The London Knights are securing their future by signing some future players.
The club announced Saturday they had signed their first four draft picks from the 2018 OHL Priority Selection. The team signed Luke Evangelista, Antonio Stranges, Sahil Panwar and Gerard Keane to the standard OHL player agreements.
The signings were announced as the Knights' held their two-day spring mini-camp at Budweiser Gardens.
“We are very excited to welcome Luke, Antonio, Sahil, and Gerard to the London Knights,” said general manager Rob Simpson in a statement. “Each of these players has a strong skill set that complements each other and will be cornerstones of our franchise as we are building towards another Memorial Cup championship.”
Evangelista, a right winger, is the Knights' first-round draft pick, taken 14th overall. Stranges and Panwar, both American-born forwards, were chosen in the second round, while Keane, a defenceman from Illinois, was drafted in the third round.
Knights owner, president and head coach Dale Hunter expects these players to make heads turn on the ice for the club in the future.
“We are looking forward to seeing these four young men in our lineup for years to come,” said Hunter in the statement. “They will bring a great amount of skill to our team and will be sure to excite the fans whenever they step on to the ice.”