Earlier today, the Ontario Hockey League announced Denver Barkey as the recipient of the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the OHL Humanitarian of the Year.

"It's such an honour to receive this reward," said Barkey. "It's really special for me, my family and the fan club to see so many kids and their families get a chance to play and watch the game we love." 

The Barkey's Buds program, named for the Philadelphia Flyers prospect, partnered with the London Knights Fan Club to bring more than 1,500 pieces of hockey equipment to children with learning, emotional and social disabilities through the George Bray Sports Association. The organization also provided more than 500 tickets to London-area families could come and watch Knights games.

In addition to his work with Barkey's Buds, the London Knights captain went on monthly visits to the Victoria Hospital & Children's Hospital in London. He also spoke at schools on several occasions and attended minor league hockey practices where he acted as a mentor for younger players.

"Ever since I came to London as a 16-year-old, the support and passion from the fans was something I noticed right away," said Barkey. "To be able to start Barkey's Buds and give back to the community that has treated me and my teammates so well was the least I could do."

On the ice, the fourth-year veteran had a fantastic year, scoring 25 goals and 82 points in 50 games. In the playoffs, he recorded 20 points in the Knights' opening two series before sustaining an injury that has kept him out of the lineup. 

These kinds of numbers are nothing new for London Knights fans who have seen Barkey routinely amongst the highest scorers on some stacked Knights' rosters. In the 228 games he's played in the OHL, the dynamic forward has averaged above a point-per-game, scoring a total of 258 points.

Barkey follows Mason Vaccari of the Kingston Frontenacs, who won the trophy last season, while Dalyn Wakely received the honour for his work during the 2022-23 season when he was a member of the North Battalion. 

"It's a proud moment for Denver and his family and the London Knights organization," said London GM Mark Hunter. "Denver is a high-character young man, and for him to take on this community service is something we take pride in."

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The Oshawa Generals defeated the Barrie Colts 8-4 in game four of the OHL Eastern Conference Final to sweep the series and win a rematch against the London Knights in the Final. It is the second year in a row that the Generals have won the Bobby Orr Trophy. 

"Every single guy dug deep and played hard," said Colby Barlow. "I'm so proud of everybody."

In the first three games of the Eastern Conference Final, Oshawa's offense seemed to be the difference maker. Stars like Beckett Sennecke, Colby Barlow and Luca Marrelli continuously scored big goals for the Generals, while at times the Colts struggled to get pucks behind Jacob Oster. 

In game four, the Colts' offense was firing on all cylinders. Thanks to Utah Hockey Club prospect Cole Beaudoin, they had the lead after the first period. They then scored a pair of goals in 33 seconds midway through the second period to undo what had become a 2-1 Oshawa lead. 

The adulation was short-lived, as Owen Griffin banked in a fluky goal on a partial breakaway to tie the game at three going into the third period.

Frontenacs GM Wins Jim Gregory AwardEarlier today, the OHL announced that Kingston Frontenacs GM Kory Cooper is the 2024-25 winner of the Jim Gregory OHL General Manager of the Year Award. 

The Generals answered the call in the third, scoring three unanswered goals in the span of a minute and a half to take a 6-3 lead.

While Barrie's Dalyn Wakely did score his seventh of the playoffs to claw one back for Barrie, the damage had already been done. The final score was 8-4 in favour of Oshawa. 

"It was a 20-minute hockey game," said Barlow. "All the guys put everything on the line and got the job done.

The stars once again provided for Oshawa. Luca Marelli scored a goal and added four assists to complete a five-point evening. Third-overall pick at the 2024 NHL Draft, Beckett Sennecke also tallied four assists in the game while Calum Ritchie scored a goal and added two assists. 

"A lot of these guys, it's their last year in this league," said Malone. "For them to have the opportunity to do what we're going to do, I am very proud of them, it's a great experience."

Undefeated Knights Advance To J. Ross Robertson CupLast night, the London Knights swept the Kitchener Rangers in the Western Conference Final of the OHL Playoffs. They now have the opportunity to win back-to-back OHL Championships. 

The win guarantees Oshawa's return to the J. Ross Robertson Cup Finals. They get an opportunity to get revenge against a London group that swept them in last year's finals. 

It will undoubtedly be a titanic clash between two squads that are incredibly deep and loaded with talent. A total of 19 NHL-drafted players will be featured in the final matchup, 12 of whom play for London and seven for Oshawa.

This is not the inexperienced and young Oshawa team London faced last year. The Generals are one of the most talented teams in the league offensively and a colossal D-corps that includes standouts like 6-foot-6 Simon Wang and the 6-foot-4 Nashville Predators prospect Andrew Gibson. 

The talented Generals group will do everything they can to dethrone the London Knights, who have been in the finals for the last three years. Buckle up, it's going to be a wild ride.

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Last night, the London Knights swept the Kitchener Rangers in the Western Conference Final of the OHL Playoffs. They now have the opportunity to win back-to-back OHL Championships. 

The Knights have played 12 games and come away with 12 wins in the postseason. The reigning champions have swept all three series they have played, coming away relatively unscathed. 

They go into the finals on course to accomplish a feat that has only been done one other time in OHL history. The last time an OHL team won a championship without losing a postseason game was during the 1987-88 season. 

Of the three remaining reams in the playoffs, London averages the highest goals per game (5.5) while also allowing the fewest goals against (2.3). Based on the stats, London is the heavy favourite to take the championship this season. 

You could feel the intensity from the Rangers' bench at the start of last night's game. Ottawa Senators prospect Luke Ellinas rewarded the Rangers' efforts by scoring the game's opening goal on the power play. The goal was the result of a beautiful passing play that left Knights' goaltender Austin Elliot completely in the lurch.

Jackson Parsons Named OHL Goaltender Of The YearThe Ontario Hockey League announced yesterday that Jackson Parsons of the Kitchener Rangers is the 2024-25 winner of the Jim Rutherford Award, which is awarded annually to the OHL Goaltender of the Year. 

The Knights responded immediately, tying the game under a minute later. Noah Read tracked down a bouncing puck in the Rangers' crease before pushing it into the back of the net. 

From there, London took full control of the game, scoring a total of four unanswered goals courtesy of San Jose Sharks prospects Sam Dickinson, Kasper Halttunen, and New York Islanders prospect Jesse Nurmi. 

Sennecke Scores Hattrick In Statement WinLast night, the Oshawa Generals defeated the Barrie Colts 7-1 to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Anaheim Ducks prospect Beckett Sennecke scored a hattrick and added an assist in the Generals' victory. 

Dickinson had another fantastic game, finishing the night with a goal and an assist. He's second on the team in postseason scoring with seven goals and 15 assists. 

Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham did score in the third period to cut the London lead down to 4-2, however, it was too little, too late as London held on for the win. 

Interestingly, we could see a repeat of last year's championship series if Oshawa defeats the Barrie Colts in the Eastern Conference Final. The Generals currently hold a 3-0 lead in that series. London will await the winner of the series, having already punched their ticket to the finals. 

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Last night, the Oshawa Generals defeated the Barrie Colts 3-1 in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Final. This is the first time during the 2024-25 playoffs that the Colts have failed to win on home ice. 

"It's a game of inches, and it just didn't go our way tonight," said Colts' Head Coach Marty Williamson. " There is going to be no quit in this team, we will come back and get the bounces to go our way." 

Both Williamson and team Captain Beau Jelsma expressed dissatisfaction with the way Barrie started the game. Though the game was scoreless through 20 minutes, the Generals outshot the Colts 14-8. 

Late in the second period Oshawa's Owen Griffin scored the opening goal of the game on a play where defender Simon Wang saved a goal at one end of the ice before Griffin raced down the ice and fired a puck past Sam Hillebrandt. 

"He [Wang] has been a big piece on the back end," said Oshawa Head Coach Brad Malone. "It was a very athletic play to bail out Oster, and then we go the other way and Griffin cashes it in."

Dickinson Leads Knights To Victory In Game OneJust days after winning the Max Kaminsky Trophy, San Jose Sharks prospect Sam Dickinson scored four points to help London overcome Kitchener 5-2 in game one of the Western Conference Finals. 

Initially, no one realized the puck had gone in, and so the game continued until the buzzer and a review confirmed the goal.

Owen Griffin's development into an elite scoring threat started in the second half of the OHL season and has come to fruition in the postseason. In 13 playoff games, he's scored 12 goals and added eight assists for 20 points.

That kind of scoring pace would result in 104 points would have resulted in a 104-point season, more than doubling the 51 points he scored in 62 games during the 2024-25 regular season.

San Jose Sharks Prospect Named OHL Defenseman Of The yearEarlier today, the OHL announced that San Jose Sharks prospect Sam Dickinson is the 2024-25 winner of the Max Kaminsky Trophy, which is awarded to the OHL Defenseman of the Year. 

Griffin is eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft, and his improvement has been noticed by NHL Central Scouting. In their recent rankings, he moved up to 70th amongst North American Skaters. That's more than 100 spots higher than the 197th overall ranking he received when NHL Central Scouting released their midseason rankings. 

"I'm just playing with more confidence this year," said Griffin. "My linemates have been great, setting me up and me setting them up ... it's been good."

Shortly after grabbing the 1-0 lead, Matthew Buckley scored on the power play to solidify Oshawa's control over the game. Malone mentioned during the postgame that he felt Buckley has had a fantastic year, though, similar to Griffin, it hasn't always manifested on the stat sheet. 

Kitchener Completes Reverse Sweep To Advance To Western Conference FinalsOttawa Senators prospect Luke Ellinas scored in overtime of game seven to win the series for Kitchener and complete a reverse sweep of the Kitchener Rangers. It is the first OHL reverse sweep since the Guelph Storm achieved the same feat during the 2019 playoffs. 

The Colts stabilized in the third period, going toe to toe with the talented Generals squad. Anthony Romani scored the lone goal for Barrie in the game, with the assist going to fellow trade deadline acquisition Owen Van Steensel. 

New York Islanders prospect Calum Ritchie sealed the win for Oshawa by potting an empty-net goal with just over a minute remaining in the game. 

At the end of the night, both goalies had solid performances. Hillebrandt had the busier night, making 36 saves on 38 shots, while overage goalie Jacob Oster made 27 saves on 28 shots for the Generals. 

Both teams will reset for game two in Barrie tomorrow evening. Puck drop will be at 6:00 p.m. inside Sadlon Arena.

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The Barrie Colts beat the Kingston Frontenacs 6-4 in game seven to win the second-round series and remain undefeated on home ice during the postseason. 

From beginning to end, this series featured only wins from the home team. In a weird twist, the Frontenacs leave the playoffs with an undefeated record on home ice. 

As was the case in six out of the seven games in this series, Kingston scored the opening goal in game seven. Emil Pieniniemi, who ended the game with a pair of goals, worked down the wall before cutting toward the net and scoring on the backhand. 

From there, this became a game of runs, with each team taking turns to score strings of goals.

Just under two minutes later, 2025 NHL Draft-eligible defender Kashawn Aitcheson evened the score at one. Dallas Stars prospect Emil Hemming scored on the power play to give Barrie the lead midway through the first. 

Rangers' Head Coach Named OHL Coach Of The YearYesterday, the OHL announced that Kitchener Rangers' Head Coach Jussi Ahokas is the winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy, which is presented to the OHL Coach of the Year as voted by General Managers across the OHL.

Before the end of the period, Cal Uens and Pieniniemi responded with goals to give Kingston the 3-2 lead heading into the intermission. 

Barrie roared back in the second period, scoring a pair of goals to take a 4-3 lead thanks to Owen Van Steensel and Tristan Bertucci. Kashawn Aitcheson's power-play marker early in the third solidified the Barrie lead at 5-3. 

Generals Advance To Eastern Conference FinalsThe Oshawa Generals defeated the Brantford Bulldogs 4-1 in game six to advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive year.  

Though Kingston pushed back, their response came a bit too late. Kieran Dervin scored his first postseason goal to cut away at the Barrie goal, however, Colts Captain Beau Jelsma sealed the victory with an empty net goal with seconds remaining in the game. 

The Colts will move on to play the Oshawa Generals in the Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams' lineups include a high number of NHL prospects and 2025 NHL Draft-eligible players. 

In the minds of many, these were the two favourites to come out of the Eastern Conference based on their performances during the regular season. Now they will battle for a spot in the finals starting on Friday. Puck drop for game one is at 7:30 p.m. inside the Sadlon Arena 

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