Michael Houser

Like Jordan Binnington, Michael Houser headed into the 2010-11 OHL season with many believing he would back up Igor Bobkov in the London goal.

However, while Bobkov was away at NHL camp with the Anaheim Ducks, Houser proved that he deserved the starters job. It was given to him and he ran with it.

Houser appeared in 54 regular season games posting a 30-19-4-1 record with a 3.32 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. His goals against average place him 15th overall in the OHL and fourth amongst draft eligible goalies. His save percentage was eighth overall and second amongst draft eligibles while his wins were fifth and first respectively. Houser was first both overall and in draft eligible goaltenders in shoot out wins with an 8-1 record.

Houser showed on many occasions to be able to steal games for the Knights. Heading into the playoffs against eventual Cup Champion Owen Sound Attack, it was widely considered that for the Knights to have any chance, Houser would have to stand on his head.

And Houser did just that. Despite 1 bad outing, Houser turned aside wave after wave of Attack opportunities. It was because of Houser's efforts the Knights were able to take two games from the Attack. And if it wasn't for the lack of Knights' offense, he probably could have stolen at least one more game.

Houser finished the playoffs with a 2.71 goals against average (6th) and a remarkable .940 save percentage. (1st)

While Houser didn't make our preseason top five draft eligible goaltenders, he certainly proved during the regular season that he belonged. His playoff performance didn't just re-enforce it, it placed an exclamation mark on it.

Photo courtesy of lfpress.com

London Knights Award Winners

The London Knights held their annual awards banquet Saturday night in London. Four of the Knights players eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft took home hardware on Saturday.

Here are your winners :

OHL Playoffs - Day 11

Saginaw 6 Guelph 5 - Saginaw wins series 4-2 - (Prediction: Saginaw in 7)

 Josh Shalla led the way offensively notching 4 assists for the Spirit while Vincent Trocheck led the way in goal scoring with two goals and an assist. Jordan Szwarz, Ivan Telegin, Brandon Saad and Dalton Prout had single tallies in leading the Spirit to the second round for only the second time in the history of the team.

  Guelph’s Michael Latta scored a power play goal at the 4:35 mark from winger Daniel Erlich to make it 1-0.  Vincent Trocheck evened up the score at the 14:37 on a set up from Brandon Saad.  Latta would tally his second of the night at 17:26 in the first with an unassisted goal making it 2-1, but Saad would tie it 2:28 later with assists going to Josh Shalla and Trocheck.

The Spirit took the lead in the second period with three unanswered goals.  Jordan Szwarz tallied of the post  a power play goal assisted by Shalla and  Ryan O’Connor, to make it 3-2 at the 7:20 mark.  Dalton Prout would make it 4-2 with a goal at the 11:28 mark from Shalla and Saad, and Ivan Telegin gave the Spirit a three goal lead with on a set up from Mathew Sisca at 15:11. 

Saginaw built on their lead early in the third when Trocheck scored his second of the night at 3:46 from Shalla and O’Connor.  The Storm cut the lead to 6-3 with a goal from  Sam Lofquist with the lone assist going to Andrey Pedan (who seems to have found his offense at the right time) at the 7:57 mark.  Guelph then cut it to 6-4 with Peter Holland scoring a power play goal at 13:25 from Latta and  Taylor Beck.

So would a come back happen tonight?   Latta scored the hat-trick with 1:56 left on the clock to make it a one goal game, his fifth goal of the series coming on the power play from Beck and Holland.

But that's all the offense Guelph had in them and Saginaw held on to win the game and the series.

As the second seed coming into the playoffs, the Spirit will have home ice advantage at least through the next round. Their next opponent will depend on the outcome of tonights game 7 between Kitchener and Guelph. If Plymouth whould win the series then Saginaw would face the winner of the Windsor/Erie series. If Kitchener should win then Saginaw would face those same Rangers.

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Erie 6 Windsor 5 OT - Series tied 3-3

You have to wonder what's going through the minds of the Windsor Spitfire players and their coaching staff. The Spits had a 3-1 series lead and led 3-0 in the first period only to see both leads disappear.

The Spitfires know all to well what it's like to be in Erie's position. Last season they trailed the Kitchener Rangers 3-0 and came back to force a game 7 and win that series and eventually, the OHL Championship and the Memorial Cup. That's not to say Erie will accomplish that this year, but yours truly did predict Erie in 7 games for this series.

So what's happening to Windsor? They are getting offense. but they are also getting goaltending. Erie fired 30, yes that's thirty, shots in the first period alone on Jack Campbell. That's what most goalies face in a game. And they had a 3-0 lead after the first.

Windsor gave Erie just too many opportunities, giving up 67 shots including 8 in overtime. They also managed 53 of their own including just 4 in OT.

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Owen Sound 1 - London 0 - Owen Sound wins series 4-2 (Prediction: Owen Sound in 6)

Two words: Michael Houser.

There's no way i could leave it at just that. But i made a fair judgement in saying that the Knights would go as far as Houser would carry them. And not only did he carry them on his back, he hoisted them.

A brilliant performance was wasted yesterday when he stopped 38 of 39 shots and a play that left Robby Mignardi all alone in front with 1:41 left to play was the only blemish on his game. Not that any goalie could have made that stop.

After a shaky performance in game 5, Houser did more than his share in game 6. People soon forget that outing with his last performance. And if in scouts minds the last game is the performance they remember most, then they soon won't forget his name.

Six games, 332 minutes played. 250 shots, 235 saves, a 2.71 GAA and a .940 SV%

The other thing the Knights would have needed was Jared Knight to score some goals, and he did just that leading all players in the series with 4 goals. He also added 2 assists for 6 points while getting duty on a checking line at times.

Seth Griffith led the team with 7 points - 3 goals and 4 assists, and Vladislav Namestnikov had 1 goal and 4 assists.

For the Attack, Joey Hishon was limited to just 1 goal in the series to go along with 4 assists.

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** Note: I'll have a preview of the second round matchups by Wednesday morning after the other two series are completed.

OHL Playoffs - Day 10

Saginaw 5 Guelph 4 - Saginaw leads series 3-2

Guelph opened the scoring with a goal when Peter Holland scored at the 7:42 mark with assists from defensemen Stephen Gaskin and Goaltender Brandon Foote. Saginaw tied it on a unassisted power play goal by John McFarland at 17:44.

Jordan Szwarz gave the Saginaw an early lead with a goal at the 4:36 mark of the second period with assists going to Peter Hermenegildo and McFarland. Guelph’s Francis Menard tied it less then 3 minutes later when he was set up by Sam Lofquist and Zack Mitchell at the 7:07 mark.  Then Guelph took the lead at the 10:34 mark, with winger Scott Kosmachuk scoring from Andrey Pedan and Lofquist. Saginaw tied the game once more at three apiece near the end of the period, on power play goal. At 17:33 Josh Shalla scored with assists from Mathew Sisca and Szwarz. 

Saginaw captain Szwarz opened the third with a goal at the 5:16 mark, assisted by Ivan Telegin and McFarland, his 3rd point of the night, to give the Spirit a 4-3 lead. Once again the game would be tied when Guelph's Daniel Erlich scored at 9:05 with assists going to Taylor Beck and Matt Finn. Saginaw went ahead to stay at 11:46 center Vincent Trocheck tallied the game winning goal from Shalla.

Saginaw goalie Mavric Parks stopped 29 of 33 shots, while Storm goalie Brandon Foote stopped 26 of 31 shots and had an assist.

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Kitchener 2 Plymouth 0 - Series tied 3-3

I said the other day I had a gut feeling that the Rangers would go with Morrison in goal for game 5 and they did, and they got the victory to stay alive. So why wouldn't the Rangers go back with Morrison for game 6? No reason; They did and they evened the series at 3 games apiece. Morrison stopped all 40 shots he faced for the victory. Scott Wedgewood stopped 35 of 36 for Plymouth.

The question now is; What does coach Steve Spott do with his goaltending on Monday? Do you go with the hot hand in Morrison, who would be playing his 3rd game in 4 days, something he hasn't done in the OHL, or do you go back to your number 1 goalie in Brandon Maxwell who's been in this situation before?

This time my gut tells me that Spott will go back with Maxwell for game 7.

As for the hero at the other end of the ice, once again it's

Ryan Murphy, red Mohawk and all. Murphy put the Rangers on the board with his second of the playoffs at 7:06.  His point shot bounced off a couple of defenders and into the net three seconds into a powerplay. Jason Akeson, who scored his first goals of the series on Friday, assisted on the Murphy goal.

For the second straight game Plymouth didn't have another comeback in them. Jerry D'Amigo closed it out with and empty net goal with assists from Michael Catenacci and Jonathan Jasper.

Not many expected Plymouth to come this far including yours truly. And the Whalers are by no means done. It's a game 7 where anything can happen, it's winner take all. I'll stick with Kitchener, but I am by no means as confident in saying that as I was prior to game 1. Good luck to both teams on Monday.

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Owen Sound 6 London 0 - Owen Sound leads series 6-0

I had to get a shot of Logan here who proudly wore his Jared Knight jersey to the game after making the 3 hour trek from London with his parents and a contingent of fans from London. He even got his picture taken with the Owen Sound mascot. It was strange seeing a Knight Jersey and Attack jersey hugging happily.

Logan and his fellow Knight's fans didn't have too much to cheer about on this night, but I'm sure he will be at the John Labatt Center on Sunday cheering on Jared and the Knights.

As for the game itself, strange things happened before the drop of the puck. First it was announced that Stephen Sanza would miss game 5. Jared Knight would stay on the checking line where he scored twice in game 4 playing with MacEachern and Sanza. Then I learned that Vladimir Namestnikov would be filling in Sanza's spot and I scratched my head.

But it gets even more confusing. The Attack announce that Jordan Binnington, who carried them in goal for most of the season, would be scratched and Michael Zador would start the game. And yes, Scott Stajcer was back and backing up Zador.

This game had chippy moments especially with Michael Houser being run at least 4 times in the first period alone and a couple of more times in the 2nd with only one goalie interference call made. Houser was thrown off his game and he didn't have his best game and he was pulled in favor of Igor Bobkov at 13:44 of the 2nd.

It wasn't a knock on Houser as the team couldn't muster much offense with only 14 shots on goal in the game, and just 1 in the third. This was a move by Hunter, with the game already decided to save his number one goalie for the next day.

One thing I've seen in Houser in 2 seasons with the Knights is his ability to fight through adversity and to bounce back stronger than ever. Back to back tough games are not in his repertoire. I called this series to go 7 games and still believe it will. Not only will Houser steal the show in game 6, he'll be the show.

Finally, in the third, another odd move by the Attack. With Zador riding a shutout, Coach Reeds pulls him in favor of Stajcer to finish the game. Likely to to London Coach Dale Hunter's comments about the Attack running Houser earlier in the series. Let the head games begin....

For all the scoring, check out the boxscore

OHL Playoffs - Day 8

Niagara 4 Brampton 1 - Niagara wins series 4-0 (Prediction - Niagara in 5)

Well, this is the second sweep in the OHL playoffs thus far and Niagara did dominate this one.

Andrew Agozzino scored twice while Freddie Hamilton added 2 assists for the Ice Dogs. Brampton goaltender Cody St Jacques just didn't have his best in this game, allowing 4 goals on 11 shots in 23 minutes of action. Matej Machovsky came on in relief and shut the door the rest of the way but it was too late.

Dougie Hamilton finished this series with 1 goal and 5 assists while Ryan Strome added 1 goal and 2 assists. For Brampton, Barclay Goodrow went pointless in 4 games.

Niagara now awaits the winner of the Oshawa and Kingston series as their next opponent.

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Sudbury 5 Ottawa 3 - Sudbury wins series 4-0 (Prediction: Ottawa in 5 games)

If you asked most people outside of Sudbury, you would have found few people that would have had Sudbury winning a single game let alone sweeping the 67's. But shockingly, it happened.

So what went wrong for Ottawa? That's the million dollar question. And I am sure that will be dissected over, and over, and over in Ottawa for days to come.

Sudbury has 3 draft eligible defensemen in Justin Sefton, Charlie Dodero and Frank Corrado who went pointless last night but were all on the plus side. Not only were they solid in game 4, but throughout the series.

They got timely saves when they needed them from Alain Valiquette. And they also got timely goals when needed, and last night it was Michael Sgarbossa who provided a pair of goals to give him 4 goals and 8 assists in the 4 game series.

Things don't get any easier for the Wolves though. They now have to face the league's regular season champs and the Memorial Cup Host Mississauga St Mikes Majors in the next round. A preview of that series will follow the completion of round one.

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Saginaw 4 Guelph 3 - Series tied 2-2

Saginaw went into Guelph trailing 2-1 in the series and after falling behind 2-0 they went to work. They scored a short handed goal, a 5 on 5 goal and 2 power play goals to take the lead and make it hold up for the victory.

Ryan O'Connor lead the way offensively with 2 assists while Mavric Parks stopped 30 of 33 shots for the Spirit. Brandon Saad added a single assist while Vincent Trocheck went pointless for Saginaw.

It was also a game of specialty teams with Saginaw going 2 for 3 on the power play while Guelph went 1 for 6.

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London 5 Owen Sound 2 - Series tied 2-2

This series is going exactly as i suspected it would and that Michael Houser and Jared Knight would have to play key roles for the Knights to win this series. And they are getting just that.

Houser stopped 36 of 38 shots and once again made big saves when he was counted upon. As for Knight, he played primarily a shut down role last night yet was still able to add 2 goals.

Joey Hishon remains virtually invisible in this series scoring only 1 goal, and that coming after his shadow Stephen Sanza left game 3 with an injury. Owen Sound needs Hishon scoring if they are going to take this series.

Seth Griffith added a goal for London while Vladislav Namestnikov added an assist. For Griffith, that was his third goal to go along with 4 assists. Knight now has 4 goals and 2 assists in the series.

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OHL Playoffs - Day 6

Mississauga 4 Belleville 4 - Mississauga wins series 4-0 (prediction - Mississauga 4-0)

It was the JP Anderson show once again, recording his third consecutive shutout of the series. Remarkably, he only allowed 1 goal the entire series way back in game 1.

Maxim Kitsyn scored once and added an assist as did Devante Smith-Pelly. Justin Shugg had 2 assists on the night.

While Belleville goes home now, Mississauga awaits their next opponent. Shockingly, it could very well be the Sudbury Wolves.

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Niagara 5 Brampton 1 - Niagara lead series 3-0

Mark Visentin was rock solid in goal again as he stopped 35 of 35 shots for the Ice Dogs and leading his team to a commanding 3-0 lead in their best of seven series.

Only Zach Bell was able to beat Visentin on this night. For Niagara, Alex Friesen and Dougie Hamilton had 2 assists each while Ryan Strome had 1 and Jason Wilson had a goal and a helper.

About the only thing we know for certain is the Ice Dogs won't be facing the Majors in the next round.

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Kingston 7 Oshawa 4 - Oshawa leads series 3-1

Kingston lived to fight another day !!

Rookie goalie Nathan Perry stopped 34 of 38 shots in his first full OHL playoff game while Peter DiSalvo was pulled for Oshawa after allowing 5 goals on 28 shots.

Nicklas Jensen was held pointless for Oshawa while fellow draft eligibles Lucas Lessio and Boone Jenner had a goal each.

For Kingston, Nathan Moon (playing through injury) had 3 goals, while Ethen Werek playing in only his second game back since his suspension had 3 assists. Ryan Spooner added a goal and an assist for the winners.

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Sudbury 5 Ottawa 4 OT - Sudbury leads series 3-0.

Can we possibly have an upset in the making here?

Trailing 4-2, and looking tired and sluggish, the Wolves mounted a comeback. Defenseman Josh MacFadden scored his 2nd of the night to pull Sudbury within one goal on the power play. Then with 17:52 left in the third, Adam Sedlak of the 67's took an interference penalty to put the Wolves on the power play.

With 16 seconds left, MacFadden scored his 3rd of the night to force the game into overtime. It only took Mike Lumas 33 seconds into the extra session to complete the comeback and give Sudbury a commanding and yet unthinkable 3-0 series lead.

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Owen Sound 5 London 3 - Owen Sound leads series 2-1

Michael Houser didn't have as many shots to face as earlier in the series, but he had to make some difficult saves in stopping 30 of 34 shots. His Attack counterpart Jordan Binnington, stopped 17 of 20 for the win.

London was up 3-1 and in control of this game until captain Stephen Sanza went down with an injury and had to leave the game. Sanza had been able to limit joey Hishon to just 2 assists in the previous 2 games.

With Sanza out of the game, it opened up some room for Hishon who got the game tying goal in the 3rd before Jessie Blacker scored the eventual winner. Blacker finished with a goal and 2 assists.

Seth Griffith had a goal and an assist while Vladislav Namestnikov had 2 assists for the Knights. All 3 of London's goals came on the power play.

Special teams played a huge role in this game with 25 man power advantages on the night. London was 3-13 on the PP while Owen Sound was 2-12.

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OHL Playoffs - Day 3

Sudbury 8 Ottawa 7 OT - Sudbury leads series 1-0

Game 1 was played in the home of the Ottawa Senators and had everything you could think of, lead changes, Hat tricks, goaltending changes, great saves, you name it, it had it.

Michael Sgarbossa led the way for Sudbury with 1 goal and 5 assists. Josh Leivo added 3 goals and 2 assists as did Andrey Kuchin. Three draft eligible defensemen played small rolls. Frank Corrado had 2 assists and was a plus 2, Charlie Dodero had 1 assist and was a plus 2 and Justin Sefton was a plus 2.

For Ottawa, Ryan Martindale had the hat trick, Tyler Toffoli had 2 goals and 2 assists and Thomas Nesbitt had 2 goals and 1 assist. Shane Prince is still out with an injury and did not play.

Sudbury forward Eric O'Dell was given a 5 minute major and game misconduct for boarding in the first period and the league will certainly look at this one for supplementary discipline.

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Windsor 4 Erie 3 2OT - Series tied 1-1

A wide open game with plenty of chances in this one but the goaltending was strong. Windsor's Jack Campbell made 40 saves including all 18 in overtime while Erie's Ramis Sadikov 45 saves, also 18 in overtime.

Jeff Brown had a pair of goals for Windsor while Mike Cazzola had a goal and 2 assists for Erie. Browns second goal at 11:09 of the second overtime session was the game winner.

Alex Khokhlachev had an assist for Windsor

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Mississauga 1 Belleville 0 - Mississauga leads series 2-0

Malcolm Subban got the start over Tyson Teichmann for Belleville and it almost paid off. He stopped 28 of 29 shots to keep the Bulls in this game. And yes, he is P.K. Subban's little brother and not draft eligible until 2012.

At the other end, J.P. Anderson stopped all 21 shots he faced for the shut out.

Two time Memorial Cup Champion, and one of my favorites, Justin Shugg, scored the games only goal.

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Plymouth 3 Kitchener 2 - Plymouth leads series 2-0

What's wrong with the Rangers? They have now lost 9 straight going back to the regular season !

Brandon Maxwell stopped 35 of 38 shots including 5 in overtime for the Rangers while Scott Wedgewood stopped 29 of 31 and didn't have to face a shot in overtime.

Jerry D'Amigo had both Ranger goals. As for Kitchener's "Power Ranger" draft eligible, Gabriel Landeskog and Tobias Rieder were pointless and Ryan Murphy added a single assist.

Robbie Czamik score Plymouth's overtime winner just 2:23 into the extra session and Austen Levi added a pair of assists. Stefan Noesen had an assist while Garrett Meurs and Alex Aleardi were pointless.

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London 5 Owen Sound 1 - Series tied 1-1

This game had more scouts then it did fans! Well, that's an exaggeration, but there were plenty of NHL scouts on hand at this one. And they saw a goaltending performance of the ages again as Michael Houser stole the show for the second consecutive game.

He stopped 52 of 53 shots including 16 in the first when his team had a 1-0 lead that enabled the Knights to go on and win this one.

Roman Berdnikov was the only Attack player able to beat Houser. For the Knights, Jared Knight had a goal and an assist and was a force all night. Seth Griffith, another of my favorites, scored once and added a helper as did fellow draft eligible teammate Vladislav Namestnikov.

This is the performance the Knights needed from Houser to have a chance in this series and he has now stopped 97 of 101 shots faced in the 2 games.

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Draft Eligible Goaltending Leaders - Save Percentage

The OHL Save Percentage Leaders of Draft eligible goaltenders

Mike Morrison - .912
Michael Houser - .904
Matej Machovsky - .904
Jordan Binnington - .899
Franky Palazzese - .890

Draft Eligible Goaltending Leaders - Goals Against Average

The OHL GAA Leaders of draft eligible goaltenders

Mike Morrison - 2.65
Matej Machovsky - 2.90
Jordan Binnington - 3.05
Michael Houser - 3.32
Jacob Riley - 3.52

Are Houser, Harrington and Griffith taking a back seat to Namestnikov ?

In short, the answer is yes. That's not to say the 3 draft eligible players are not having a good season. But the fact is that rookie Vladislav Namestnikov is having a great season. You could even say that all four are being overshadowed by Jared Knight (Boston Bruins).

Projected to be a first round pick in the 2011 NHL entry draft, Namestnikov has gone quietly about leading his team in goals, points and plus/minus (team stats) and trails only  Knight in assists. He is also now tied with Knight for the team lead in power play goals.

Much was talked about the comparisson between Namestnikov and Ilya Kovalchuk prior to the season. While he doesn't quite have the speed that Kovalchuk has, or that patented shot, when you watch Namestnikov skate with the puck, you see glimpses of what Kovalchuk can do.

Which brings us to Seth Griffith, usually paired on a line with Namestnikov. Unless you followed Griffith with the St Marys Lincolns of the GOJHL, you probably wouldn't have known his name. He did play 17 games with the Knights last season and put up 3 points in 17 games. nothing to write home about, but in the playoffs he put up 7 points in 10 games.

I followed him through his days with the Lincolns and said here in the preseason to watch him as a sleeper. He now trails only Namestnikov and Knight in all offensive categories. He was named OHL player of the week a couple of weeks ago and has been my first star of the week for draft eligible players twice.

There is no question that Griffith brings offensive ability to the game. He can even play the point and quarterback the powerplay. But the question that will always come into play is size.

Scott Harrington came into the season ranked in my survey of OHL General Managers and scouts as the defenseman that would be taken first in the NHL Entry Draft. It's been a bit of a dissappointment for Harrington this season as he hasn't been able to keep his development curve on an upwards trend.

But things have improved markedly for Harrington since trade deadline day most notably because of increased ice time. With the trade of Michael D'Orazio, he now leads all Knights defensemen in every offensive category, a part of his game that should have taken the next step this season. While he has surpassed last season totals, he's only just done that.

Of concern is his discrepency in the plus/minus department, dropping from a plus 25 a season ago, to a minus 13 to date this season.

Which brings us to goaltender Michael Houser, who was passed over in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, likely due to the limited number of starts he's had in the OHL backing up Michael Hutchinson (Boston Bruins). Coming into the season, Houser was again expected to be the Knight's back-up, this time to Igor Bobkov (Anaheim Ducks). You may remember Bobkov from Team Russia in the Subway Super Series, or the Gold Medal Russians from the World Junior Championships.

But Houser stole the show from training camp and the number one position has been his all season, playing in 49 of the Knights 59 games to date. He sits 12th in the entire league in goals against average and 8th in save percentage but is among the leaders in draft eligible goalies. He is 4th in both wins and minutes played in the entire league and first in both categories among draft eligible players. But Houser's name still doesn't get mentioned in the same sentence as the other draft eligible goaltenders. We'll have to wait until June to see if NHL scouts see something in Houser.

When trade deadline approached and passed, the Knights had traded away most of their veterans for only draft picks in return. Jared Knight took a quiet leadership role on the ice and these four followed. Many questioned whether the Knights could still make the playoffs. They've done better than that. They've led a group of young players to pulling within 2 points of the Windsor Spitfires (after last nights action) and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

For Houser, Harrington and Griffith, they may just be garnering some quiet attention.

Michael Houser vs Jack Campbell - from friends to foes

“We played a lot against each other. We went to (U.S. junior) summer camp together. It’s nothing new and I don’t get up more for him than I do any other game.”

Read the full story from the London Free Press here

Michael Houser Making Case for Team USA at the World Juniors

I always believed Houser was a good goalie and that the reason he wasn't drafted last years was because he didn't get enough starts to garner consideration. This year, he stole the starters job, which was suppose to go to Igor Bobkov (Ducks) and is having a solid season.

Here's a story courtesy of the London Free Press

Some Tidbits surrounding Seth Griffith, Michael Houser and Ryan Murphy

The London Knights Seth Griffith, playing on a line with Jared Knight and Vladislav Namestnikov, is really beginning to find his grove. The three together are now tied for the Knights scoring lead with 9 points in 8 games. After scoring his first goal of the season Friday night, Griffith tallied another on Saturday and had numerous other chances, only to be robbed by Rangers goaltender Brendan Maxwell.

All he needed was to get that first one off his back and you can see the confidence starting to boil over. Remember, he is my sleeper pick and has been going back to late last season. With the lack of offense the Knights are showing early on, they are going to need the three of them to continue to produce points, and at an even higher pace. Keep a close eye on Griffith. He's not on anyones radar, but he will climb.

Is there a goaltending controversy in London ? Michael Houser went undrafted in 2010, mainly because he didn't get enough starts. Igor Babkov (Ducks prospect) was suppose to come in and be number one but its Houser that's stealing the show after making his 5th straight appearance last night.

I have lots of faith in Houser and watching him in 5 games this year, he's been amazing, making key saves when called upon and keeping his team in the game while waiting for their low octane offense to produce something. I expect him to climb the goaltending charts if he continues to get the starts over Babkov.

I've spoken plenty of Ryan Murphy but i couldn't let this go. On Friday in Kitchener, i was speaking with another scout from and independent scouting publication who tried to convince me that Murphy won't be chosen until the 2nd round in the NHL entry draft.

He cited his size and lack of defensive ability as two reasons. Of course i had to tell him he was nuts. People only need to look at whats happening on the ice and draw conclusions. Murphy is paired almost exclusively with Doornbosch on defense, another puck moving defenseman. That in itself warrants that Murphy concentrate more on defense. He's often the last man back. And watch when someone is trying to beat him on the outside. His speed just allows him to keep people on the wall and out of the danger zone because there are very few that can beat him. And teams almost refuse to dump the puck in when he's on the ice. They have next to no chance of retrieving the puck against his speed.

I just have to shake my head and move on from this. If Ryan Murphy is a second rounder, then the second round must start at picks 5 to 10.

Michael Houser Story

One story stands out from what London Knights goalie Michael Houser went through as a kid.
It wasn’t all the doctor visits. It wasn’t the hour-and-a-half commutes to Akron, Ohio, to consult with a renowned specialist. And it wasn’t the 16 corrective surgeries to fix his bilateral club feet.

Full story from The london Free Press

Windsor Spitfires and London Knights player updates

I was in Windsor last night for what was an exciting game between these to rivals. Coach Dale Hunter tried juggling lines up for the Knights who are having trouble scoring goals early this season putting Jared Knight, Vladislav Namestnikov and Seth Griffith on a line.

Goaltender Michael Houser, coming off of a shut out Friday night was great in net despite allowing 4 goals. Houser is very good with his lateral movement, his rebound control, is quick getting back up on his feet, directs shots very well out of danger, is excellent at picking up shots through traffic. If there is one thing he needs to work on its handling the puck. Although he was overlooked in the draft last year, he will garner a lot of attention in 2011.

London's Seth Griffith had a good weekend with 4 assists and a plus 4 in two games. Last night in Windsor he showed his grittiness, excellent passing ability, his quickness at getting into the forecheck and a very good defensive game. In six games, Griffith has yet to score his first goal of the season, but now has 6 assists in 6 games.

Russian import Vladislav Namestnikov is quietly finding his game. The smooth skating center man had a learning process playing in North America for the first time but seems to be finding his game. He leads the Knights now with 3 goals and 5 assists and is a plus 4. He shows a willingness to back check and shows a dedication to the defensive game. He is an excellent play maker who finds open men and seams. He is willing to go to the dirty areas and take the puck to the net. One thing he needs to work on is to use his shot more often.

Defenseman Scott Harrington is a force in the defensive zone. He is excellent in front of his net, battles hard in the corners and on the boards and comes away with the puck most of the time. He makes good outlet passes. he doesn't carry it as much as he probably could. Offensively, he has a good shot from the point, accurate and gets it through. Doesn't always look for the bomb from the point and sometimes looks for a good low wrist shot for a deflection. He still needs to learn when to pinch since he doesn't have great speed to recover.

Windsor's Alex Khokhlachev is everything we were told he would be. A superb skater who plays both sides of the puck extremely well. He drives the net hard, is usually the first player in on the forecheck and he battles hard along the boards. He has a tremendous passing ability and an excellent shot. With 1 goal last night, he now has 6 goals and 5 assists in 8 games.

Defenseman Steven Trojanovic is a work horse in the defensive zone. He doesn't give opponents much room. He plays a physical game and is capable of standing players up. Strong in front of the net, he clears the puck effectively. his offensive game will come with experience but don't expect him to be a force offensively.

Fellow defenseman Craig Duininck is in a similar situation. It is often said in hockey that if you don't notice a player, he is going about his business quietly. And that was the case with Duininck last night. Like Trojanovic, he is strong in his own zone but not as physical. He also has offensive potential that will come with more experience.

As for the rest of the Spits, I will have more on them when i do their profiles.

Fabulous Friday

For the Kitchener Rangers, Ryan Murphy and Tobias Rieder led the way. Murphy had a goal and 3 assists while Reider had 2 goals. The Rangers defenseman now leads the league in scoring.

The London Knights Michael Houser wasn`t asked to make a lot of saves, but when called upon he shut the door for his first shut out of the season. Seth Griffith had 2 assists in the Knights win.

Oshawa`s Lucas Lessio contributed 2 assists for the Generals.

For Sudbury, Josh Leivo had 2 goals and an assist.

Boone Jenner had two goals for Oshawa

Brief conversation with London Knights assistant GM Jim McKellar

I had a brief conversation with the Knights assistant GM today. So far Jared Knights playing time has been split with Seth Griffith and Vladislav Namestnikov. When i asked him who would get the majority of time playing with Knight he said it would change from game to game.

Griffith, my sleeper for almost a year now, possesses very good offensive ability who can set someone up or score himself. Namestnikov, who's style has been compared to Ilya Kovalchuk by some, has more offensive  upside than Griffith. Both would benefit greatly playing with 36 goal scorer Jared Knight in this their draft year. 

The Knights have struggled to score through the preseason and so far in the regular season, so if Knight can click more frequently with one or the other, look for it to become a regular pairing.

As for the Michael Hutchinson situation and whether the Knights are trying to trade his rights in the event the Bruins want to send Hutchinson back to junior, McKellar would only say "The last i heard was he was doing well and the Bruins are sending him to Providence".

The Providence Bruins played their first preseason game tonight and Hutchinson was a healthy scratch, which should keep the rumors circling. Sources said last Friday that something could happen early this week. With the Bruins departing for Europe tonight, something may not happen now until they return home.

The Knights could also choose to hold onto his rights and if the Bruins do choose to send him back to junior, it may mean the Knights have to find a new home for 2011 draft eligible goaltender Michael Houser. Houser was eligible for the 2010 draft but went unselected, probably due to his lack of starts playing behind Hutchinson.

Igor Bobkov to join Knights

Igor Bobkov, Ducks draft pick and goaltender, will be joining the London Knights for the upcoming 2010-11 season. How will this affect Michael Houser's (draft eligible)  position with the team?

Michael Houser

Michael Houser, London Knights

As a backup to Bruins prospect Michael Hutchinson, Houser appeared in 25 games with a 17-4-1 record and a 3.10 GAA and .900 SV%.

He stands at 6’2” and weighs in at 180 LBS.

I’m curious about Houser because I don’t think he will get drafted in 2010 and will still be there in 2011. He has excellent technique and well above average reflexes. He sees the puck through traffic. He is an above average puck handler. He challengers shooters with confidence, has good rebound control and is almost always in position.

I just don’t think that he’s played enough in the OHL for teams in the NHL to gauge him. He will get plenty of playing time for Coach Hunter next season on the Knights