Latest news with #Halttunen
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kasper Halttunen Wins Playoffs MVP
Last night, at the conclusion of the OHL Playoffs, Kasper Halttunen was given the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award, which is given out to the OHL Playoffs MVP as voted by accredited members of the media. Halttunen is the first import player to be given the award. "Obviously it means a lot, but that's a team trophy right there," said Halttunen. "I couldn't have done it without any of those guys. It doesn't matter who wins individual trophies, what matters is the trophy that the boys are lifting right now together." Halttunen performed fantastically in the playoffs scoring 15 goals and 21 points in 17 games. He played a critical role in the Final scoring eight goals in the final three games. His back-to-back hattricks in games three and four helped put the Knights up 3-1 in the series. He also picked up a pair of goals in game five. With a total of nine goals in the OHL Championship Series, Halttunen is the highest-scoring individual player in a Finals Series since Belleville Bulls forward Jonathan Cheechoo in 1999. In an amusing twist of fate, both Cheechoo and Halttunen were second-round picks of the San Jose Sharks. The pair were picked 25 years apart. Cheechoo went on to play more than 500 games in the NHL between San Jose and Ottawa. In Halttunen, the Sharks are likely looking at another prospect who can be a solid NHL player. Sam Dickinson had nothing but praise for Halttunen throughout the series, listing him as the best shooter and goal scorer in the OHL. A London player has won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award for the last two seasons. Last year, Halttunen's teammate and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan was named Playoffs MVP. The win means London and Halttunen will have another shot at winning a Memorial Cup. The team fell short last year, losing in the final game to the Saginaw Spirit. This year, the tournament will be held in Rimouski.
Global News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Global News
London Knights champions again in 2025
The London Knights defeated the Oshawa Generals 5-2 on May 15 to win their second consecutive J. Ross Robertson Cup. The victory completed an incredible run in which the Knights lost just once on their way to their sixth Ontario Hockey League title as a franchise. It was the second straight year that London and Oshawa faced each other in the Championship series and the first time that had happened since 1955. Kasper Halttunen led the way offensively for the third game in a row and was named the winner of the 99 Trophy as OHL Playoff MVP. Halttunen had two goals in the clinching game. View image in full screen Denver Barkey holds the J. Ross Robertson Cup. Jim Van Horne / 980 CFPL Easton Cowan and Sam O'Reilly put up a goal and an assist while Sam Dickinson and Jacob Julien each had a pair of assists. Story continues below advertisement The Generals scored the first goal of the game as Andrew Gibson came in from the left point and snapped home his third goal of the OHL Championship and eighth of the post-season to make it 1-0. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy A London power play midway through the first period did not result in a goal but appeared to settle the Knights and put them into a groove. After a couple of close calls Julien blasted a shot that Jacob Oster stopped only to have the rebound roll free. Julien got the puck back for London and slid a pass to Dickinson to the left of the slot and he found Halttunen for Halttunen's seventh goal in his last seven periods with only 20.1 seconds remaining on the clock and the teams went to their dressing rooms tied 1-1. Dickinson put a shot on goal just under six minutes into the second period that O'Reilly deflected into the Oshawa net to give the Knights a 2-1 lead. At 13:05 of the second period O'Reilly blasted a shot off the pad of Oster and a big rebound went right to Halttunen and he scored his ninth goal of the Championship series which tied him with Jonathan Cheechoo of the Belleville Bulls for most in the internet era. A long review of a play lated in the period determined that a collision between O'Reilly and Generals forward Luke Torrance was not deliberate and play resumed with just over a minute remaining in the second period. Story continues below advertisement Oshawa got the puck into the London end and a bounce off a leg went right to Beckett Sennecke in the slot and he scored his 14th goal of the post season with 24.5 seconds remaining to tighten the score to 3-2 in favour of the Knights heading into the final 20 minutes. The Generals came out pressing in the third and at one point had racked up 11 shots to the Knights one but a high flip was picked up by Blake Montgomery and he got to the net where Oster made two big saves only to have Landon Sim come crashing in where he batted the puck out of the air and in with 4:42 remaining in the game. Exactly one minute later Easton Cowan scored into an empty net and Canada Life Place erupted and cheered to the finish. Oshawa put up 18 shots in the third period and Austin Elliot of the Knights made 18 saves. Denver Barkey played in his first game of the series since suffering a lower body injury in Game 1 against the Kitchener Rangers in the Western Conference finals. The Generals outshot London 34-25. Oshawa was 0-for-1 on the power play. The Knights were 0-for-2. Story continues below advertisement Easton Cowan pulls a Taylor Hall London forward and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan has managed to do something that hasn't been done since 2009 and 2010. For a second consecutive season Cowan led the Ontario Hockey League playoffs in scoring. The last player to accomplish that was Taylor Hall with the Windsor Spitfires when he put up 36 points in 2009 and then another 35 the very next season in helping the Spitfires to back-to-back Memorial Cup titles. Cowan had 34 points in 18 games in 2024. He had 39 points in 17 games in 2025.
Global News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Global News
London Knights hold off Oshawa Generals to take a 2-1 series lead in OHL Championship
The London Knights survived a wild third period and held off the Oshawa Generals to win Game 3 of the OHL Championship series with a 7-5 win on May 12 at the Tribute Communities centre. London entered period three with a 5-1 lead only to have Oshawa get to within a goal with plenty of time remaining. The Knights now own a two games to one series lead. Kasper Halttunen recorded a hat trick and Easton Cowan had a pair of goals and an assist. The Generals got the first six shots of the game in front of their home crowd but the Knights got the game's first two goals. A high flip by Oliver Bonk dropped down at the Oshawa blue line and Cowan stripped a puck away from Owen Griffin and then backhanded a shot past Jacob Oster to become London's all-time franchise leader in playoff scoring with his 90th career point. Story continues below advertisement The goal came at the 7:59 mark of the opening period. Just over three minutes later Evan Van Gorp tracked down a puck along the end boards and got it to Will Nicholl who fed Halttunen for a one-timer and Halttunen's eighth goal of the post-season and a 2-0 Knights lead after 20 minutes. Sam O'Reilly of London was hit hard by Beckett Sennecke of the Generals near the end of the first period. The hit saw O'Reilly go to the dressing room. It saw Sennecke go to the penalty box and in a power play that carried over into the second period it saw London stretch their lead just 5 seconds in. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In a play that left all 6000 fans at the Tribute Communities Centre wondering what they had just seen Cowan brought the puck across the Oshawa blue line, jumped and spun in the air, landed and fed Halttunen for a slap shot that broke Halttunen's stick but propelled the puck into the Generals net to give the Knights a 3-0 advantage. Oshawa got on the board less than three minutes after that as an Owen Griffin deflection found the back of the London net on a Generals power play to make it 3-1. With Oshawa on another man advantage Jacob Julien and Cowan broke out on a two-on-oh breakaway and Julien kept the puck and wristed it underneath Oster to give the Knights a 4-1 lead. Story continues below advertisement Halttunen completed the hat trick at 16:09 of the second with his tenth goal of the playoffs and London lead 5-1 at the end of the middle period. It would have been hard for the best prognosticators on planet earth to predict. Oshawa fought back with three goals to get to within one of the Knights in a span of five minutes and 33 seconds as Luca D'Amato, Colby Barlow and Luke Torrance all scored and the score sat 5-4 for London with 6:18 remaining in regulation. With the Generals pressuring for the equalizer O'Reilly flipped the puck ahead to Jesse Nurmi and he skated across the Oshawa blue line and scored to make it 6-4 with 2:11 left. With the Generals net empty Oshawa kept on pressing and got to within a goal a second time as Sennecke turned and backhanded a shot under the crossbar with 1:29 to go and it was 6-5. The Generals pulled the goaltender a second time but O'Reilly made a second play on a high flip that found Cowan and his second goal of the game went into an empty net to finish the scoring. O'Reilly ended with two assists. Oshawa outshot 36-27. Story continues below advertisement The Knights were 0-for-2 on the power play. The Generals were 1-for-5. Cowan new franchise leader in playoff points and OHL Player of the Week Easton Cowan moved into a place by himself with three points in Game 3 giving him 92 career playoff points. Cowan is now the Knights all-time franchise leader passing Robbie Schremp who recorded 90 total playoff points. Schremp had 89 with London from 2005 to 2006 and one point with the Mississauga IceDogs in 2004. Cowan is currently second overall in OHL playoff scoring this year with 12 goals and 23 assists and leads all other players in post-season in 2025. His five-point performance in Game 2 saw Cowan named OHL Player of the Week. Knights forward Noah Read won Rookie of the Week honours and London goalie Austin Elliott was named OHL Goaltender of the Week. Up next London and Oshawa will go back at it on back-to-back days when they play Game 4 of the OHL Championship on Tuesday, March 13 at 7 p.m., at the Tribute Communities Centre. Game 5 will be Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m., at Canada Life Place. There are tickets available at Story continues below advertisement Coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m., on 980 CFPL at and on the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sharks Prospects Thriving In The OHL
Brighter days lie ahead for San Jose Sharks fans based on the performance of four of their prospects in the OHL this season. There hasn't been a ton to cheer about in San Jose this season as the Sharks sit last in the NHL. Most fans are choosing to concentrate on the emergence of young stars like Macklin Celbrinni, William Eklund and Will Smith. For those looking for more information on the Sharks prospects look no further than the OHL! Of the 18 picks San Jose made at the last two NHL Drafts, four played in the OHL this season. Quentin Musty - Sudbury Wolves - 2023 First-Round Pick Musty finished the 2023-24 OHL season fourth in league scoring and second on the Wolves with 102 points in 53 games. Disappointingly, the team flamed out in the first round of the playoffs resulting in a coaching change. Coming into 2024-25 Musty was adamant that he would not play for Sudbury, demanding a trade. OHL - Sudbury Wolves issue statement on Musty trade request"If a deal arises that significantly improves our team, we will consider it. Until then, Quentin remains an important part of the Sudbury Wolves, and he is welcome to join the team at any time." — Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) October 7, 2024 Ultimately, there was no trade, and Musty joined the team in November. In 32 games, Musty has scored a stunning 29 goals and a total of 58 points. His 1.8 points per game would result in 123 points over the course of a full season which would easily land him in the top-10 scorers in the OHL. At 6-foot-2, Musty is an elite offensive player with a laser for a shot and excellent hands. Due to his speed, he is a player who can hurt opposing teams all over the ice with his skill set. While he can be devastating on the powerplay, he also excels at scoring at even strength with more than half of his points coming at even strength during his draft year. At 19, he complements the young core in San Jose, and is a guy who will complement San Jose's young core extremely well and provide them with size and scoring. Kasper Halttunen - London Knights - 2023 Second-Round Pick Halttunen started the season in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda and performed admirably in the six games he played. The right-handed forward scored two goals and added two assists during his time with the Barracuda. The Finnish forward has spent the last two seasons in London playing under Head Coach Dale Hunter. In 91 OHL games, Halttunen has 98 points maintaining an average of 1.08 points per game. He also plays on London's top powerplay unit where he delivers explosive one-timers from the left side of the ice. The big forward also comes with the ability to play a heavy game, bullying his opponents with his size and delivering crunching hits. During last year's playoffs, this style served him well resulting in 17 goals and nine assists in 18 games on the way to an OHL Championship. Even at this early stage in his career, Halttunen has played in a lot of big games. In 2021 he helped Sweden win a bronze medal at the U-18 World Junior Championship, before helping the U-20 team win a silver at the last World Junior Championship. Overall, Halttunen brings a unique combination of skill and physical play that could make him an effective power forward in the NHL. He could be an excellent depth player for the Sharks in the future. Sam Dickinson - London Knights - 2024 First-Round Pick The eleventh overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft lit the world on fire to start the OHL season. He was not only the top-scoring defenseman in the league going into the break, he was a top-five scorer as well. Since the World Juniors, Dickinson's torrid scoring pace has cooled slightly resulting in a total of 27 goals and 55 assists through 51 games played. He is second in scoring amongst OHL defenders trailing only Zayne Parekh. This total far exceeds the 70 points he scored in 68 games last season. Impressively, only 12 of his goals come on the powerplay meaning that more than half of his goals were scored at even strength. The 6-foot-3 defender could be the whole package. He excels at joining the rush while his hockey IQ and puck moving skills are excellent. He can also play a physical game while shutting down the opposing team's top scorers. "Continual Growth" Resulting In Sam Dickinson's Phenomenal Start San Jose first-round pick, Sam Dickinson, currently leads all OHL defensemen in points and sits sixth in league scoring. Though plus-minus is a flawed stat, Dickinson leads the league with a plus-61 on the season. It's also the highest plus-minus in the CHL. Dickinson has the potential to be a number one defender on an NHL team. While he isn't there yet, he could be ready to make an impact in the NHL in the coming years. Igor Chernyshov - Saginaw Spirit - 2024 Second-Round Pick The Russian forward joined Saginaw in the second half of the year and has taken the league by storm. In just 18 games Chernyshov has 17 goals and 27 assists for a stunning 44 points. He's averaged 2.44 points per game during his extremely short tenure in the OHL. At that pace he would score 64 goals and a total of 166 points in a single season. For context, that kind of a season would place Chernyshov third in the rankings for most points in a single OHL season. Only John Goodwin (1980-1) and Doug Gilmour (1982-3) scored more points in a single season. However, all of this is irrelevant as Chernyshov was unavailable for the beginning of the year due to injury. At 6-foot-3, Chernyshov is another big forward with tons of offensive potential. He plays an uncomplicated game that is augmented by strong hands and a strong shot. Interestingly, he played in the KHL last season and is still adjusting to the smaller ice in North America. It should be noted that playing in the KHL at 18 is a big accomplishment. Ultimately, these are four players Sharks fans should be excited about. They have played huge roles on their OHL teams and shown up big time on scoreboards throughout the season. If they continue to develop, these players could be joining a young Sharks group in the near future. Not only are they all skilled, but they are all big, which will help them adjust to playing against NHL players. It remains to be seen how they will develop, but if they do, they will help usher in a new era in Sharks history.
