OHL: A Knights Tale

McKeen's correspondent David Burstyn looks at a handful of London Knights players eligible for the upcoming NHL entry draft as well as NHL picks John Carlson, Philip McRae, Zac Rinaldo and 2010 draft-eligible Jared Knight.

Philip Varone (2009), C, London

Hampered by several minor injuries this season has limited his speed, however he continues to produce at a modest clip averaging close to a point a game and is a great secondary scorer .. individual skill set and creativity allows him to play either wing and make clever plays with the puck .. a savvy puckhandler with strong vision and plays well in tighter contests .. gets his shot off quickly and utilizes his speed in sporadic bursts up the wing or in tight spaces .. equipped with a strong snapshot, he has scored close to 20 goals despite not always being used on the PP .. earns his ice and has put fourth consistent efforts of late in all areas of the ice, especially away from the puck .. there are some size concerns, mainly his height, (5-91/2), although he is quite stocky .. has a nice mixture of speed, skill and grit, which should see him be a mid to late round NHL pick.

Daniel Erlich (2009), RW, London

A shifty and dynamic player who has a knack for scoring timely goals .. small but has managed to stay healthy this year, (unlike last year) due to his improved intelligence, as he has learned to pick his spots and opponents more wisely .. great individual hand skills including saucer passes and a strong wristshot even though he is a mere 5-foot-6 and 155 pounds .. energy player who is pesky and gets involved and like the dirt underneath your fingers nails that you cannot quite reach .. he makes bigger players look foolish as he is slippery .. needs to learn to make simple plays and not over handle the puck .. can be a prima donna and loves to be the show .. has matured but still has a ways to go to be a professional .. it is unlikely he will grow anymore, however one cannot deny his game-breaking skills .. he has not been given the forum to shine in London, yet, however he is an intriguing player and a team with several picks would probably be apt to take a stab at him in the later rounds.

Nazem Kadri (2009), RW, C, London

Made the wrong type of headlines when he was a healthy scratch in a recent contest against the Sarnia Sting .. plays the game in a capsule and despite his impressive and above-average skill set, he seems almost removed from the play when he has the puck .. still has not learned to use his teammates advantageously .. easily removed off the puck and appears to lack creativity .. he only seems to have one or two moves to beat a defender .. Kadri explodes into the open seams but does not get much done .. there is no denying the points he has put up but he has also had the luxury of playing on the top PP unit on one of the best teams in the OHL .. size is a big concern, as he gets thumped often and even though he is naturally aggressive and competes, he tends to fall down too much .. Kadri wants to be a difference-maker, which is encouraging, however at this point it is difficult to gauge where he fits into the big picture as an NHLer.

John Carlson (Wsh), D, London

The second leading scorer in the OHL amongst defenseman, Carlson continues to be the offensive stalwart on a backend that features first round NHL selection Michael DelZotto .. Carlson has regressed however, as his defensive play has become too predictable .. easily surrenders the line and does not push up on opposing forwards .. stops moving his feet and his passive defensive posture is alarming considering how quickly he acclimatized himself to the league .. likes to hit but gets mentally rattled when he is on the receiving end of a hit .. offensively is where he shines, as he eagerly jumps into the rush and quarterbacks the point on literally every PP opportunity .. puck skills are very refined and his shot is an absolute cannon .. Carlson, like many of his teammates are in a lull for the month of February as the team struggles with all the new additions.

Phil McRae (StL), C, London

McRae has marked improvement in his overall skating .. still not explosive, his turns and overall mechanics have become more crisp and fluid .. exhibits decent short-term speed, as he is able to get to loose pucks faster this year than last .. both creative and a capable finisher .. his skills would lie more as a finisher, however his puck skills and innate ability to know where his linemates are is encouraging, as it makes him a more-rounded player .. slick hands in close and opens up the ice for his teammates with his passing skills .. he drives to the net more to take advantage of the time and space his sizeable frame can create .. does not always compete down low and shies away from physical play .. McRae is starting to realize his potential, as he is a traditional late bloomer who has cleaned up his game in conjunction with his coordination.

Zac Rinaldo (Phi), LW, London

Acquired at the trade deadline for Kale Kerbashian .. the two play similar styles of games, however the edge to offensive finishing ability goes to Rinaldo .. constantly complaining about a lack of primetime scoring minutes in Mississauga, the Hamilton native is getting a chance to showcase his offensive talents and making good on his opportunities .. a pesky player who works well down low and has good short-term speed .. he drives to the front of the net and challenges corners .. his shooting skills are better than his passing skills, as he lacks creativity but he is good banging away at loose pucks .. his wristshot is sharp from in close and he will not hesitate to shoot once he gets below the hash marks .. beats few defensemen in the league with his stickhandling skills, as he prefers to go through them .. has succeeded in being a Sean Avery-type-player, who targets the best players and mentally unnerves them .. a potential Flyer but will need years of grooming in the AHL.

Jared Knight (2010), RW, London

Knight has yet to be used in all situations but coach Hunter has recognized his superior offensive skills and gives him a regular shift on the PP .. he often lines up with inferior linemates that cannot expose his skill set in 5-5 situations .. a strong skater with superb acceleration in two short strides .. he understands and processes the game but has yet to establish himself as a top-six forward and was not a factor in a physically fuelled game recently against Windsor .. a highly skilled talent that only needs time to groom his confidence .. should be able to add some muscle to his frame in the off-season to better prepare himself for the draft.