Memorial Cup Preview

Host- London Knights 

Photo Credit to https://www.flickr.com/photos/dan_hickling/

For the London Knights who were eliminated early in the OHL playoffs this is their second chance at glory in the CHL ranks during the 2014 season. The Knights have always been thought of to be one of the premier OHL teams. A team players request trades to and when traded from are sincerely upset. The London Knights are by some people opinion, the centre of junior hockey. While the Knights were given an automatic birth into the tournament, teams should not take them lightly. Teams that Mark and Dale Hunter assemble are built to win.

During the regular season the Knights put up a 103-point season in 2013-14, good for fourth in the Western Conference. They were eliminated in the 2nd round by the Guelph Storm which ended their bid for a third straight OHL title. I told you they were a junior hockey powerhouse no? The positive side of their early elimination was the month they had to prepare for the tournament. The Knights by far are the most rested team in the tournament and their only focus is winning after a month of long preparation.

11 members of this years Knights team were apart of the team during the 2013 Memorial Cup and 8 of those 11 also competed in the 2012 Memorial Cup. Needless to say the Knights have experience when it comes to the Memorial Cup.

Key Players

Defenceman Nikita Zadorov

Zadorov is a punishing defenceman who is tough to play against. He loves to play the body and makes sure his opponents are stopped dead in their tracks. With a strong showing he could earn some full time play with the Buffalo Sabres next season.

Captain Chris Tierny

After performing just shy of 2 points per playoff game in the Knights OHL playoff run, Tierny is looking to get back on top of his point production as he leads the Knights. He recorded 40 goals in the regular season and is looking to find the back of the net again.

Other key players include Bo Horvat, Max Domi and the twins Matt and Ryan Rupert.

The Knights have solid offence and nice nasty side to their game, their only weakness heading into the tournament is their goaltender. Jake Patterson struggled in the OHL post season posting a 3.99 goals against average and .897 save percentage in six games. The back-up Anthony Stolarz was a little bitter in his post season action. Who gets the start and can they hold down the fort?