London and Oshawa battle in OHL Final rematch
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The London Knights are set to defend their J. Ross Robertson Cup title against the Oshawa Generals on Thursday in a rematch of last year's Ontario Hockey League Championship Series.
This is only the third time there has been a rematch of a Canadian Hockey League Championship Series since 1980.
Last season, London easily dispatched Oshawa in a four-game sweep where they outscored their opponents 31-9 to emphasize their dominance.
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan was last year's OHL Playoff MVP after recording 10 goals and 34 points in the playoffs, highlighted with three goals and 15 points in the sweep of the Generals.
London returned 13 players from last year's championship squad for this year's playoff run, which has helped translate to a 12-0 run to the championship series after sweeping the first three rounds.
Cowan, once again, is leading the way offensively with eight goals and 27 points, which ties him for third in playoff scoring.
“Earlier in the year, Cowan took some time to get back to the level he finished with last season, but he’s well past that now,” TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button said. “He’s always pushing his level higher and that’s something great competitors have because they’re never satisfied with where they’re at.
“He’s a better player right now than he was last year at this time.”
One of the enhancements that the Knights have made since last season was in net with the acquisition of Austin Elliott from the Western Hockey League near the beginning of the season.
After backstopping the Saskatoon Blades to the WHL's best record last season, Elliott played the first three games this season with the Blades before he was released by the team on Oct. 17 in order to give him the freedom to find a place where he can consistently play.
The 20-year-old netminder was claimed off CHL waivers by the OHL's Barrie Colts, who then turned around and dealt him to the Knights for a draft pick.
Elliott went on to go 32-1-0 this season and lead the league with a 2.10 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. He has a 12-0 record in the playoffs and is second in the league with a 2.31 GAA and fifth with a .904 save percentage.
"I think it's crazy that the rest of the WHL allowed Elliott to leave and end up with London," said Button. "The Knights have a great blueline, depth up front, and now Elliott has only enhanced what London is."
The Generals are looking for redemption after last year's loss to the Knights and made moves before the season and at the deadline in order to achieve that.
Oshawa finished fourth in the Eastern Conference this season with a 41-21-6 record, led by Anaheim Ducks prospect Beckett Sennecke with 36 goals and 86 points in 56 games.
Sennecke leads a core group who were members of last season's OHL Final team that also includes New York Islanders prospect Calum Ritchie, Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Luca Marrelli, and team captain and Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford.
The Generals upgraded their forward depth in the off-season by acquiring star winger Colby Barlow from the Owen Sound Attack and then later added to their defence corps with the addition of Andrew Gibson at the trade deadline.
The results had Oshawa defeating the Brampton Steelheads and Brantford Bulldogs in six-games each in the first two rounds and then sweeping the Colts to return to the championship series.
Leading the way are Marrelli, Barlow, and Sennecke, who occupy the top three spots in OHL scoring with 31, 29, and 27 points, respectively.
“They have high-end talent, but they need some of the other guys to push their game along in order to help them," said Button. "They can't just rely on the core guys like Ritchie, Sennecke, Marrelli, and Barlow."
Oshawa has gotten that help in the form of 2025 prospect Owen Griffin, who has taken a big step forward in the playoffs.
The 5-foot-10 centre had 22 goals and 51 points in the regular season but stepped up in the postseason with 15 goals and 26 points in 16 playoff games, including four goals and seven points against the Colts.
Game 2 of the OHL Championship Series will take place on Saturday from London before the series shifts to Oshawa for Game 3 on Monday.
The CHL on TSN returns on Friday with the beginning of the Western Hockey League Championship Series which pits Gavin McKenna and the Medicine Hat Tigers against Berkly Catton and the Spokane Chiefs beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on TSN1, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.