Photo Credit: The London Knights
The London Knights continued their successful 2023-24 campaign, all the way to the Memorial Cup Final against the Saginaw Spirit. For those that seem to forget, the Knights knocked off the Spirit, to propel them to the OHL Championship, winning that series 4-2.
As a matter of fact, the Knights won seven of the first 11 meetings, in some otherwise convincingly fashion. Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey continued to lead the way for this Knights club. He registered an assist in the loss, as Bonk continued to show Flyers fans what they will possibly have in the future.
The Skinny on Bonk
Bonk, a Right-Handed defenseman was still on the board in the first round with the Flyers on the clock to pick and they selected him with the 22nd overall pick. Moments before this selection the Flyers selected a prospect Matvei Michkov with superstar/generational potential. The selection of Bonk received mixed reactions from the Flyers proud faithful, where some project Bonk as a project, however in the same token, other fans projected Bonk as a top four defenseman.
The Flyers finally have drafted a solid skating defenseman. They needed a solid skating defenseman, and this was one way to do it. There were weeks of speculation over who the Flyers would take with the 22nd pick, in particular. Bonk has a ton of skill that can stifle players at the Blue line, and lead the Flyers of the ice the other way. He is a good skating Defenseman, and these type of Defensemen don’t come along very often.
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Bonk is an asset with the man advantage, and from the heavens maybe, just maybe, he can be an influential asset in this area when he makes his NHL Debut in Philadelphia in the future. He really had a great playoffs, and has been even better with his gap control than in the regular season. Bonk continued his success in the Memorial Cup, after scoring one goal and registering five assists in four games played. I mean it can’t get any better than that. To boot, he was a plus three, as well.
As mentioned previously, he is a solid skater, like most prospects he can improve upon this area, but he has a great pair of hands too. Bonk stands at 6’2, and weighs 176 pounds. He is a very confident and skilled puck handler, who effectively transitions the puck out of his zone and into his opponent’s zone. Bonk is an able bodied playmaker who excels at finding and creating passing lanes, mainly due to his edge work. Bonk plays a physical game, as he shuts down his opponents by taking the body, and board battling.
Denver Barkey
Barkey is a ball of energy and just fun to be around. The sport of hockey is quite unique, it really brings people together. So much so, Barkey loves playing for the London Knights, mainly due to their proud fan base. Barkey finished the season with seven short-handed goals, which was tied for first in the OHL with fellow teammate Easton Cowan. He of course finished the season with 102 points (35g,65a).
It was a goal he set for himself, so this was quite the honor. This season Barkey became more of a dual threat, not only scoring wise, but his play away from the puck is far better than it has been in years past. He is what you call a complete player.
So what can Flyers fans expect from Barkey when he signs his Entry-Level-Contract (ELC) and plays for the Flyers, “Someone to show up to the rink everyday. A player that can play up and down the lineup,” Barkey said to Jamey Baskow in an exclusive interview a few months ago.
Barkey continued, “My parents are a huge inspiration. My grandpa also inspired me. Kind of see the Pro when he played in the NHL. That was one of his dreams (For his Grandpa to make the NHL).” Some don’t know that Barkey’s Grandpa played professional hockey. Randy Legge, Denver’s Grandpa, played for the New York Rangers, and wound up playing 12 games for the Rangers during his professional career. Legge was a right-handed defenseman, believe it or not, as he stood at 5’11. Of course, Barkey stands at 5’9, but he could fill out more as he is still only 18-years-old.
For his efforts, his success trickled to the Memorial Cup, in which he has netted one goal and three assists in four games played. He is excelling at both ends of the ice, and is playing like a player determined to make the Flyers roster next season. How this ends is anyone’s guess, but Barkey had a great season and he should leave holding his head up high.
