A Knights vet — and now alum — moves on
Nathan Dunkley, one of the Knights’ graduating players in 2020-21, didn’t get a proper send-off. Now, he’s reflecting on his time with the green and gold.
When Nathan Dunkley left the ice following a 3-1 home win over the Oshawa Generals at Budweiser Gardens on March 8, 2020, he had no idea he’d played his final game in a London Knights uniform. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
All good things must come to an end.
But Nathan Dunkley didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.
When the 2020-21 OHL season was officially canceled, after months of attempts to salvage at least a partial season, it meant the end of the junior hockey road for several Knights players, including Dunkley, who played parts of three seasons with the Knights, an organization he came to love after being acquired in a trade as a 17-year-old in 2018.
He didn’t get to take a final pregame skate, didn’t get to soak in a final moment in front of 9,000 fans, and he didn’t get to take part in the traditional on-ice ceremony at the final home game of the year where graduating Knights players are honoured.
“This year it was difficult to make any of that happen, obviously, so the send-off part was tough,” said Dunkley, who was acquired by the Knights as the main piece in the January 2018 trade that sent Cliff Pu to Kingston. “I don’t think anyone could have predicted it, but it was a tough ending. I think I left a lot on the table and still had a lot more to prove. I was hoping to be a key part of our team this year.”
Even before the 2020-21 season was wiped out in its entirety, the Knights had their 2019-2020 season cut short when the sports world shut down in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. London (45-15-1-1) was in first place in the Western Conference at the time, primed for a deep playoff run – with eyes on a third Memorial Cup title.
“My ultimate goal would have been to win a championship with London and bring that organization home another title … and to be a huge part of that team’s success.”
Dunkley was indeed a huge part of the 2019-2020 team when the lights went out early on the season. The Campbellford, ON native was one of four Knights players to suit up for all 62 games that year, and he tallied 13 goals and 34 points during those contests (including three game-winning goals).
His last game in a Knights uniform came in a 3-1 home win over the Oshawa Generals at Budweiser Gardens on March 8, 2020. Of course, he didn’t know that it would be his last game as a Knight …
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Nathan Dunkley loved his time as a Knight; loved his time in London. It wasn’t his first junior home, but it was the home where he defined his junior hockey career – and where he developed into the player and young man he is today.
Drafted by the Kingston Frontenacs in the first round of the OHL Priority Selection in 2016 (out of the Quinte Red Devils), Dunkley was averaging a point per game in 2017-18, his second year with the team, when he was acquired by the London Knights in a trade.
“We are excited to see Nathan come to London and step into our lineup,” Rob Simpson, the Knights’ general manager, said at the time. “He’s had a very successful start to the season, and we look forward to seeing his development for years to come.”
In his final season with the Knights, in 2019-2020, Dunkley played in all 62 games, notching 13 goals and 34 points, before the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
The trade came as a surprise to Dunkley, who had just gotten comfortable in Kingston. There were mixed emotions, to be sure, and it wasn’t an easy transition.
“I was really young, and I didn’t really know what to expect,” recalls Dunkley. “I was taken aback for sure, but it made it a lot easier knowing that I was going to the London Knights … the culture they have, their facilities, the history of their players and the coaching staff … that part made it easier. But, I mean, anytime you have to move at 17, and you’re kind of just feeling your way around, it’s difficult.”
It was a big change for Dunkley, who moved to the ‘big city’ and had to make friends with a whole new group of teammates. It wasn’t easy, but he settled in, learned the ways of a new organization, and ended up fitting in really well.
“I got to a point where I could just fully enjoy where I was,” Dunkley said, “and appreciate the organization that I had the opportunity to play for.”
That first year in London, the centre scored eight goals and tallied 24 points in 29 regular season games before the Knights were bounced from the playoffs by the Owen Sound Attack in a four-game sweep in the first round.
Then it was time for the NHL Draft. Dunkley wasn’t selected – despite being ranked just outside the top 100 (among North American skaters) by NHL Central Scouting.
“I think I was expecting to get drafted,” Dunkley says. “I think I had a good amount of points for a draft-eligible forward, but it obviously didn’t go my way.”
He did, however, receive an invite from the Los Angeles Kings to work out at their development camp during the summer – and compete in a rookie tournament in Las Vegas, as well as attend the team’s main camp prior to the season.
Dunkley led Knights players in faceoff winning percentage (60.8%) in 2019-2020. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
“That was a cool experience,” Dunkley recalls. “I got to see some NHL guys and how they carried themselves … as a young kid, that was pretty cool, especially since I had idolized a lot of those guys growing up.”
Back in London, Dunkley scored 23 goals and compiled 53 points in 67 games during his first full season (2018-19) with the Knights. He added another five points in 11 games in the playoffs (this time, the Knights were taken down in the second round by the Guelph Storm in a hard-fought seven-game series).
When the draft came around again, Dunkley was passed over for the second year in a row. It was disappointing for the third-year junior, but he holds no resentment.
“I try to take that in stride and not dwell on it,” the now 21-year-old Dunkley says. “I don’t know exactly [why he wasn’t drafted]. I couldn’t pinpoint one reason, but there were definitely areas in my game that I needed improving.”
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Dunkley did just that, going back to work and improving his game during the 2019-2020 OHL season, and he was a key part of the team that looked primed to reach the OHL final. It didn’t happen, as the COVID-19 pandemic halted things in March, not long before playoffs were to begin in the spring.
As the pandemic continued on, and the OHL continued to try to reach an agreement with the Ontario government to return to the ice for a 2020-21 season, Dunkley took the opportunity, as many juniors players in the province did, to travel overseas and play pro hockey in the interim.
The veteran Knight went to Sweden in November and played for two different clubs over the span of three months. It was a new experience – not just a cultural and lifestyle one, but also playing against pro players.
“It was really cool,” Dunkley says. “I hadn’t played against older guys like that before, so it was a big change to play against grown men … bigger, stronger guys. The talent was pretty good. It was a challenging league, for sure, and I learned a lot.
“To have that opportunity, at my age, to go over there and see what it’s all about and get that new experience … when nothing was going on (in Ontario) … I’m grateful for that.”
Unfortunately, there was still no Knights season to return to when Dunkley came back to Ontario. There were close calls, rumours, and even legitimate plans in place. But they were quashed repeatedly until it became apparent even a fraction of a season wouldn’t be feasible.
And, so, Dunkley’s Knights career was over. It certainly wasn’t the ending he had anticipated, but it hasn’t coloured his memories or his appreciation for the experience to be part of the Knights organization.
“It’s one thing to get to play in the OHL,” Dunkley says, “but to get to play for the London Knights in the OHL … I think it’s pretty cool, and it’s something I’ll cherish forever.”
He doesn’t have a specific favourite moment wearing the green and gold. Nor can he pinpoint what he’ll miss the most.
“That’s a tough question. I think I’ll miss it all, honestly,” the 21-year-old says. Hanging out with the guys and growing together, learning from other guys, playing in front of 9,000 or 10,000 fans a night, the community involvement, being a young student-athlete … I’ll miss it all, for sure.”
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Dunkley may be done with the Knights, but he’s far from done with hockey. He’s heading out east in the fall to study and play hockey at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, NS. He’ll be studying business and playing for a Huskies team that finished third in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) during the most recent season (2019-2020).
“It’s pretty competitive out there, so I’ll still have the opportunity to possibly pursue a pro option, whether it be Europe or somewhere else,” Dunkley says. “It really depends on how you do. But I want to continue playing hockey beyond school for sure.”
The former Knight says he’s excited about heading to Saint Mary’s – both for the education and hockey – and he looks forward to weighing his options (hockey or otherwise) in the near future.
“It depends on situations, location, different things like that … I’m going to pick the most suitable option for me when that time comes,” he says. “But right now, it’s about getting my education and trying to become the best player I can be and continue developing.
“And,” Dunkley says, “continuing to enjoy what I love to do for as long as I can.”
The OHL Finals features London and Oshawa. It’s the West champion versus the East winner — with a trip to the Memorial Cup on the line. What’s in store? Our hockey columnist, Jake Jeffrey, breaks it down …