London Knights’ Matt Rupert drills Barrie Colts’ Kevin Labanc with late, high hit (VIDEO)

The London Knights' Matt Rupert was well-known in the Ontario Hockey League for his abrasive, in-your-face style of play long before he got a 10-game suspension for charging last season.

Now the 19-year-old wing could be facing another significant shelving after a late hit that put the Barrie Colts' Kevin Labanc out of an OHL game on Friday. During the third period, Rupert was several strides away from Labanc, who cut into the high slot and took a shot that Knights defenceman Dakota Mermis blocked, which caused the puck to ricochet toward the far corner. A full second after the puck flew off Labanc's blade, Rupert, whose elbow is extended out from his body in replays shown from the end zone camera, caught the Colts forward flush under the chin. The impact of the collision forced Labanc out of the game; the Colts ended up scoring twice during the ensuing five-minute power play and went on to win.

To be a fly on the wall while the Knights lawyer up to face #BranchJustice. Ten-game suspensions for really bad head shots — in which the head is a principal point of contact and there is an injury — have been the 'new normal' in commissioner David Branch's league since 2010-11. Knights beat reporter Ryan Pyette noted "play will certainly be reviewed by the OHL head office." If you freeze-frame around the 51- or 52-second mark in the above clip, Rupert's left elbow is extended out from his body as he gets close to Labanc, rather than being tucked inward in textbook fashion.

Labanc was also not in possession of the puck. One strives not to say, "he should have done this, he should have done that" when split-second decisions are involved. One point the OHL has tried to get across to players is that in that circumstance where throwing a check will not cause a change of possession, players have to try to back off, due to the heightened concern about brain trauma. That regard for a fellow player's safety does not seem manifestly obvious here. So it would not be a shocker if Rupert gets more games than he did for this ill-considered charging infraction last season.

Labanc was out injured for Barrie's win on Saturday over North Bay. Rupert is sitting out London's game on Sunday.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet. Please address any questions, comments or concerns to btnblog@yahoo.ca (videos: Rogers Television).