Make or break time for three goalies vying for London Knights crease

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Owen Willmore has an impressive 20-4-0-2 record as an Ontario Hockey League goaltender.

He kept the Knights’ season alive when rookie Zach Bowen ran out of gas in the OHL final that spring against Peterborough and came on in relief to backstop London to its unforgettable Game 3 comeback win in the final last May at Oshawa. He was a winner in minor hockey and played a Game 7 for the Stratford Warriors in the 2023 Sutherland Cup final.

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His quest to claim the No. 1 job after the graduation of back-to-back league champ Michael Simpson starts this weekend when the Knights face Erie Friday (7 p.m.) at Budweiser Gardens and Saturday (4 p.m.) in St. Thomas.

Typically, he isn’t fazed by the magnitude of the assignment.

“Go out and stop the puck,” the 6-foot-3, 180-pounder said. “Nothing’s changed. Whether you’re a backup or starter, it’s play, have fun and do well. Pretty simple. You’ve got to win, right? We’re a good team, the Hunters want to win and that’s what is expected here.

“It (past success) doesn’t mean anything now. It’s what comes of this year.”

The Knights are still mulling over how they want to handle net duties this weekend against a solid-looking Otters squad. Willmore, of course, will play but the brass wants to see what 17-year-old Alexei Medvedev and 18-year-old Junior A standout Finn Wilson can do, too.

“All three guys have shown well,” London associate GM Rob Simpson said. “It’s a battle for the goalie position on who’s going to take it and be in the opening lineup. That’s just the way it is with three guys (on the roster). Willmore has played the most so he’s going to get a solid look here.

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“The other two guys are trying to showcase they’re ready for the next step.”

Willmore comes with an additional wrinkle. He is still 19, but was born in December 2004 and is considered an over-age player.

There is only room for three of those on each team and the Knights have forwards Landon Sim, Jacob Julien, Ruslan Gazizov and defenceman Alec Leonard potentially jockeying for those spots.

They’re the grizzled vets in the dressing room now, though Willmore doesn’t necessarily feel that way.

“Not quite,” the Parkside grad said with a grin. “Time flies really quick. You play your first game in Junior B and all of a sudden, you’re an over-ager.”

Willmore, who grew up in Dunwich, spent the summer on the ice three to four times a week in Komoka and also taught little kids in Aylmer with Paul Gibson’s Goalie Detail training sessions.

“I love it,” he said. “It’s a win-win. When I’m teaching, I get to slow things down and work on my game, too. I get to give back because when I was their age, I looked up to the older goalies. For me, it was (former Strathroy Rocket) Josh Diamond, who was the older Elgin-Middlesex goalie that would help at our practices.

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“It was like, ‘Oh, wow’, and now, you can see the kids are excited (to see me).”

Wilson, from Hamilton, signed after being selected in the 15th and final round of the 2022 OHL draft. Willmore, by the way, was a 14th-round pick.

Medvedev, a second-rounder in 2023, was drafted at 5-foot-11 and is now over 6-foot-2. He’s coming off his first junior season in St. Thomas and a lot of practice time with the Knights.

“I had a great experience going to the Memorial Cup with the team,” he said. “This is a special place for me and I’m super excited. We’ve got big goals – to finish the business we didn’t last year.

“It’s a big year for us.”

AROUND THE RINK: Denver Barkey, the Knights leading scorer last season, is expected to be at the rink taking in the game Friday after missing training camp with an undisclosed illness. The Flyers prospect has been cleared by doctors for light training and light skating . . . The Knights signed 17-year-old centre Noah Read from St. Catharines this week. The 6-foot, 170-pounder had 12 goals and 38 points in 48 games for his hometown Junior B Falcons last season . . . Russian signed import pick Gleb Semenov is in ‘a holding pattern’ regarding his hockey season right now. The Knights checked on his visa status this week and learned it’s at the processing stage. There is no timeline yet . . . Jaxon Cover, the London prospect who had only played hockey three years before being drafted, has headed to St. Andrew’s College this fall after impressing at London training camp. The Knights are in discussions with him at the moment . . . 2024 first-rounder Logan Hawery is expected to make his Knights preseason debut this weekend . . . 16-year-old defenceman Caleb Mitchell played for the London Nationals in a 3-1 preseason loss to Stratford Wednesday at Western Fair. He had four penalty minutes.

rpyette@postmedia.com

KNIGHTS PRESEASON

Friday: vs. Erie, 7 p.m. at Budweiser Gardens.

Saturday: vs. Erie, 4 p.m. at Joe Thornton Community Centre (St. Thomas).

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