OHL training camps are ongoing and preseason is just around the corner. Every day there’s more news regarding teams adding or subtracting players from their rosters. Bookmark The Hockey News OHL site to stay updated on all news and training camp roster announcements.
During our training camp series on the site, we will analyze the import players, overage players (2004-born), first-year draft-eligible players to keep an eye on, and each team’s representation from their 2024 draft class, as well as any other storylines.
Today we are looking at the London Knights’ training camp roster. The PDF link to their roster can be found here.
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London has split their training camp into four teams — Team Green, Gold, Black, and White. After the Labour Day weekend, the camp will be sliced down to only two teams.
Denver Barkey (illness), Easton Cowan, Ruslan Gazizov, and Kasper Halttunen will join the team after NHL camps, but watch for Cowan and Halttunen as two players who are going to push to make the jump to the NHL this year.
NOTE: Recently signed import Russian forward, Gleb Semenov, is not listed on the team’s training camp roster.
Related: OHL Training Camp Roster Breakdown: Kitchener Rangers
Overage Players
London has five 2004-born players on their preliminary roster. One of those players is Ruslan Gazizov, who we believe’s status with the team is questionable due to the import rule, — can only have two import players on your roster — and seeing as it sounds like he will be attending an NHL camp.
The other four players are forwards Landon Sim and Jacob Julien, defenseman Alec Leonard, and goaltender Owen Willmore.
Luke Durda/OHL Images
Michael Simpson has moved on to play for the Belleville Senators in the AHL, opening up the number-one role in London for Willmore to seize. Can he effectively replace Simpson is the question.
The Winnipeg Jets hold Julien’s signing rights for one more season, which is why we see him back with the team for an overage year. If the Jets signed him, it would mean that he wouldn’t be eligible to return to the OHL. Not signing him yet allows the team to keep a contract spot open.
Alternatively, because Landon Sim was drafted in 2022 — Julien was drafted in 2023 — by the St. Louis Blues, he unfortunately did not receive a contract from them and is a free agent. St. Louis has voiced they really like him as a player but don’t want to commit to a contract spot on him…