OHL: A Knights Tale

After a first round loss last season, the London Knights are poised to once again challenge for the West division crown. Adding players like Phil Varone, and Nazem Kadri make this program much more competitive than last year, however the coup might have been luring John Carlson away from his commitment to the University of Massachusetts. Jared Knight is another player that the Knights swept away from the USNDTP, however it would seem only fitting that he would be a member of the same OHL team that shares his last name. McKeen's looks at several Knights who should establish themselves as primary contributors.

Nazem Kadri (2009), C, London

Acquired last season but allowed to play out the season for the Rangers, Kadri returns home where he was a scoring sensation with the London Jr. Knights minor system .. a dazzling stickhandler whose hand speed offsets his lack of high-end gear .. very shifty but needs to learn to use his teammates better in scoring positions .. has an innate sense of where to go, whether it is in the slot or filling in for a man on the half boards the puck inherently always ends up on his blade .. what separates Kadri from others is his positioning in the neutral zone .. he positions himself accordingly with the play and is able to pry pucks off players .. reads the breakouts and reacts swiftly .. understood where to be and was the recipient of many passes .. handles the puck both on the fore/backhand well and is able to settle down loose pucks .. he can make many quick moves especially in traffic, and is lethal in open ice as well .. works the PP with precision, as the added time allows him to walk in easily and uncontested .. Kadri needs to be mindful of his long shifts .. his defensive play will give him more grace but he needs to be mindful as not to tire himself out and play within the team structure .. Kadri will produce at over a point a game, as his offensive game should flourish even though he is not surrounded by the healthy cast that he was last year .. he has matured and learned to battle through checks and given his determination and skill, he can easily out-power and out-manoeuvre the majority of the league.

Philip Varone (2009), LW, London

Joined the Knights last season and immediately helped stimulate the offence by producing 36 points in 31 games .. hampered by an off-season shoulder injury, Varone appeared uninvolved and out of sync .. generously listed at 5-foot-11, he is more like 5-foot-9 but to his credit plays bigger and will challenge the opposition .. he tries to hit guys but has a weak upper body so he is not able to dislodge the opposition off the puck .. he does keep them honest by sprinkling a physical aspect to his game .. his game is powered by his ability to produce on the offensive side of the puck, backed by a sizzling wristshot and quick bursts of speed to attack the offensive zone .. needs to bear down more defensively and become a better two-way player even though he is placed on the PK unit .. Varone has an uphill battle ahead of him, as NHL scouts will be pondering the question 'What does he do?" as he is too small, not offensively gifted enough and struggles away from the puck.

Daniel Erlich (2009), RW, London

At 5-foot-6, Erlich makes the most out of his size .. he is already hated by the league for being a yappy little pest who constantly shoots his mouth off after the whistle, but this style of game is also what makes him successful, as he is often the beneficiary of penalty calls .. a highly skilled (converted) winger, he moves swiftly on the ice with small, albeit choppy, jerky strides that lend way to a surprising and deceptive high end speed level .. his hands are very quick as well and it helps him especially in defensive assignments .. he does not always move his feet and the opposition is quick to pick up on this and often attack his side only to find themselves pick pocketed off the puck .. his decision-making and play in traffic also score him top marks, as he has intuitive offensive instincts .. plays the point on the PP and displays velocity on his shots that make him a threat to score .. his passing skills and ability to keep his head up during the play is also strength and one that is done out of necessity because opponents are always looking to hit him and hit him hard .. Erlich's courage is seen as a positive, however he tends to put himself into uncompromising positions that will lead to injuries .. Erlich is a great secondary scorer and if he stays healthy, he is easily a point-a-game player at this level.

Barron Smith (2009), D, London

Smith played last season for the Chicago Steel of the USHL and posted 41-1-4-5 totals .. obviously not known for his play with the puck, Smith is an ultra-aggressive defenseman who looks to time his hits and will drop the gloves without any hesitation .. fought Chappell on Saginaw, a player who is three years his senior and held his own .. he still needs to learn how to properly fight, as he lacks technique and appeared to be holding on for the majority of the tilt .. however, it did manage to take off one of Saginaw's best players .. not fluent with the puck, he handles it poorly and shows very little eagerness to retrieve or make a play with it .. he does a good job defensively of using his size and staying in front of his man as not to expose his poor backwards skating .. he angles off ok and pushes his man to the boards where he can use his pelican-like wingspan to smother his man .. he does have good mobility and considering his height, he moves rather well .. Smith will be a suffocating defensive defenseman and a physical force in this league and will be called upon often to defend his teammates to substantiate his icetime.

Sergei Korostin (Dal), RW, London

Played at the Traverse City tournament as a member of the Dallas Stars .. the third round Dallas selection was selected in the first round of the Import draft, despite the fact he played for the Texas Tornadoes of the NAHL last season .. Korostin brings depth to an already strong right side, which includes MacKinnon, Erlich and first round selection Christian Thomas, son of former NHLer Steve .. his biggest downfall is his lack of physical strength and courage, as he was bumped around rather easily .. he needs to step up his urgency levels and challenge defensemen out wide or for that matter at all .. he does have good speed down low and uses it to get to loose pucks .. he is very methodical when he has the puck .. he makes plays look effortless but he is rather successful in his decision-making and is able to advance the puck .. needs time to get acclimatized to the league but brings a strong offensive game coupled with modest levels of speed to be a difference maker sooner rather than later.

John Carlson (Wsh), D, London

Yet another coup for the Knights organization, as they managed to pry the second leading scorer (defensemen) of the USHL and a first round Washington Capitals selection to their program .. extremely fit and athletic, Carlson looks like a pro already with his booming shot and PP skills but more importantly, the poise and patience he shows with the puck .. unlike other defensemen with his skill set, he is disciplined in terms of when he chooses to rush a play .. this maturity is his best attribute .. well aware of his surroundings and does not play out of his element, supporting the backend while also being a presence up front .. handles the puck crisply, and makes calculated passes that show off his vision .. he did not use his slapshot in this contest, however his wristshot has more power on it than most defensemen's slapshots in this league .. aggressive on the PK, he uses his size and stick well and forces players offside with his aggressive approach often backing up the puckcarrier and forcing him to make an additional move while the other forwards have already gone offside .. plays a rugged game and used his size in a physical capacity, however he is not an in-your-face type of defender .. nice long stride that generated healthy levels of quickness .. very difficult to contain when moving forward .. has all the tools to be a top-two defender on any team and his charisma on the backend transform the Knights into immediate contenders, as he can easily play upwards of 35 minutes a game.

Jared Knight (2010), LW, London

One of many stars who played for the '92 Compuware team, the Battle Creek native joined the Knights after much speculation that he would opt to play for the USNDTP .. Knight brings an uncanny offensive game to the organization, as he is game breaker and can score on will .. he has an excellent shot, which is not only accurate but he can change it up with varying speeds and shot variety .. playing on the fourth line and not getting many shifts, however his play has warranted it thus far with three goals in his first seven games .. quiet and unassuming in the offensive zone, he is able to sneak backdoor and bury his chances .. gets time on the PP and that is where he excels, although he could benefit from a better set of linemates as Kerbashian and Yovanic simply cannot keep up or compliment his game .. he needs to be a top-six forward to be most effective .. the way he plays the half boards on the PP is very reminiscent to Bryan Little, however he needs time and space to make a good decision with the puck .. in 5-on-5 situations, he is easily out-muscled off the puck and takes too long to make a play up ice .. these things will come in time and Knight will be an offensive dynamo once he adjusts to the speed of the OHL.