The London Knights get their Memorial Cup run underway as they take on the QMJHL Champions in their first game of the round robin.
The London Knights felt that they should have been here last here. Now they get their opportunity.
The Knights are still feeding off of their OHL Final loss to the Peterborough Petes in 2023, where they watched the Petes compete in the Memorial Cup. This year they got the win in the OHL Finals, but will they hoist the Memorial Cup for the third time in franchise history?
The answer to that question will start to come to fruition as the Knights play their first game against Drummondville at 4:00pm EST on Saturday, May 25th.
London will look to kick their tournament off with a win against the Voltigeurs, who have a lot of high-end talent of their own. Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Gauthier has been their most prominent forward, but they also have Vsevolod Komarov on the blue line who won QMJHL Defenceman of the Year.
Looking down Drummondville's lineup, they have a lot of players that can pitch in offensively. They can roll all four lines and get offence from anywhere in their lineup — a valuable asset to have.
For London, they will have to match with depth of their own.
From Easton Cowan and Denver Barkey, to Kasper Halttunen and Jacob Julien, to their blue line, the Knights don't exactly have a shortage of offensive contributors either.
We have talked about Easton Cowan all-season-long, and that won't change over the next week or so. Cowan is an X-factor for the Knights, and his performance will dictate their success in this tournament. He impacts all areas of the game, and you can bet that Dale Hunter will be utilizing his services whenever possible.
London's blue line looks like it will be a game-changing factor against Drummondville, as the Knights defence core looks much stronger "on paper" than their opponents. Oliver Bonk has been most dominant, but they also have Sam Dickinson, Isaiah George and Jackson Edward who have been playing their roles.
The OHL's Saginaw Spirit began with a win last night against Moose Jaw, can the OHL Champions do the same?
London's confidence is at an ultimate high — but so is Drummondville's. This game will be a battle between two teams riding remarkable postseason runs, and a test of dominance on the grand stage of the CHL Memorial Cup.