RED DEER, AB – It would be the dream end to his final season in the Ontario Hockey League.
Barrie native Jacob Graves and his London Knights teammates are one win away from a MasterCard Memorial Cup championship.
The Knights will face the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Sunday in the 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup championship game at Red Deer’s Enmax Centrium.
The 21-year-old has only been a member of the Knights for five months but it’s been a seamless transition after starting the season with the Oshawa Generals.
The Generals, who acquired Graves from the Kingston Frontenacs last summer, dealt the overage defender to the Knights ahead of the trade deadline in January.
“I’ve been on four different teams and coming to London, this was probably the quickest I’ve ever really clicked with a team. Even a week in or two weeks in I felt really comfortable with the guys and they made me really comfortable. They’re easy guys to talk to. From the 16-year-olds to the OA’s they’re really easy to talk to.”
Graves joked that transitioning to the Knights after the deal was somewhat easy.
“London’s got a lot of young, skilled forwards so the only adjustment I had to make was just give the puck more to the skilled forwards,” Graves joked. “I love that. It’s such a simple play. Just give it to the skilled forwards and let them to their thing.”
“I like to be simple,” Graves said. “I try to be two-way sometimes but I’m more of a simple guy. I like to be gritty now and then.”
Knights Coach Dale Hunter spoke of how Graves “does everything well.”
“He’s a character guy and he’s playing lots of minutes for us,” Hunter said. “He wants to win. He’s been very good. He’s been moving the puck well. He does everything well and he really cares.”
“He makes good outlet passes and he’ll do anything to win,” Hunter also said.
The Knights got into the tournament final after posting round robin wins over the Huskies, Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League and the host Red Deer Rebels, also of the Western Hockey League.
“It’s gone by pretty fast,” Graves said. “It feels like we just got here and now we’re going to the final. It’s exciting stuff. I’ve got my family coming out. We’re going team stuff with our families. It’s just a really neat experience.”
The Knights entered the tournament with 13 straight playoff wins, an OHL record, and lost just two games in four playoff rounds.
“I feel like we’ve really been clicking for a while,” Graves said. “I’m happy that we’ve got to bring it into the tournament. We just kept flowing and hoping that we can keep it going tomorrow.”
Sunday will end an OHL career that has spanned parts of five seasons for Graves, beginning when he joined the Mississauga Steelheads for 34 games during the 2011-12 season and the perfect ending would be a Memorial Cup title to add to what’s been a productive Ontario Hockey League career.
