As he continues to refine his defensive skills at the OHL level, I imagine he’ll get plenty of looks from NHL teams heading into this year’s draft.

Defenceman Oliver Bonk, who scored his first OHL goal in the season opener, is a player to watch in 2022-23 as a key member of the Knights’ blueline. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (Oct. 7, 7:00pm) vs. Soo Greyhounds (1-2-0-0)

It’s looking like a rebuilding year for the Greyhounds after they saw a significant chunk of their offence, as well as their starting goalie, move on to the next level after last season. This should be a good matchup for the Knights, who are in a similar situation of unknowns. Bryce McConnell-Barker, a London native and newly-named Soo captain, leads the way for the Hounds, as he’s the team’s top returning scorer from last year (23 G, 26 A — 49 points). In his first three games this season, he has a goal and an assist.

Saturday (Oct. 8, 7:00pm) @ Erie Otters (0-2-0-1) (Erie plays Mississauga Friday)

The Otters also have a local connection in Elgin-Middlesex Canucks graduate Christian Kyrou, who leads the blueline in Erie after a breakout season last year saw him get scooped up by the Dallas Stars in the 2022 NHL draft. Kyrou already has a goal and two assists through the Otters’ first three games. These teams aren’t strangers, as they played a pair of preseason contests against each other in September, splitting a home-and-home series (both games went to a shootout).

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

Bryce McConnell-Barker, as mentioned, was named captain of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The former London Junior Knight was selected by the New York Rangers in the third round of the 2022 NHL draft. His younger brother, Brodie, will also get some games with the Hounds this season, although he’ll spend the bulk of the season with the Soo Thunderbirds of the NOJHL.

Dylan Roebroek was traded from Niagara to Oshawa in the offseason, and he’s off to a great start with his new team, scoring a pair of goals, both of which were game-winners.

Strathroy’s Hunter Haight has a goal and an assist through his first two games with the Barrie Colts. He was a second round pick of the Minnesota Wild in the most recent NHL draft.

Ingersoll’s Gavin Bryant had two goals and an assist in Owen Sound’s 5-3 win against London last Friday.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

1 - The Knights had just a single shot in the second period of their loss to Owen Sound.

2 - The number of goals from defensemen London recorded in their home opener, with Oliver Bonk and Bryce Montgomery doing the honours. Last season, it took until game 17 for the Knights to have two goals from their blueline in a contest (both of which were scored by Gerard Keane).

4 - The number of overagers currently on London’s roster — one more than can be dressed in a game. Between Brett Brochu, Bryce Montgomery, Gerard Keane and Sean McGurn, one will likely need to be traded at some point this season. All four could make solid additions for teams looking to add age and experience to their lineup.

12 - Sean McGurn won 12 of his 15 faceoffs against Owen Sound in the season opener.