Sarnia pluck 2005-born forward Kaeden Johnston out of London in exchange for a draft pick
The Sarnia Sting announced on Monday that they had acquired forward Kaeden Johnston from the London Knights in exchange for a 4th-round pick (ER) in the 2027 OHL Priority Selection.
Johnston, 19, is coming off of an impressive preseason. He led the London Knights in scoring with five goals and eight points, finishing in a tie for fifth overall.
Sting GM Dylan Seca had this to say regarding his new right winger:
“Kaeden is a player who’s been a part of the talented London Knights where his opportunity was limited. However, he’s someone we’ve been tracking for a couple of years, and believe his speed, size, and skill are valuable. Furthermore, we believe his experience of being an OHL champion will help our group as we continue our push back into contention in the Western Conference.”
Johnston was drafted in the 5th round, 96th overall of the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. The Peterborough, Ontario native was a point-per-game player in the GOJHL with the Komoka Kings during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
Last season, Johnston appeared in 40 games for London, recording six goals and 10 points.
Sarnia's young stars Alessandro Di Iorio, Beckham Edwards, Ryan Brown, and Carter Kostuch will have lots of opportunities to be focal points in their team's offense.
However, could Johnston come in and provide some secondary scoring and potentially be a player who has been buried in the London Knights system?
The Sting sure hope that is the case, considering they gave up a fourth-rounder for the 19-year-old, which isn't anything to sneeze at.
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