After Sam Dickinson made it clear that he wouldn’t be showing up to training camp for the Niagara IceDogs, there seemed to be two paths in front of him. The Chicago Steel, who had picked him late in the USHL draft, or the London Knights, who were rumored to be close to acquiring his rights.
It appears as though the latter is the path that Dickinson will choose, as the Knights have sent Niagara a package of seven draft picks for the young defenseman, who was the fourth-overall selection in this year’s OHL draft.
The IceDogs will receive:
- 2023 3rd (NBB)
- 2023 5th
- 2024 2nd
- 2025 2nd
- 2025 3rd
- 2026 2nd
- 2026 3rd
Mark Hunter, general manager of the Knights, released the following:
We are extremely excited to trade for player of Sam’s caliber. He has a complete 200-foot game and is a top end talent of size, skill, and grit. He’s the type of player you win with.
Having only turned 16 in June, Dickinson already stands 6’2″ 194 lbs and was the first defenseman selected in the OHL draft this year. Joining London will likely help his stock rise even more, as the program is well-known for being an NHL training ground, because of its financial dominance in the CHL and first-class facilities.
Whether that turns into a pick near the top of the 2024 NHL draft remains to be seen but Dickinson appears to have made his way to the program he wanted.
As an NHL GM I wouldn’t touch this kid with a 10 foot pole after he drops this entitled BS.
Very common in the OHL with the top Americans and the odd Canadian. I understand they want to go to the bigger programs which can offer more perks, but it really is unfair to the majority of the teams. At least in this case they had to give up a boatload to acquire him, usually they’re just able to scoop up top tier first round talent in lower rounds since most teams know they cant lure them away from their NCAA commitments.
London will be interesting i wonder if that means we will be seeing logan mailloux shipped out?