Knights trio set to share the ice in Canada’s World Junior opener against Finland

With Team Canada’s lineup set for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, a trio of London Knights teammates will hit the ice together on Boxing Day as the annual tournament begins in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Selected by the Knights in the first round of the 2022 CHL Import Draft, San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen continues to put up points in his rookie season, registering 31 points (20-11-31) in 28 OHL regular season matchups. He leads the league with 12 power play goals.

The Sharks’ second round (36th overall) pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Halttunen has helped the Knights play to an 18-11-0-1 record, good for second in the Midwest Division, as the Helsinki, Finland native looks to power his home country to victory this year. Finland comes off a disappointing quarter-final exit against neighbouring Sweden last year in Halifax.

“I’ve gotten to know Kasper a lot and that guy can really shoot the puck. If Finland gets a power play we’ll be sure to watch out for him, he’s extremely talented,” said Knights teammate, Easton Cowan who lines up for Canada.

Sharing the stage with Halttunen at Budweiser Gardens, 2023 Toronto Maple Leafs first round (28th overall) pick Cowan and Philadelphia Flyers first round (22nd overall) pick Oliver Bonk look forward to facing off against their London teammate as Canada looks to start the tournament in the win column.

“Kasper’s a great guy. He’s helped us out a lot in London and we’re happy to have him,” Cowan added.

Under the leadership of former Canadian National Junior Team Head Coach, Dale Hunter, Cowan ranks second in scoring on the Knights with 12 goals, 27 assists, and 39 points (12-27-39), and has ranked in the top-three in points-per-game in the OHL this season. Bonk has also been a big contributor for London, playing big minutes while leading the green and gold in scoring from the back end, registering 30 points (6-24-30) in 28 games played.

Cowan and Bonk look to defend Team Canada’s gold medal as the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Boxing Day when Canada takes on Finland at 8:30 a.m. ET. on TSN.

OHL Players Representing Team Canada:
Owen Allard (Soo Greyhounds)
Owen Beck (Peterborough Petes)
Oliver Bonk (London Knights)
Easton Cowan (London Knights)
Jorian Donovan (Brantford Bulldogs)
Ty Nelson (North Bay Battalion)
Matthew Poitras (Boston Bruins/Guelph Storm)
Carson Rehkopf (Kitchener Rangers)

OHL Players Representing Team Finland:
Arttu Karki (Soo Greyhounds)
Kasper Halttunen (London Knights)
Rasmus Kumpulainen (Oshawa Generals)