London Knights’ Sam Dickinson on NHL draft: ‘I’m the best defenceman’ available

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There are a lot of great defencemen available in the National Hockey League draft starting Friday in Vegas.

Many of the reputable rankings and scouting services suggest five or six of them could be off the board in the first 10-12 picks.

But the greatest?

Sam Dickinson isn’t taking a backseat to anyone. Not Artyom Levshunov, of Michigan State. Not Anton Silayev, of Nizhny Novgorod, Zeev Buium, of Denver University and certainly not the OHL’s top defenceman Zayne Parekh, of the Saginaw Spirit.

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“I believe in myself,” the London Knights blue-liner said. “People have opinions but I don’t listen to half of them, especially ones that are just not right.

“I have full belief and faith in myself that I’m the best defenceman in the draft.”

The 18-year-old left an incredible last impression. He was London’s best player in the stirring third-period comeback that ended with a stunning Memorial Cup final loss to the Saginaw Spirit earlier this month.

Dickinson got on the team bus after that Sunday night defeat, packed his bags and headed back to his Toronto home Monday. He was in Buffalo by Tuesday afternoon for interviews with 20 NHL teams and a couple of brutal off-ice testing sessions on the stationary bike.

“I think I burned what was left in me,” the six-foot-three, 203-pounder said. “A lot of the interviews become rinse-and-repeat, but you get a sense of areas where you think you may go in the draft or teams that you think like you and may pick you.

“You’re in the dark a lot, though. So a lot of things can change and it’s about letting the process happen and being ready for anything.”

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Dickinson will have a big crew – family, friends and London billets – with him at the sensational Sphere in Sin City. He doesn’t want to keep them waiting and aims to be the first rearguard to hear his name called.

He plans to be unmatched on and off the ice among his peers. Even when it comes to media interviews.

“It’s something inside of me,” he said. “It’s natural for me to want to be the best at everything I do and that comes out in hockey. I’m a competitive guy and being the best in every aspect of the game is desirable to me.”

His Knights teammate Sam O’Reilly has his back. The centre believes Dickinson deserves to be the first d-man on stage.

“With the D we played against, I think he’s much better than (the high-scoring) Parekh,” O’Reilly said. “I’ve seen some stuff from these other guys, too, but you watch Sam all season long and it’s pretty impressive what he’s able to do.

“I can completely say I thought he was the best defenceman in the draft this year.”

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It’s time to find out if the GMs of the NHL’s bottom-feeding teams agree.

TWO SAMS: The Knights could produce two NHL first-round picks for the second straight draft. O’Reilly, who had a terrific season and playoffs, worked his way into that conversation along with Dickinson.

Last year, Oliver Bonk (Flyers) and Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs) were among the first 28 picks. The London franchise has already produced a staggering 10 first-rounders since Mitch Marner was selected fourth overall by Toronto in 2015.

O’Reilly was saddled as a C-level prospect heading into this past season after a tremendous year with the London Nationals in Junior B. He had to work to overcome the early grade.

“I guess you can say people can doubt you,” the 18-year-old forward said. “You could see it last year with how good Cowan was and people were still doubting him. It’s all about having a good mindset and not letting outside noise get into your head. I knew I had it in me and our team did well. If you do the right things, your success will come.”

Dickinson wasn’t surprised by O’Reilly’s rise. He was impressed at how he took full advantage of his first junior season with the Nats.

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“He embraced it,” the defenceman said, “and the growth he’s had from the beginning of the year till now is probably the biggest on our team and, really, in the OHL.

“The things he does for us and how he works is what separates him.”

Had the Knights won the Memorial Cup, O’Reilly was in the mix as the tournament MVP.

“I knew coming in I had to gain Dale (Hunter’s) trust,” he said. “I paid attention to the details every single day. They felt comfortable putting me anywhere in the lineup and that’s something I wanted, along with being a good teammate and battling every night for the guy next to me.

“It’s been an honour to play for the Knights and we’re coming back with a good team again next season.”

AROUND THE RINK: O’Reilly spoke to 30 NHL teams at the combine in Buffalo. The only ones he didn’t were Tampa and Los Angeles . . . Dickinson said it was an incredible experience to be the youngest of London’s top four defencemen this past season. He, Bonk, Isaiah George (Islanders) and Jackson Edward (Bruins) are considered by Knights GM Mark Hunter in the same class as the club’s 2005 crew of Danny Syvret, Dan Girardi, Marc Methot and Bryan Rodney. “I don’t think the OHL or London will see a top four like that again in some time,” Dickinson said, “and we proved all season long we were the best team in the Canadian Hockey League. We finished first in the OHL, only lost two games in the playoffs and then went 3-0 in the Memorial Cup round-robin. You appreciate that stuff right away.” . . . O’Reilly answers to the nickname Peanut with the Knights because of an allergy he found out about when he was age six. “I love it,” he said. “I haven’t been called Sam since I’ve been to London and it stuck. (Former billet-mate) Logan Mailloux came up with it last year when I moved in and everyone picked up on it.” . . . Once Dickinson is selected, it will extend the Knights’ record streak of having at least one player picked in the NHL draft to an incredible 55 years. The run started in 1969 with Guy Delparte (Canadiens) and Neil Nicholson (Oakland Seals) . . . The Canadian Hockey League will replace the six-game Canada Russia series, which had previously been used as a build-up to the 2025 world juniors. The CHL USA Prospects Challenge will feature Canadian and American prospects from the OHL, Quebec Maritime and Western league against United States national team development program members in a two-game series this November. The games will rotate each year between the three CHL leagues and when it’s available in Ontario, London would be a natural fit.

rpyette@postmedia.com

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