"Continual Growth" Resulting In Sam Dickinson's Phenomenal Start

San Jose first-round pick, Sam Dickinson, currently leads all OHL defensemen in points and sits sixth in league scoring.

It's hard to imagine that Sam Dickinson could have a better year than last year. He recorded 70 points in 68 regular season games, his team won an OHL championship and he was drafted 11th overall by the San Jose Sharks. 

To start the 2024-25 season, Dickinson's performance has been nothing short of spectacular. He is the top scorer on a star-studded London roster that features 11 NHL prospects. 

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Not only does he lead the roster in points but he is head and shoulders above the rest. His 45 points in 24 games is 17 points higher than London's second highest scorer Denver Barkey who has 28 points. 

For Dickinson, this year's success is the result of a process of continual growth that has seen him improve year over year. 

"For me personally, it has been continual growth from not only last year but also the year before to better myself on and off the ice," said Dickinson. "It's been easy with the group of guys and the coaches we have."

It was another explosive game for Dickinson in Ottawa this afternoon as he finished the game with two goals and three assists. He shows no signs of slowing down and neither does his team. 

They smashed Ottawa outscoring them 10-3. They were perfect on the power play scoring five goals on five attempts. Dickinson was involved in three of those power-play goals. 

Dickinson scored the second goal of the game, halfway through the first period. He exited the box and streaked down the ice joining the rush before tucking Sam O'Reilly's pass into the back of the goal. 

His second goal came on the power play just three minutes into the second period. He fired a shot that flew past goaltender Liam Conway.

With the win, London extends their win streak to 18 games. The last time they lost was over a month ago on Oct. 18. During the winning streak, Dickinson has recorded 37 points.

"Some of it is just me being lucky to be the beneficiary of some of the goals that are going in, but I am more worried about the wins," said Dickinson. "If me getting those points helps us do that then I am all for it, but if it's going the other way then it's fine as long as those wins are racking up."

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The team holds itself to a very high standard based on their success last year. The only blemish in a strong season was a loss to Saginaw in the Memorial Cup Final. For Dickinson, a return to the Memorial Cup is the standard. 

"It has to be with the team that we had last year ... and the returning pieces that we have with a lot of guys just getting one year older," said Dickinson. "It obviously has to be the goal to get to that last game and win it."

There is a long road remaining ahead of Dickinson and London before they hit the point of returning to the Memorial Cup. However, based on the way he and the team are currently performing it feels like they could have the chance to get to that last game again this year.

Even if they fail, the future is bright for Dickinson. In the words of the San Jose Sharks Twitter hashtag, "The future is teal." Sharks fans should be incredibly excited to have a potential number-one defender like Dickinson in their prospect pool.