London Knights will have a new look: OHL Burning Questions

Starting from the top of last season's standings, it is time for OHL Burning Questions. For your consideration, the London Knights.

Last season went like — The Knights racked up wins, points and goals almost by rote. Then they bombed the midterm with a second-round playoff exit and only the second winless Memorial Cup round-robin by a host team in the history of the four-team tournament era.

2013-14, by the numbers — 49-14-1-4, .757 point pct., 315 GF/199 GA. Fourth playoff seed, Western Conference. Lost 4-1 to Guelph in conference semifinal; 0-3 in Memorial Cup round-robin.

On the junior-or-pro bubble — Got a hour? RW Max Domi is "assumed" to have an inside track on a full-time spot with the Arizona Coyotes. The Vancouver Canucks might not have "much room" for centre Bo Horvat. Defenceman Nikita Zadorov is taking a second crack at sticking with the Buffalo Sabres after a seven-game cameo last fall. Twenty-year-old twins Matt Rupert and Ryan Rupert are each at the Toronto Maple Leafs main camp.

Drafted — Horvat (Vancouver Canucks, first round), Domi (Arizona Coyotes, first round), Zadorov (Buffalo Sabres, first round), RW Michael McCarron (Montreal Canadiens, first), D Julius Bergman (San Jose Sharks, second), LW Christian Dvorak (Coyotes, second), C Chandler Yakimowicz (St. Louis Blues, sixth)

2015 NHL Draft watch — C Mitchell Marner led OHL rookies with 46 assists and is on Cental Scouting's Futures List.

1. Why shouldn't you write off the Knights?

There is a strange phenomena with Dale Hunter-coached, Mark Hunter-assembled teams: the Knights seem to have a little more puck luck when they're trying to bring along a young nucleus. Since the 2005 Memorial Cup win, it's their overdog teams — the '06 and '09 runners-ups and certainly last spring's three-and-outers — that the hockey gods completely forsook. 

When London's down, though, it's another story. Dale Hunter's ability to prepare his teams means the Knights are hard to get off the porch. That goes back all the way to 2002, when they became the rare 8 seed to get out of the first round; it also came to the fore three seasons back when they won the OHL title in Domi and Horvat's rookie season.

London is trying to replenish in the proper way, with Marner and Dvorak (who missed nearly all of last season due to knee surgery) set to grab more premium ice time. There's ample young talent in mirror-image twins Kelly Klima and Kevin Klima; the sons of former Stanley Cup overtime hero Petr Klima who possess talent and a bit of an edge. 

The Knights, at this writing, still have 30 players in camp as they wait on veterans who are at NHL camps. However, they aren't looking for a quick fix and also have a track record of not rushing a raw young talent.

2. How young will the blueline look by the new year?

Excepting Zadorov, the returning Knights defenceman account for 74 regular-season games worth of 2013-14 experience; 66 of those belong to overage Dakota Mermis. The forecast in the Forest City calls for "severe growing pains along the way" on the back end. The defence coach portfolio, in the wake of the early exit at the Memorial Cup, was handed off to Dylan Hunter and Rick Steadman, who will oversee a high-ceiling trio that includes 16-year-olds Ben Gleason, Victor Mete (by way of Owen Sound) and Tyler Nother. Managing the on-the-job training for all three will be a juggling act.

London might go one step back, but it will go two forward before too long. Plus first-rounder Max Jones, the lone first-rounder from April's OHL priority selection to not commit to the OHL, is presumably laying in the weeds.

3. Who is the best underdog story in all of this?

Consider Michael Giugovaz, the de facto No. 1 goalie after a summer trade with Belleville. The southpaw stopper had a promising start as a 17-year-old two seasons ago as part of a stumbling Peterborough Petes team that played as if it was looking over its shoulder for a shakeup that needed to happen. Giugovaz was been a backup in the Eastern Conference for the past 1 1/2 seasons, but has a chance to catch that spark again. The Brampton, Ont., native seemed to settle into the role by the end of preseason. Seventeen-year-old backup Tyler Parsons has the markings of a classic Hunters find as an undrafted signing out of Michigan.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.