Oshawa Generals coach says 'we’ve earned' trip to OHL Championship Series against London Knights

The Oshawa Generals believe they belong in the Ontario Hockey League Championship.

“We just didn't get here by surprise, we've earned it,” said Derek Laxdal, head coach of the Generals. “From December on, we are right there with the London Knights for the best overall record.”

The Generals finished the regular season on a 12-game win streak, and are 12-5 thus far in the OHL playoffs.

They face the Knights in a matchup featuring the number one seed in the Western Conference [London] versus the Generals who finished number one in the Eastern Conference.

For Generals overage captain Stuart Rolofs, he’ll be facing some familiar foes. He played 46 games for the Knights in his rookie and sophomore seasons before being traded to the Generals for a pair of draft picks in 2021.

Knights forward Max McCue was drafted in the second round by the Knights in 2019, one round after Rolofs.

“That was a long time ago,” joked McCue.

He continued, “I remember going to school with him. The first couple of years in London is tough, and you go through a lot of adversity and we kind of dealt with that together. Stu is a great person on and off the ice, works extremely hard, and it’s no surprise he’s the captain of a team that’s going for it in the championship series. All the best to him, but we are looking to take him down this time.”

Stuart Rolofs of the Oshawa Generals is seen on May 6, 2024. (Source: OHL Images)

That will certainly be a challenge.

The Generals have three of the top five scorers in the OHL playoffs, and goaltender Jacob Oster has a 2.29 goals against average in the postseason.

The two teams split the regular season series, but in both of those games the Knights trailed 3-0.

They can’t afford a start like that during this series.

“We have to come out ready to play,” said Rob Simpson, Knights associate general manager. "They have star power, good goaltending and solid defence. If you don't put structured game against them, they can put passes together, and make plays off the rush and put it in the back of the net.”

The entire series is broadcast on TSN, giving both teams a national audience for what should be a great matchup.

“It’s great for the Ontario Hockey League that we are on this stage,” said Dale Hunter, Knights head coach. “It’s going to be exciting and people across the country can watch.”

 

2024 OHL Championship Series Schedule

• Game 1^ – Thursday, May 9 – Oshawa at London – 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (on TSN3)
• Game 2^ – Saturday, May 11 – Oshawa at London – 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (on TSN3)
• Game 3^ – Monday, May 13 – London at Oshawa – 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
• Game 4^ – Wednesday, May 15 – London at Oshawa – 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
• Game 5*^ – Friday, May 17 – Oshawa at London – 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
• Game 6*^ – Sunday, May 19 – London at Oshawa – Time To Be Confirmed
• Game 7*^ – Monday, May 20 – Oshawa at London – Time To Be Confirmed

* = if necessary

^ = TSN national broadcast