London Knights longshot’s path from house-league hockey to the OHL

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On the surface, it seemed like a long shot.

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Noah Aboflan, a free agent with no tangible Ontario Hockey League experience, was determined to make the roster of the defending champion London Knights this season.

Few have been better prepared for the task. The 19-year-old spent the summer training with ex-Knight Zac Rinaldo, his coach and mentor for the final half of the 2023-24 season with the Pelham Panthers of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.

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“I loved it,” Aboflan said in a recent interview. “Before I came here, he went on the ice with me full-gear and he was teaching me all kinds of stuff. When you talk to him before a game or any time, he’ll get you ready to go to war with him.

“That definitely rubbed off on me.”

Rinaldo called his year-and-a-half spent in London from 2008 to 2010 a “life-changing” experience. He described coach Dale Hunter as a father figure.

“If it wasn’t for Dale and Mark and the organization, I probably wouldn’t have made the NHL,” he said, “and probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as I did. They’re my foundation, for sure.”

The 34-year-old from Hamilton always appreciated how the Hunters valued his strengths and never wanted to take away his physical elements and determined mindset.

“When I was suspended multiple games (for big hits), Dale and Mark would ride the (stationary) bike with me,” Rinaldo said. “They did the workouts. I never felt alone and I felt right at home in London. That was a family to me and to give them someone like Noah now, it kind of comes full circle with me.”

He made sure Aboflan understood the Hunters value competence in the defensive zone, along with strong skating, grit and the ability to be a great teammate.

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“We knew he wasn’t going to go in there and take a top six role and outskill the others,” Rinaldo said. “He needed to eat everybody’s food. There are no friends at camp. You’re there to take someone’s spot. You’re there for business.

“That’s how he conducted himself all summer and that’s why I’m coaching – for kids like Noah to have their dreams come true and put them on the path to success.”

Aboflan grew up in Elliot Lake, in northern Ontario between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. He started as a house league goaltender until pee wee, then made the North Shore Thundercats A team at U14.

A broken wrist helped him realize how much he missed the game and propelled him to get serious about the sport.

“I tried out in the Soo for the AAA Junior Greyhounds in my U16 year (during the pandemic) and ended up cracking the roster,” the 6-foot, 192-pounder said. “That really kicked it off.”

He had a tryout with the OHL’s Hounds, but it led to nothing. He spent a half-season with the Northern league’s Blind River Beavers, then went home and played in Elliot Lake for the Red Wings (who were rebranded to the Vikings) before Rinaldo came knocking.

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He liked that Aboflan had been a captain with Elliot Lake and his sprint-like skating style reminded him of his old Philadelphia Flyers teammate Wayne Simmonds.

That stride was developed, in part, on the lake back home. When Aboflan visited at Christmas, that’s where he went.

“The (indoor) rink got postponed again (and has been closed since 2023 due to structural concerns),” he said. “That really sucks, so I skated on the lake by the beach. I like to say Elliot Lake is like the (TV show) Outer Banks. You can do whatever you want – ride your dirt bikes or sleds, go fishing. You have to be outdoors-y there because there’s really nothing to do.”

Aboflan worked his way into the regular lineup and has proven difficult to remove. He has four goals, seven points and 33 penalty minutes (largely from fights) in 28 games and shone while five Knights were at the world juniors.

“He’s chipped in some goals and he’s done well,” Dale Hunter said. “He improves in practice all the time and as soon as you see that happen, you know he’s ready to go more.”

Rinaldo tells him every time they talk how proud he is of his development. Aboflan went from relative unknown to a role on the No. 1-ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League.

“I have a bunch of kids here in Pelham who want to be on an OHL team yesterday,” Rinaldo said. “I bring up Noah all the time. The Knights vibrate on a very high-energy level and they’re a positive organization. I’m not surprised they’re still winning after all these years. That’s why Noah is there and has been so successful.”

DON BRANKLEY HALL OF FAME: Two-time NHL all-star Dennis Ververgaert and Londoner Dave Hutchison, a physical defender who famously played for the Maple Leafs, will be inducted to the Knights’ hall of fame Friday, Feb. 7 before facing Peterborough.

Ververgaert (1970-73), who scored 58 goals and 147 points in his third major junior season, was the No. 3 overall pick to Vancouver in 1973, and posted 392 points in 583 NHL games with Vancouver, Philadelphia and Washington. Hutchison (1969-72) racked up 335 penalty minutes in 107 games with London before 584 NHL games with Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago and New Jersey.

rpyette@postmedia.com

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