C Denver Barkey - London Knights, OHL (2023, 95th, PHI)

[Kcoyote3]

Barkey has looked great. Excellent speed, handling, zone entries. If you can nab him in the second I think you've done really well.

Bonk in all likelihood gets drafted ahead, and Bonk is fine, but I'd rank the Londoners as - Barkey, Bonk, Cowan.

 

[Habsrule]

Barkey has looked great. Excellent speed, handling, zone entries. If you can nab him in the second I think you've done really well.

Bonk in all likelihood gets drafted ahead, and Bonk is fine, but I'd rank the Londoners as - Barkey, Bonk, Cowan.

I like Barkey better than Bonk. Bonk doesn’t really impress me too much. I’m not knocking him and I am fairly certain that Bonk will be a NHLer but I just don’t see that one attribute that he is amazing at. He is good all round and doesn’t have much of any weaknesses in his game. He just doesn’t stand out to me.

Now Barkey stands out to me every time I watch him. He is very noticeable every game.

 

[Starry Knight]

I like Barkey better than Bonk. Bonk doesn’t really impress me too much. I’m not knocking him and I am fairly certain that Bonk will be a NHLer but I just don’t see that one attribute that he is amazing at. He is good all round and doesn’t have much of any weaknesses in his game. He just doesn’t stand out to me.

Now Barkey stands out to me every time I watch him. He is very noticeable every game.

Bonk will never be a dynamic offensive talent in the NHL, but I think he has the tools and IQ to become a modern-day high-end shut down defenceman in the mould of Marino and Lindell.

I would probably have the 2005 crop of Knights as Cowan-Barkey-Bonk. Cowan has the size and speed advantage over Barkey and I have a much easier time envisioning Cowan as an NHL player than I do Barkey.

 

[barriers]

 

[barriers]

 

[MMC]

Welcome to Philadelphia

 

[WarriorofTime]

Don't sleep on him too much, if nothing else I think he will be one of the best players in the OHL over the next couple seasons.

 

[Brew]

Fun player to watch. A lot of grit and skill, fast as f*** too. Flyers fans should be excited.

 

[KapG]

After his hat trick last night he’s at

7g 6a 13p in 8 gp

 

[KapG]

38gp - 22g 39a 61p

Surprised no one is really talking about him because he seems to be putting up some great numbers. Future NHLer?

 

[LeProspector]

Man that London Knights team is stacked. Barkey, Bonk, Julien, Dickinson, George, Haltunnen, Lawrence, Simpson, O’Reilly, Sim.

And most of them can return next year. Insane.

 

[KapG]

Kid keeps putting in work.

After 2g 2a last night he is sitting at

31g 55a 86pts in 54 gp

 

[oooooooooohCanada]

Man that London Knights team is stacked. Barkey, Bonk, Julien, Dickinson, George, Haltunnen, Lawrence, Simpson, O’Reilly, Sim.

And most of them can return next year. Insane.

...forgetting someone lol

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

 

[Namikaze Minato]

Gotta be a great feeling getting a contract just as your awesome season is ramping up for the playoffs, kids earned it!

 

[KapG]

Great season for the 3rd round pick so far.

64gp: 35g 67a 102pts

That’s a 43 point increase over last season in 3 more gp.

 

[Dead Coyote]

Barkey is probably my favorite player on the Knights and one of the best players in the OHL IMO.

He's really stepped up offensively and has great hockey IQ and vision. He's an excellent playmaker. His shot is pretty good as well. What I think is the best part about his game is all the little things he does well. He's adept at anticipating plays and intercepting pucks especially in the defensive zone. His forecheck is very good and he's great at picking the pockets of players on the forecheck and in the defensive zone. Defensively he's great at making simple plays that alleviate pressure and turning the puck over. His PK skills are great as well. His stickwork is very good off the puck and his puck handling is great. He has excellent speed and acceleration and isn't afraid to go to the middle or lay the body. Unfortunately that doesn't usually lead to success because he is so small but he has a great mentality as a small player. His biggest problem will be finding his niche in the NHL offensively because he absolutely cannot make the same highlight reel plays he does in the OHL against guys who are bigger and tighter checking and he'll need to learn how to either use his space more effectively or get a lot stronger so he can't be pushed off the puck as easily. However his playmaking skill is just so good and his IQ is so high that I just can't see him not being a hit. He's very similar in that respect to a guy like Zach Benson.

Even if he doesn't end up being offensively good in the NHL (and if you put him in a position to succeed with guys who can take his passes and turn them into goals he will still be great) by himself he's just such a great defensive player and so so smart that I think he'll comfortably make it to the NHL just fine.

Knights guys are usually pretty good at developing under the Hunters and Barkey is a prime example of that. He definitely needs to adapt his game to play against men and ideally put on some strength as well but I think PHI will be very happy with him as a 3rd round pick some day.

He is, IMO, just as good and a little bit better than Cowan both defensively and offensively, and is the Knights best player. There are definitely guys who project better in the NHL but Barkey is one of my favorite Knights. I sincerely hope that he's able to adapt his game. With his IQ it shouldn't be a problem but I've seen plenty of guys like Remi Elie, Dakota Mermis, Victor Mete and even Max Domi fail to reach the potential they should have in the NHL.