London Knights completed a trade with the Barrie Colts and made changes to their overage situation

Prior to the London Knights announcing Denver Barkey as the 53rd captain in franchise history, the organization made some tough decisions regarding their overage situation, which also involved completing a trade with the Barrie Colts.

London traded a 14th-round pick in 2026 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2027 in exchange for 2004-born goaltender Austin Elliott. 

Elliott has spent the last two seasons as a regular starter for the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL. He was released by the Blades organization and claimed by Barrie off the CHL waiver wire. Saskatoon is ready to hand the reigns over to Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner, which would've limited starts for Elliott this season. 

In 2022-23, Elliott was named to the CHL's All-Rookie Team and the WHL's (East) Second All-Star Team. 

In 85 career WHL games, the Strathmore, Alberta native posted a record of 58-14-5-1 with a .906 save percentage and 2.37 goals-against average. Elliott sits eighth in Blades franchise history for wins and has the fourth most shutouts with six.

Additionally, Austin attended the Toronto Maple Leafs development camp in 2023, where he witnessed his new teammate Easton Cowan's elite skill level up close.

Subsequently, by bringing in overage netminder Autin Elliott, the Knights have released veteran goalie Owen Willmore and defenseman Alec Leonard. 

2025 NHL draft-eligible prospect Alexei Medvedev has received the majority of starts to begin the 2024-25 season for the Knights, keeping Willmore in a backup role. With only 32 career OHL games under Willmore's belt, the organization brings in a goalie with a more proven track record at the junior level. 

Elliott played in front of over 10,000 fans in Saskatoon and playing in a pressure-cooker junior market like London shouldn't be an issue for the 6-foot-2 netminder.

Releasing right-shot defenseman Alec Leonard solves the overage dilemma in London. 

The Knights got overage forwards Jacob Julien and Landon Sim back, and by acquiring Elliott, the team was left with four overage players meaning one of them would have to sit out every game. Leonard found himself as the odd man out.

Can the London Knights win back-to-back championships with Medvedev and Elliott patrolling the crease? The organization is putting all its eggs into that basket with those two. 

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