A Knights Tale

The London Knights should once again rival for the division crown in the Midwest division. With a surplus of forwards returning to the team, including the Toronto Maple Leafs first round selection Nazem Kadri, they will not be hard pressed to score goals. The addition of Michael Hutchinson leaves them capable in net. The Achilles' heel to the Knights is their backend. The injury to first round pick Scott Harrington hurts the club even though he is just 16 years old. There are not many options for coach Hunter to lean on even with the recent acquisition of Michael D'Orazio. Nonetheless, the Knights should offensively overpower the opposition.

McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn, looks at several impact players for the London Knights this season including draft pick Nazem Kadri, Phil McRae, Daniel Erlich, Jared Knight and Jake Worrad.

Nazem Kadri (Tor), C, London

Kadri returns after a very long and successful audition with the Leafs, having played and scored in a handful of NHL exhibition games .. the slick and elusive Kadri is an offensive machine .. dangerous every time he touches the puck, Kadri can dangle, twist and turn off guys and make seemingly innocent plays into scoring opportunities .. the opposition respects him so much that he is often given more room than he should get and as a result, exploits it further for even more ice space .. very difficult to contain off the rush, the Knights transition game stems around Kadri's ability to patrol the redline, as he, as well as coach Hunter is confident that he can beat any defender in the league with his speed .. feisty and aggressive, Kadri fights for his ice .. coupled with his hair trigger release and uncanny stick preparation in the slot it makes for a lethal combination .. limited in his defensive game but the reality is he very rarely has to defend considering when he is on the ice, as he often dictates the play .. his brief stint with the pro's helped to prepare him, as he has come back even more talented and smart in the offensive zone .. he could easily challenge for a league scoring title.

Phil McRae (StL), RW, London

McRae has been switched to the wing, riding shotgun with Kadri and thus far the move has not agreed with him .. with zero goals in his first five games, McRae is a perennial slow starter, nonetheless he has had his fair share of chances .. still suffering from the NHL hangover, he did have a successful rookie camp in Traverse City .. his skating has improved and while there still lacks a second gear he does make good use of his stride .. able to control and command the play more due to his physical stature .. keeps the puck close to his body, making it even harder to knock him off the puck .. size opens up room on the half boards for him .. showing improved stickhandling abilities and a willingness to compete more so than last season .. while the points have not come with the regularity that McRae would like in the early going, he is bound to repeat his stats from last season .. McRae needs to continue to work on his skating and defensive game.

Daniel Erlich (2010), LW, London

Erlich impressed at SJ training camps playing in several exhibition games and produced points .. he is an undersized forward but is able to manufacture offence due to his quick hands and unbelievable stickhandling ability .. creative forward who is not afraid to push the envelope .. he readily challenges forwards and defensemen to commit to him and unlike last season, he has developed more of a shooter's mentality, as opposed to making an extra move .. has learned to tone down (albeit slightly) his stickhandling wizardry and shoot in slot .. Erlich will always try and get a stick on a forward in defensive situations .. he is not big enough to knock a player off balance but he can nag at them for a while before a defender can reach them .. doing a better job of exploiting his holes and playing a more refined/mature game .. resembles that of a young Martin St. Louis.

Jared Knight (2010), RW, London

The demotion of Kadri from the Leafs hurt the development of Knight, as it slotted him back to the third line .. Knight is an offensive player with sharp instincts, however his linemates do not bring out his talents .. a small, compact skater he has good acceleration .. tends to leave the defensive zone pursuing offensive opportunities .. plays can get behind him and he has not quite figured out how to play effectively without the puck .. wants to do too much to gain next shift .. not getting any time on the PP because the first unit usually scores .. needs to battle harder, as he doesn't always engage through traffic .. simplifying his game would benefit him .. he tries to beat guys when he should adopt a more dump and chase game to his repertoire .. it is early in the season, however Knight needs to find his confidence on the third line and coach Hunter will still need to tinker with his lines to bring the most out of the young Knight.

Jake Worrad (2011), D, London

The second round pick is a London native and is playing a regular shift .. Worrad is a solid skater in all directions and can keep up with most players laterally .. as is the case with most rookie defenders, he tends to be beaten when older players lean on him, as physically he is not developed .. nonetheless, he does show a healthy skill set and makes simple, smart plays up the ice - always with his head up .. plays a low profile game, however is usually an even player at the end of the contest .. there is an offensive layer to his game, as he does have a good shot .. he does not use it very often, but it should be a weapon later on in his junior career .. handling the puck is not his forte either but playing at this level will certainly hone his skills .. currently a nice depth option for the Knights, as he does show promise of being an OHL regular.