The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team based in London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The Knights began playing in the 1965–66 season as the London Nationals, then changed to their current name for the 1968–69 season. The Knights have won the J. Ross Robertson Cup six times as OHL champions and the Memorial Cup three times as CHL champions.
History
Early days The team debuted in 1950 at the Jr. B level as the London Lou Ball Juniors, playing in The 'Big 10' Western Division out of the Ontario Arena at the Western Fairgrounds. The team's namesake was Lou Ball Clothes, a chain of three stores owned by Lou Ball, coach of the team. They then proceeded to win the championship in 1952. The team was renamed to the London Collinson Flyers during the 1955–56 season before reverting to Lou Ball Juniors for two more seasons. In 1956 the 'Big 10' was divided, and London became a member of the Western Ontario Junior "B" Hockey League. The name changed to London Diamonds in 1958, then to the London Athletics in 1960. In 1961, the team was again renamed, being called the Nationals, after their sponsor, the Canadian National Recreation Association, an organization of employees of the Canadian National Railways.
OHA In 1963, the Toronto Maple Leafs began sponsoring the Nationals. The Maple Leafs traditionally had affiliations with the Toronto Marlboros and St. Michael's Majors, however with the withdrawal of the Majors from the OHA, and the collapse of the Metro Junior A League, the Leafs were left with only one team. They decided to sponsor the junior team in London, which they wanted to play at the new London Gardens and be promoted to the Ontario Hockey Association.
However, the OHA initially balked at the proposition, so the Nationals continued to play in the Junior B league, winning the London Free Press Trophy as league champions in 1964 and 1965. For the 1965–66 season, the team was finally admitted to major junior hockey, and London's Junior B franchise moved to Ingersoll to make room for the Junior A Nationals. The team wore a uniform very similar to that of the Maple Leafs.
1968–1986: the Darwin era After three seasons, in 1968, direct NHL sponsorship of junior teams ended. The team and arena were sold to businessman Howard Darwin (he also owned the Ottawa 67's) for $500,000 who then changed the name of the team to "Knights". Darwin then held a competition to select new colours for the team, resulting in the selection of green and gold.London Free Press
1986–1994: new owners, new dawn In 1986, Howard Darwin sold the Knights and the arena to Paris, Ontario businessmen Jack Robillard, Al Martin and Bob Willson.
1994–2000: "Knightmare" and redemption In 1994, the Knights were sold to St. Thomas, Ontario, real estate developer Doug Tarry, Senior. Tarry died before the team had played a game under his ownership and his son, Doug Tarry, Junior, inherited the team. Upon taking command, Tarry carried out further renovations on the Gardens including a name change to the "London Ice House." He also alienated a fair portion of the team's fan base by changing the team's colours from green, gold and black to eggplant and teal, and changing the logo to a cartoon logo instantly and derisively nicknamed "Spiderknight".
2000–present: the Hunter era In 2000, former NHL players Dale Hunter, Mark Hunter, and Basil McRae bought the Knights from Doug Tarry Jr.
The 2003–04 OHL season would mark the beginning of a remarkable dynasty. The Knights had the best regular season record in the CHL and set an OHL record with 110 points, but lost the OHL Western Conference final to the Guelph Storm. In the 2004–05 season, the Knights set a new CHL record by going 31 games in a row without a loss (29–0–2).
The Knights finished the season with 120 points (59 wins, 7 losses, 2 ties), breaking their own OHL record set the previous season. In the playoffs, the Knights started by sweeping two best-of-seven series against the Guelph Storm and Windsor Spitfires. In the Western Conference final, the Knights defeated the Kitchener Rangers 4–1 to win the Wayne Gretzky Trophy. In the OHL finals against the Ottawa 67's, the Knights won the series 4–1 to win their first J. Ross Robertson Cup, ending the longest championship drought in the CHL. The London Knights qualified for the 2005 Memorial Cup both as OHL Champion and the tournament host. In the tournament round robin, they defeated the Rimouski Océanic 4–3, the Kelowna Rockets 4–2, and the Ottawa 67's 5–2. This earned the Knights a bye into the championship game in which they defeated Rimouski 4–0 to win their first Memorial Cup. In 2018, the 2004–05 London Knights were named the CHL's "Team of the Century".
Dale Hunter announced on May 14, 2012, he would not return to coach the Capitals in the 2012–13 season, choosing instead to return to the London Knights.
The Knights capped their OHL season with a game seven win over the Barrie Colts as Bo Horvat scored the game-winning goal in the last second of the third period to capture the Knights' second consecutive J. Ross Robertson Cup.
London finished the 2013–14 season third in the OHL with 103 regular season points. However, the only two teams above them were their division opponents, the Guelph Storm and Erie Otters, thus denying the Knights a third straight division title. After sweeping the Windsor Spitfires in the first round the Knights were eliminated by the Storm in five games. Nevertheless, the Knights earned a berth in the 2014 Memorial Cup, their third straight, by virtue of being selected to host the tournament the day after winning the OHL championship the year before.
On October 21, 2014, Mark Hunter resigned as Knights general manager after being appointed director of player personnel for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Knights entered the 2016 Memorial Cup as favourites due to their impressive winning streak and did not disappoint, dominating the round robin and outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 20–5. In the championship game, the Knights faced off against the CHL number-one ranked Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The Huskies pushed the Knights to the limit, carrying a 2–1 lead late into the third period before Christian Dvorak scored with 4:11 remaining to force overtime, where a goal by Matthew Tkachuk earned the Knights their 17th-straight win and second Memorial Cup championship.
On July 6, 2016, McRae stepped down as general manager of the London Knights to become the director of player personnel for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was replaced by former assistant general manager and former assistant coach of the London Knights, Rob Simpson.
The Knights subsequently finished the 2016–17 OHL season third in the Midwest. In the playoffs, they defeated the Windsor Spitfires in seven games before falling to the Erie Otters in seven games in the second round.
Having resigned from his role with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mark Hunter returned as general manager of the London Knights on August 10, 2018, with Rob Simpson returning to his former role as assistant general manager.
The Knights played at the 2024 Memorial Cup in Saginaw, Michigan, after winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup that season. London lost to the host Saginaw Spirit by a 4–3 score in the final game. In 2025, the Knights won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, and defeated the Medicine Hat Tigers 4–1 in the final, to win their third Memorial Cup title.
Championships
The London Knights have won the Memorial Cup tournament three times, won the J. Ross Robertson Cup six times, won the Western Conference nine times, and have won seventeen division titles.
Memorial Cup (CHL champions) 2004–05 – Champions vs. Rimouski Océanic 2011–12 – Finalists vs. Shawinigan Cataractes 2012–13 – Finished 3rd place 2013–14 – Finished 4th place 2015–16 – Champions vs. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 2023–24 – Finalists vs. Saginaw Spirit 2024–25 – Champions vs. Medicine Hat Tigers
J. Ross Robertson Cup (OHL champions) 1976–77 – Lost to Ottawa 67's 1998–99 – Lost to Belleville Bulls 2004–05 – Champions vs. Ottawa 67's 2005–06 – Lost to Peterborough Petes 2011–12 – Champions vs. Niagara IceDogs 2012–13 – Champions vs. Barrie Colts 2015–16 – Champions vs. Niagara IceDogs 2022–23 – Lost to Peterborough Petes 2023–24 – Champions vs. Oshawa Generals 2024–25 – Champions vs. Oshawa Generals
Hamilton Spectator Trophy (Most points in regular reason) 2003–04 – 110 points – 53–11–2–2 2004–05 – 120 points – 59–7–2–0 2005–06 – 102 points – 49–15–1–3 2006–07 – 104 points – 50–14–1–3 2011–12 – 99 points – 49–18–0–1 2012–13 – 105 points – 50–13–2–3 2023–24 – 104 points – 50–14–1–3 2024–25 – 112 points – 55–11–2–0
Wayne Gretzky Trophy (Western Conference champions) 1998–99 2004–05 2005–06 2011–12 2012–13 2015–16 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Division trophies 1977–78 – Emms Division 1989–90 – Emms Division 1997–98 – West Division 2003–04 – Midwest Division 2004–05 – Midwest Division 2005–06 – Midwest Division 2006–07 – Midwest Division 2008–09 – Midwest Division 2009–10 – Midwest Division 2011–12 – Midwest Division 2012–13 – Midwest Division 2018–19 – Midwest Division 2019–20 – Midwest Division 2021–22 – Midwest Division 2022–23 – Midwest Division 2023–24 – Midwest Division 2024–25 – Midwest Division
Awards
Canadian Hockey League
CHL Player of the Year 1981–82 – Dave Simpson 1993–94 – Jason Allison 2015–16 – Mitch Marner
Ed Chynoweth Trophy Top Scorer at the Memorial Cup 2016 – Mitch Marner 2024 – Easton Cowan 2025 – Easton Cowan / Denver Barkey
George Parsons Trophy Most Sportsmanlike Player at the Memorial Cup 2013 – Bo Horvat
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy Outstanding Goaltender at the Memorial Cup 2005 – Adam Dennis 2016 – Tyler Parsons 2024 – Michael Simpson 2025 – Austin Elliott
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy Most Valuable Player at the Memorial Cup 2005 – Corey Perry 2016 – Mitch Marner 2025 – Easton Cowan
Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award 2003–04 – Dale Hunter
CHL Executive of the Year 1997–98 – Paul McIntosh
CHL Defenceman of the Year 2004–05 – Danny Syvret 2024–25 – Sam Dickinson
CHL Goaltender of the Year 2011–12 – Michael Houser
CHL Humanitarian of the Year 1997–98 – Jason Metcalfe
CHL Rookie of the Year 2006–07 – Patrick Kane
CHL Top Draft Prospect Award 2006–07 – Patrick Kane 2008–09 – John Tavares
CHL Top Scorer Award 1993–94 – Jason Allison 2006–07 – Patrick Kane
Ontario Hockey League
Bobby Smith Trophy Scholastic Player of the Year 1981–82 – Dave Simpson
Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy Humanitarian of the Year 1998 – Jason Metcalfe 2025 – Denver Barkey
Dave Pinkney Trophy Lowest Team G.A.A. 2003–04 – Ryan MacDonald & Gerald Coleman 2004–05 – Adam Dennis & Gerald Coleman 2015–16 – Brendan Burke & Tyler Parsons
Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy Top Scorer 1981–82 – Dave Simpson 1993–94 – Jason Allison 2004–05 – Corey Perry 2005–06 – Rob Schremp 2006–07 – Patrick Kane 2008–09 – John Tavares
Emms Family Award Rookie of the Year 1972–73 – Dennis Maruk 1987–88 – Rick Corriveau 2000–01 – Rick Nash 2006–07 – Patrick Kane
F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy Lowest G.A.A. among Rookie Goaltenders 1976–77 – Barry Heard 1989–90 – Sean Basilio 2003–04 – Ryan MacDonald 2017–18 – Jordan Kooy 2019–20 – Brett Brochu 2022–23 – Zach Bowen
Jack Ferguson Award Top Draft Pick 1996 – Rico Fata
Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy Highest Scoring Right Winger 1972–73 – Dennis Ververgaert 1977–78 – Dino Ciccarelli 1997–98 – Maxim Spiridonov 2003–04 – Corey Perry 2004–05 – Corey Perry 2005–06 – Dave Bolland 2006–07 – Patrick Kane 2012–13 – Seth Griffith 2014–15 – Mitch Marner
Matt Leyden Trophy Coach of the Year 1976–77 – Bill Long 1992–93 – Gary Agnew 1997–98 – Gary Agnew 2003–04 – Dale Hunter 2004–05 – Dale Hunter 2009–10 – Dale Hunter
Max Kaminsky Trophy Most Outstanding Defenseman 1975–76 – Rick Green 1977–78 – Brad Marsh and Rob Ramage 1984–85 – Bob Halkidis 1999–00 – John Erskine