Team leaders Max McCue, Stuart Rolofs ready for memorable OHL final
Looking back now, the 2019 OHL draft was a masterclass by Mark Hunter in one of his first big moments since returning from his Toronto Maple Leafs stint.
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Looking back now, the 2019 OHL draft was a masterclass by Mark Hunter in one of his first big moments since returning from his Toronto Maple Leafs stint.
The London Knights GM selected Stuart Rolofs, now Oshawa’s high-scoring captain, 20th overall with his first-round choice. He took defenceman Logan Mailloux, who made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens this spring, at No. 33 and current over-age star Max McCue back-to-back with pick No. 34.
All three made a major impact during their junior careers.
“It was a long time ago,” McCue, the 21-year-old Blue Jackets prospect, said. “I remember going to school with (Rolofs) and the first couple of years of London was tough. You go through a lot of adversity (trying to fit into the lineup) and we kind of dealt with that together. Stu’s a great person on and off the ice, worked extremely hard and no surprise he’s the captain for a team going for it in the championship series.”
Rolofs and McCue are a part of Knights history as skaters who had their first OHL season cut short before playoffs and their sophomore NHL-draft campaigns wiped out by COVID-19 restrictions. McCue, a Sudbury native, scored two goals in 34 games as a rookie while Rolofs, from Carp near Ottawa, had three assists in 31 games at the same age as McCue at 16.
When OHL hockey resumed three years ago, Rolofs didn’t have the start he wanted with the Knights and was moved to Oshawa. He just put up his second straight 32-goal season and has five goals and 11 points in 17 playoff games.
McCue, one of the league’s best body-checkers, had 27 goals and 110 penalty minutes followed by 17 points in 14 playoff games and an incredibly strong plus-16 rating. The Knights don’t have a captain, but McCue is front and centre in the leadership mix.
“Max is a great player (and) great person,” Rolofs said. “We came into the league together and I have nothing but respect for him. I think it’s going to be pretty cool playing against my former team and some former teammates. London is a great team and we’ll have to be (at) our best to beat them.
“I think we have a good shot.”
The Knights are hell-bent against being knocked out in the final a second straight season.
“All the best to him,” McCue said about Rolofs, “but we’re looking to take him down this time.”
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