The Ontario Hockey League‘s regular season is just over a week away and teams are making more moves than a 1980s breakdancer with a piece of cardboard and a bit of an audience.
On Wednesday the London Knights announced a trade and a signing and then Brett Brochu skated out for practice.
Brochu had been in Vancouver auditioning for the Canucks during their rookie camp and his return means he is back in London for 2022-23.
London also acquired Ryan Del Monte from the Barrie Colts for a 5th-round pick in 2014, an 8th-round pick in 2025 and a 15th-round pick in 2023 and signed forward Mike Levin to a standard player agreement.
“Levin has been providing a lot of offence through our main camp and scored in our exhibition game in Sarnia,” described Knights associate general manager Rob Simpson. “He’s a player who just seems to be able to find the back of the net. He has an excellent release and a really good feel for where the soft spots are in a goalie. He might not be the biggest forward but he plays with a tenacity and a compete level that is much bigger than his size.”
Levin is 16 and will turn 17 in October. The trade with Barrie to acquire Del Monte gives London another veteran in their lineup.
“Ryan is a player that we like dating back to his draft year. We like smart, heady players that can play two ways. Ryan can make other players around him better on the ice,” Simpson admitted. “He has elite passing ability and very high-level vision. He understands how to run a power play. He’s had some injury troubles along the way but he is back healthy and he is ready to go for this season.”
The two moves give the Knights a total of 18 forwards on their roster who have proven they can play in the OHL. That means there are still decisions to be made.
“It’s a tough thing to deal with. It’s a good problem to have,” said Simpson. “Most times that little bit of a log jam will sort itself out. How they play in (the last two exhibition games) and how they practice every day works into it. We still haven’t made up our minds. We lost a lot of players who put up a lot of points last season and we want to give the younger guys a longer opportunity to step in and fill some of that point production.”
London will host the Erie Otters on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. and will then face the Otters again the next day in Clinton, Ont., at 4 p.m.
Post a Comment