OHL Playoffs Preview: London Knights eye championship repeat

Once again, the London Knights are the team to beat in the OHL playoffs.

The defending champs finished with 112 points, 12 more than the next-best team, and are in excellent position to be the first OHL squad to defend its title since London recorded the double back in 2012 and '13.

Those previous back-to-back Knights championship teams, however, did not hoist the Memorial Cup.

The perennial powerhouse fell one win short of a national title last season, losing to the host Saginaw Spirit in the final.

This year, the loaded Knights have as good a chance as anyone to capture the Memorial Cup in Rimouski, Que. Dale and Mark Hunter's franchise last won the CHL crown in 2016.

But even though London is a significant favourite to emerge from the OHL, many top NHL Draft prospects and players already drafted into the NHL from other teams will put up a battle.

Here's a look at the playoff draw and some stories to watch:

FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS

Eastern Conference
No. 1 Brantford Bulldogs vs. No. 8 North Bay Battalion
No. 2 Barrie Colts vs. No. 7 Niagara IceDogs
No. 3 Kingston Frontenacs vs. No. 6 Sudbury Wolves
No. 4 Oshawa Generals vs. No. 5 Brampton Steelheads

Western Conference
No. 1 London Knights vs. No. 8 Owen Sound Attack
No. 2 Windsor Spitfires vs. No. 7 Soo Greyhounds
No. 3 Kitchener Rangers vs. No. 6 Flint Firebirds
No. 4 Saginaw Spirit vs. No. 5 Erie Otters

WHY ARE THE KNIGHTS SO GOOD?

Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect Easton Cowan, the league's most outstanding player last season, is the headliner, but he has plenty of help.

A whopping 12 Knights players are NHL draft picks, including first-rounders Cowan, Sam O'Reilly (centre, Edmonton Oilers), Sam Dickinson (defenceman, San Jose Sharks) and Oliver Bonk (defenceman, San Jose Sharks).

Neither London goalie has been drafted, but Austin Elliott is first and Aleksei Medvedev is fourth in save percentage.

The Knights were the third-most penalized team in the league this season, but had the top-ranked penalty kill under coach Dale Hunter, who joined the legendary Brian Kilrea in the 1,000-win club this season.

It will take a spectacular performance for a team to beat the Knights in a best-of-seven series.

WHO CAN THREATEN THE KNIGHTS IN THE WEST?

We could get a Memorial Cup final rematch between the Knights and Spirit in the second round.

While many Memorial Cup champs slip badly in the standings the following season, the Michigan team has remained very competitive.

Top NHL prospect and OHL scoring champ Michael Misa (62 goals, 134 points in 65 games) leads the way, while Calgary Flames prospect Zayne Parekh (33 goals, 107 points in 61 games) was the league's top-scoring defenceman. Team Canada, in a controversial move, did not pick either player for a world junior championship in which the host team lost to Czechia in the quarterfinals.

The second-seeded Windsor Spitfires improved dramatically under first-year coach Greg Walters, who got the job in the aftermath of a six-month ban for breaching the OHL's code of conduct while coaching the Owen Sound Attack. He was fired by the latter team for a verbal altercation with a team employee during the game.

The last-place team in the West last year, the Spitfires have the second- and third-leading scorers in the league in Ilya Protas (Washington Capitals) and Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings).

The third-seeded Kitchener Rangers feature OHL shutout leader Jackson Parsons in net. The Ottawa native will play NCAA hockey at Clarkson next season.

HYMAN'S BULLDOGS HAVE BITE

Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman and his Toronto-based family purchased the Brantford Bulldogs from Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer midway through the season. He may not have to wait long to earn his first banner.

The Bulldogs emerged from a tight four-team race in the Eastern Conference to take the top seed.

Chicago Blackhawks third-round pick Nick Lardis put up some of the best scoring numbers in league history, finishing with 71 goals.

Fellow forward Jake O'Brien is expected to be a first-round pick in this year's NHL Draft.

St. Louis Blues first-round pick Adam Jiricek, a member of the Czechia world junior team, anchors an impressive defence along with Ottawa Senators third-rounder Tomas Hamara and Montreal Canadiens fourth-rounder Owen Protz.

WATCH OUT FOR OSHAWA

While the reigning Eastern Conference champion Oshawa Generals settled for a fourth-place finish this season, they have a roster very capable of making post-season noise.

Oshawa has three first-round picks at forward — Colby Barlow (Winnipeg Jets), Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks) and Calum Ritchie, who started the season with the Colorado Avalanche.

2024 Leafs first-rounder Ben Danford leads the defence and the team has a proven winner in goal in Jacob Oster.

The Generals made a coaching change in December, installing Brad Malone as interim coach in place of Steve O'Rourke. The team is in win-now mode.

HOME, SWEET HOME

The Kingston Frontenacs won 16 in a row at home before losing their home finale against Brantford in the final week of the season.

Kingston has never won an OHL title, but GM Kory Cooper has made moves to try to compete this season.

Flames second-rounder Jacob Battaglia and Finnish world junior silver medallist Tuomas Uronen (Vegas Golden Knights) lead the offence in the Limestone City for coach Troy Mann, a former AHL Belleville Senators bench boss.

The Barrie Colts are the other top team in the East. Barrie has a standout defence corps, including first-round prospect Kashawn Aitcheson and Oilers second-rounder Beau Akey, playing for veteran coach Marty Williamson

WHAT TEAMS COULD RECORD UPSETS?

The Brampton Steelheads were ranked second in the CHL pre-season rankings after moving from neighbouring Mississauga, Ont., but finished only fifth in the OHL East.

Perhaps a playoff battle against GTA rival Oshawa will bring out the best in a team led by draft-lottery prospect Porter Martone, a power forward, and Jack Ivankovic, one of the top-ranked goalies for this year's NHL Draft.

The Sudbury Wolves are also a lower-seeded team in the East with some impressive talent, but San Jose Sharks first-rounder and former OHL first-overall pick Quentin Musty is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Ben Leeson of the Sudbury Star reported last week.

Like their first-round opponent, Kingston, the Wolves have never won an OHL title.

The Erie Otters seemed to be a threat in the West, but things went a bit off the rails when potential NHL No. 1-overall pick Matthew Schaefer broke his collarbone playing for Canada at the world juniors. Weeks later, coach Stan Butler was dismissed following an internal review.

Schaefer could return if the Otters, now coached by Kris Mallette, make a run, but it won't be easy to beat Saginaw without the fleet-footed defenceman.