The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Memorial Cup Champion Sam Dickinson

Episode Date: June 6, 2025

Sam Dickinson of the London Knights stops by to talk about capturing the Memorial Cup, his experience playing in London, and what’s next for him on his hockey journey.#StanleyCupFinal #Oilers #Panthers #NHLPlayoffs #JeffMarek #PierreMcGuire #MarcoSturm #BostonBruins #DanMuse #PittsburghPenguins #DavidQuinn #NHLDraft #SamDickinson #MemorialCup #LondonKnights #TheSheet #SouthernTier #HockeyTalk #NHLNews #HockeyProspectsShout out to our sponsors!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼Ninja Kitchen Canada: https://www.ninjakitchen.ca/products/ninja-crispi-4-in-1-portable-glass-air-fryer-cooking-system-zidFN101CGY?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=olv&utm_campaign=25Q2-Crispi&utm_content=en👍🏼Budweiser: https://www.budweiser.ca/ca_enReach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Flames_Nation🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Sam, first of all, congratulations. When did you stop smiling or have you stopped smiling at all? I don't think so. I don't think it's fully kicked in yet. Like you said, it's pretty cool to be introduced as a Memorial Cup champion now. So it's something I'll definitely have to get used to and pretty exciting, yeah.

Yeah, you know, I'll tell you, Sam, watching last year in Saginaw winning the Memorial Cup on home turf, I would imagine that, you know, there's a few players there thinking like, I think the boomerang cup is the hardest trophy to win because you have such a short window to do it. Like if you don't do it when you're there, chances are you're not gonna get back.

But obviously you're part of a powerhouse and you guys got back there. How much of the conversation this year was just revolving around, you know, much like the Edmonton Oilers now playing against the Florida Panthers, not only do we want to get back, but we know what it feels like when we don't win and it burns.

Is that part of the conversation this year? Yeah, absolutely. Coming in from day one, getting back to London at the beginning of the year this year, with obviously, you know, a plethora of guys coming back with the returning core that we had, uh, from last year to this year. Now, um, is that what it w that's what it was through the whole season was, you know, we really felt if we didn't win that Memorial cup, that, you know, it

would have been a, a disappointing season knowing how close we were against Saginaw and then coming into this year's, that's what it was all about and understanding that the heartbreak and you know, once we got closer and into the Memorial Cup, we talked so much about, you know, how terrible it was, the feeling of losing and being gut wrenched and all that stuff. So it definitely played a huge, huge factor. Have you ever had to defend against someone like Gavin McKenna before and the follow-up to that is what's it like defending Gavin McKenna? like Gavin McKenna before and the follow-up to that is what's it like defending Gavin McKenna? It is not fun at all. He seems like he's got

everything nearly perfected when he's coming down the ice. You have to play him so tightly but not too tight where you get even with him. He'll make a move and get around you. Obviously I was really lucky to get to know him when we were at the World Juniors together. You see his habits and everything like that. It doesn't really surprise me to know how good of a player he is and that he'll definitely have a long career playing hockey.

It was definitely one of the most challenging players I've gone up against, that's for sure. At what point this season, and maybe it was the beginning, I don't know, at what point this season, Sam, did you say to yourself, we have a Memorial Cup team, we have a team that can win that? Day one, I think. I think day one of when everybody got back from their NHL camps and once we kind of saw the team come together, it was right away. We definitely got the team to do this, you know. We were so close last year. Uh, you know, like I said, a massive amount of our core, uh, from last year

was back to this year, and then you think of the additions that we made, uh, in the season with, with Austin Elliott, obviously just an unbelievable season from him. Uh, Blake Montgomery coming from, from the USHL was just an unbelievable guy, unbelievable player, and then you think of Cam out and I want trade at the deadline. Like I think the, those three things, um, just kind of solidified the fact that, you know, this, this was our year. If, if there was every year for us to do it, it was going to be this one. Yeah.

I'm glad you mentioned Austin Elliott, the goaltender, because what a, what a wild couple of years and couple of seasons it's been for him. Like what a gift a for you guys, but what a gift for him too. Like, I mean, hockey always gives you a reason to quit. Hockey gave this guy a reason to quit a lot of times. You ever thought on your goaltender, what this season and what that cup meant to him? Yeah, I think, I think it meant a lot.

You know, he talked a lot about, you know, how bad he wanted to win. He was obviously on a Saskatoon team that was similar, similar to us with the success that they'd have at West. I think it was two or three straight conference finals losses with him on the team. So we understood, uh, you know, where we were coming from with the whole, you know, being so close, being right there, but not quite getting it over the line. So him understanding that was massive.

And yeah, I mean, like you said, I think he was, he was lucky to, to be able to come through a situation like he was in London. Um, obviously, you know, creates such a massive factor to our team throughout the entire season. Um, let me get a couple of thoughts on the Hunter brothers from you. Um, Mark, I, like, I, I, I swear there must be more than one Mark Hunter because every time I'm out at a GTHL rink, like Mark Hunter's either there or was just there.

He seems to be all over the place. I know you get out there, sorry, at the OHL Cup this year supporting your Marlies, but like Mark Hunter is everywhere. And Dale, you know, Dale's gonna go down with all due respect to Brian Kilray, you know, the greatest OHL coach and maybe greatest CHL coach of all time. You ever thought on the brothers? I mean, they've built the London Knights

and they're the two best in the business for a reason. You think of Mark, like you said, I'd hate to know the kilometers that he has on his truck, the amount of driving that he's doing weekly to go watch guys, but I think like you said with Mark, it speaks to the, it speaks to how badly they want to win. You know, it's not just the players in London, it's how badly they want to win. You know, they, they start the culture of the entire organization and you know,

what they do to give us the best opportunity to win night in and night out season after season, it's why they're, you know, the London nights are always, um, you know, at the beginning of the year teams are just talking about, you know, the London Knights are always, um, you know, at the beginning of the year teams are just talking about, you know, the London Knights have a good team again. It's just, it starts with them too. And, you know, like I said, there's, there's absolutely a reason why the two of them have built,

you know, the London Knights to what they are and why they really are two of the best in the business. Yeah. Give us a sense of, you know, I got a couple more questions here for you, but, you know, one of them is like, what, what's the experience of playing for the London Knights? Like, we always hear, oh, it's a mini NHL. You know, it's like, you know, it's like that grooming ground before you get to the

national hockey. Like, that's the way the fans treat you. That's the way the organization treats you. The building is packed. Everyone's wearing green. It's a successful franchise. It's become a Cadillac franchise across the CHL. What's it like being in that day in and day out?

And how much stress is involved in it? Because you're in the Marquis Junior Hockey Town. Absolutely, I mean, it's special to be a part of, you spoke of the fans, the atmosphere, just the city of London you know, the fans, the atmosphere, you know, just the city of London and everything about that is, it means so much to the players on the team knowing that, you know, you have an entire city rallied around you. And I think when you said that what comes with the stress is, is it's a good stress.

It's the kind of, you know, it's the expectations that when you're on the London nights, you know, the expectation is to win, to be a winner, to have success in junior hockey and also go on and have success in professional hockey. You know, that's one of the big things that I've noticed with the London Knights is, you know, they run it like an NHL team so that when you get there, you're not learning to catch up on everything you do. It's that, you know, you can hit the ground running and you're already prepared for what's there. It's great.

One last one for you. So I'm in Buffalo right now at the NHL Scouting Combine. And one of the things I was talking about earlier in the show, Sam, was, you know, there's one team that, you know, when they're interviewing the prospects, they're holding up a picture of a person sitting in a chair in an open field and asking the player,

okay, what's the story behind this picture? How did that person arrive at this moment in their life? And the players got to come up with some type of story. What are your combined memories of the interviews that you went through? Yeah, it was for me it was a whirlwind the entire combined experience obviously I'd come off you know losing to Saginaw last year. So I, me, me, Sam O'Reilly and Jared Woolley had come in a couple of days late. And so we were kind of just compacted even more into our schedules.

Um, but it was a great time. I had a, I had a ton of fun there. Uh, you know, you get to meet new guys, obviously going into meetings and, you know, you're meeting with new teams and, you know, I think one of the more interesting parts of the Combine is seeing, you know, you're meeting with new teams and, you know, I think one of the more interesting parts of the Columbine is seeing, you know, how differently teams run their, their rooms from, you know, teams that are a little more intense and in your face and kind of, you know, want to get what's out of you. And some are really laid back where, you know, you're just kind of going in there, you're

talking about yourself and, you know, you're having these teams learn about the type of person, especially that you are not just the player. Yeah. I mean, the whole, the the whole weekend week is super exciting. I had a lot of fun. You know, we've obviously got two more guys there this year who I'm sure are going to, you know, do really well in their interviews and it's definitely a very exciting time. Kind of, you know, the last thing before the draft, I guess.

What do you remember from the San Jose interviews? They ultimately ended up drafting you. It was that was one of the laid back ones, kind of just got in there, obviously, they had the entire front office in there. And it was, for me going into that one, it was, for me going into every interview, it was just, be myself, have some fun with it,

but don't get too serious. At the end of the day, they're people too. They just want to learn about you. You know, I was told a lot, you know, teams don't love robots. You know, they want the human people as well. So yeah, I mean, going to San Jose was great. It was a lot of fun getting to meet, you know, the entire front office was really exciting. And to be a part of San Jose is something that, something I couldn't be more excited about. Listen, anyone that saw you play in the Memorial could probably say the same thing. That guy's a San Jose shark soon.

Sam, congratulations again. Looks great on you, your team, London, the organization, all of it. Congratulations again. Thanks, Jack. I'm like, no, man, that's fine. I'm not against those methods, but it's me, myself, and Alice gonna be fixing my mind. Do you wanna break it? I turned on the music. Do you wanna break it?

I turned on the music. Thanks for watching!