• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Other Leagues
CHL
OHL

3 London Knights Expected to Be Taken in the 1st Round

By William Proulx May 3rd, 2016

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The London Knights will be well represented at this year’s NHL Entry Draft, with three of the team’s top players set to be selected in the first round.

Matthew Tkachuk, Olli Juolevi and Max Jones have led the Knights to another extraordinary season. This year the team finished third in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference, and posted a 51-14-2 record while doing so.

Most of the attention surrounding the Knights this season has been focused on Toronto Maple Leafs’ top prospect Mitch Marner, who dominated in his third season with the club. Marner’s impressive season very much overshadowed the impressive year Tkachuk had with the team. Tkachuck’s 30 goals and 77 assists was good for third on the team in scoring, and fifth in league scoring. Tkachuck’s game draws many similarities to that of his father Keith. That being said, the 18-year-old’s impressive hockey IQ and smooth skating ability has him among the top five on most mock drafts.

Olli Juolevi of the London Knights

Olli Juolevi (courtesy London Knights)

The next Knight projected to go in the top 10 of the draft is defenseman Olli Juolevi. The smooth skating defender’s performance this season has him already drawing comparisons to New York Ranger’s captain Ryan McDonagh.  Juolevi posted 42 points in his first year in the OHL, after coming over from his native country of Finland. In fact, he’s even put up solid numbers in London’s playoff run, with 11 points in 14 postseason games thus far. At 6’2″ 180 pounds, he’s not the biggest defenseman available, but he has the tools to be a very effective NHL player. Only Sarnia Sting’s Jakob Chychrun is projected to go ahead of Juolevi, but who knows, if an NHL team likes what they see, it’s possible he could be selected earlier than his defensive counterpart.

Rounding out the potential first rounders is forward Max Jones, who is said to be this year’s Lawson Crouse. Crouse was selected 11th overall by the Florida Panthers last season, and projections suggest Jones might just be taken at the same position. Jones is a gritty, mean, hard-working winger who has played the majority of this season on London’s second line. He’s got a nose for the net and never gives up on the play. Much like Tkachuk and Juolevi, he’s got tools that could see him transition into an NHLer fairly quickly, although he would benefit from an extra year or two in the Canadian Hockey League. Jones is projected to go between the 10th and 20th pick, but his attitude might see him fall beyond that. Earlier in the playoffs, Jones was suspended 12 games after he laid this hit on Owen Sound’s Justin Brack.

The last time London has had this much top draft eligible talent was back in 2013 . That year, the team saw Bo Horvat (Vancouver Canucks), Max Domi (Arizona Coyotes) and Nikita Zadorov (Buffalo Sabres) all go in the early in the first round. Right now, Tkachuk, Juolevi and Jones have another thing to focus on, and that’s their OHL championship series against the Niagara IceDogs.

  • Tags
  • 2016 NHL Draft
  • London Knights
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp
William Proulx

William Proulx

I am a recent grad of the Journalism: Online, Print and Broadcast program at Loyalist College. Currently living in a small rural town in Quebec, but I will soon be relocating to London, ON where I will cover the London Knights and Ontario Hockey League prospects.

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 15th 10:05 AM
Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes a Potential Sleeper Threat for Avalanche in West Division

Jan 15th 9:55 AM
Carolina Hurricanes

3 Positive Takeaways From the Hurricanes’ Season Opener

Jan 15th 9:45 AM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks News & Rumours: Toews, Dach, Kubalik, Subban & More

Jan 15th 9:35 AM
Washington Capitals

Capitals’ New Season Opens in Strange Conditions

Jan 15th 9:25 AM
Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Greiss Shines, Other Newcomers Quiet in Season Opener

Jan 15th 9:15 AM
Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens’ Alexander Romanov Ready to Thrive in Montreal Spotlight

Jan 15th 9:05 AM
New York Rangers

Rangers Prospect Report: Lundkvist, Berard & More

Jan 15th 8:55 AM
Column

Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Judging Andersen & Tavares Season’s Start

Jan 15th 8:45 AM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Need to Address These 5 Upcoming Free Agents

Jan 15th 8:35 AM
Chicago Blackhawks

Today in Hockey History: Jan 15

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information