There’s one thing that the London Knights don’t do: rebuild. Fresh off back-to-back OHL Championships, and several of their star players leaving the team due to graduating to the professional level or aging out of the league, don’t expect the Hunter brothers to stay quiet.
The Knights are losing seven forwards who played inside their top nine. Replacing guys like Easton Cowan, Denver Barkey, and Kasper Halttunen is about as challenging a task as it gets. However, substituting for Landon Sim, Jesse Nurmi, and Blake Montgomery is a bit easier.
That’s where London’s new overage forward comes into play.
On Aug. 7, the Knights organization announced the signing of 2005-born forward Kaeden Hawkins to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. It’s rare for an overage signing to occur; however, with the ability to play in the CHL while holding an NCAA commitment and developing under the Hunter brothers, this move by Hawkins highlights the London Knights' status in junior hockey and the continually changing relationship between the CHL and NCAA.
Hawkins, 20, is committed to the University of St. Thomas. More notably, he is a product of the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary’s program, having spent three seasons with them from 2021-2024.
In his 2024-25 campaign, the St. Louis, Missouri, native recorded 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 58 regular season games for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL. He led his club in points and finished second in goals. The Black Hawks had an exciting playoff run, ultimately falling short in the finals to the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Alas, the experience Hawkins gained from that run, and finishing second on the team in goals (8), must have caught the eye of London’s scouts and management.
The USHL, along with the Jr. A leagues across Canada, are catching the short straw with the new NCAA rule change. Hawkins most likely would have never signed with London if we had reverted to the way things were before. Additionally, Ryan Sikes of Puck Preps has reported that another USHL player may be leaving to join the Knights. Ohio State commit forward Ben Wilmott is expected to make his way over too.
The Knights struck gold when they acquired Austin Elliott from the Barrie Colts after he was waived by his WHL team, the Saskatoon Blades. Elliott was their main man between the pipes throughout the playoffs and in the Memorial Cup. However, he was utilized in a tandem role with Vancouver Canucks prospect Aleksei Medvedev.
Seeing the success they had running a tandem last season, the Knights have found a partner for Medvedev.
On Aug. 10, the Knights announced the signing of goaltender Sebastian Gatto to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. He will wear #80, last worn by Owen Willmore.
Gatto, 19, is of similar size to Medvedev, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing in around 185 pounds. Unlike Hawkins, Gatto isn’t a free agent signing. The dual Canadian-USA citizen was drafted in the 12th round (242nd overall) in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection as a double overage entry. He spent the 2024-25 season playing for the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL, posting a stellar 19-6-4 record, with a goals-against-average of 2.87, and a save percentage of .893.
Back in 2023-24, Gatto played in the OJHL for the Leamington Flyers, where he was particularly impressive. He scored a 17-9-2 record, a 2.23 goals-against-average, a .928 save percentage, and four shutouts in the regular season. Amongst goalies with a minimum of 30 games played, he had the third-highest save percentage and fourth-highest goals-against-average.
The Flyers made it to the conference finals that season, with Gatto playing a significant role in the crease. He posted a 2.13 goals-against-average and a .932 save percentage in the post-season, but sadly lost in round three to the Collingwood Blues.
Just like Elliott, Gatto has also attended a Toronto Maple Leafs development camp. He was invited to Toronto’s most recent camp this summer, where he was seen repping his Leamington Flyers mask. London’s new netminder is committed to playing NCAA hockey for Dartmouth College.
Make sure you bookmark THN's OHL site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
Latest OHL News:
