OHL Report: London Knights

The new look London Knights have done a fine job of addressing holes left from the departure of Nazem Kadri. Adding the likes of Vladislav Namestnikov and the development of Seth Griffith have helped balance the scoring lines. The backend is stable with Scott Harrington playing a bigger role in his NHL draft year and first year defender Troy Donnay adding size and toughness. Mckeen's Director of Scouting, David Burstyn, takes a first hand look at these players.

Scott Harrington (2011), D, London

Fresh off a gold medal performance at the Hlinka tournament where he played in a top-four role, Harrington returns to London assuming a spot in the top-four rotation playing along side Michael D'Orazio, one of the better over aged defensemen in the league .. not a risk taker, he plays a staunch defensive game and marries it well with a mature offensive game .. capable of making crisp outlet passes and has a good shot from the point .. surprisingly, he does not see first unit PP time as coach Hunter prefers to go with a five-man forward unit .. logs time on the second unit and uses his shot as a weapon .. hard and low and perfect for deflections .. he will step off the point to put himself in better position to get it off .. as the high man he can control the PP .. not a natural puckrusher, his game is based on making a quick play to get out of the zone and then make the pass up ice .. a strong skater who does not have an explosive gear but boasts good change of pace .. can recover well, as he is always in good position .. an average skater in a reverse movement, he does a good job of angling off players .. at times, opponents are intimidated by him and will often dump the puck in before challenging him 1-1, as he has presence in the defensive zone and is a difficult player to beat .. at times, he loses his positioning down low .. good communicator with his partner, as he is constantly verbalizing his position on the ice and where pressure is coming from .. Harrington is physically well put together, as he has modest height but he is thick .. has good tools that are still developing.

Troy Donnay (2012), D, London

Signed in the off-season after acquiring his brother Cody from the Peterborough Petes .. at 6-foot-7 and a slight 175 pounds, he looks and is vastly underdeveloped .. good range of motion due to his wide looping skating stride .. two strides has him nearly covering the whole sheet of ice moving vertically .. not much power in his stride but this will come with increased strength and conditioning .. he is smooth in a backwards motion and shows decent agility on his pivots .. understands how to use his stick defensively, making him difficult to beat .. makes adjustments early to his footwork and at times, over anticipates the play but this is a common trait amongst rookie defenders .. tends to be everywhere, playing both sides of the ice when the play is in the offensive zone .. very tentative to handle or make a play with the puck .. played with aggressiveness and tenacity as a member of the Belle Tire minor midget squad last season and those traits will undoubtedly come out once he achieves a comfort level in the league.

Vladislav Namestnikov (2011), C, London

Has been a permanent fixture on all Russian International teams including the Hlinka, World Jr.A Challenge and both U17 and U18 programs, averaging more than a point a game in each tournament .. third-line centre sees time on the second unit PP, as he is a gifted playmaker with outstanding vision and feel for the game in the offensive zone .. needs to put on some weight, as he cannot operate in the danger areas, but to his credit he willingly darts in and out of the slot looking for a pass .. plays with some sandpaper and refuses to be intimidated .. will attack the boards and shows a good compete level to dig out loose pucks .. he can be courageous when inspired and even dishes out some shots after the whistle .. needs to pick his opponents better, as it appears he may be too aggressive to prove that he will not be intimidated and may choose the wrong sparring partner .. his defensive game is mature, as he plays on the second unit PK .. he often comes back but he has lapses in judgement and can be guilty of not moving his feet .. good agility and edge control on his skates .. moves fluid with the puck in his possession .. shot power needs to be improved upon but he is a very efficient passer and can change the tempo of the game with the puck on his blade .. appears to have a good attitude and is meshing well with his teammates due to his grasp of the English language .. has a great skill set to draw from, is smart and instinctive and has a plays a similar game to Sergei Kostitsyn.

Seth Griffith (2011), LW, London

A natural centre that is playing out of position due to the influx of forwards on the Knights roster .. appeared in over 17 games last year for the Knights after posting incredible numbers in Jr.B as a 16-year old (49-43-35-78) St.Marys .. Griffith has uncanny offensive skills, as he can pass better than he can shoot and is extremely patient with the puck .. he often out waits the opposition and can make a quick play with the puck, as his wrists are lightning fast .. finds ways to get the puck on goal .. does not show fear in driving the puck out wide and will engage along the boards despite his diminutive stature .. he is strong on his skates and can change direction effortlessly .. elusive when entering the zone, when the puck is not in his possession he often enters the zone a tad late as a trailer as not to go detected .. defensively, he still needs work, as he is simply unable to make a difference down low, however his transition game is good because of his quickness out of the gate and ability to make moves with the puck at varying rates of speed .. Griffith would benefit from more icetime and being on the second line, however with many returning players and his lack of size, he is unable to pry Martin off the second line .. coach Hunter has given him some valuable PP time, which should help in his overall development .. has great offensive tools but lack of size will cripple his draft stock.