Four minutes and 11 seconds remained in regulation at the ENMAX Centrium in Red Deer. The London Knights trailed the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies by a single goal in the 2016 Memorial Cup final.
London head coach Dale Hunter sent his top line over the boards. Christian Dvorak set his skates near the blue paint. The puck moved into traffic below the hash marks.
Dvorak collected the loose puck and beat goaltender Chase Marchand to tie the game 2–2. It was his seventh goal in four tournament games. The goal forced overtime, establishing the foundation for London’s national championship.
The Illinois Pipeline
Before Dvorak arrived in southwestern Ontario, his game took shape in suburban Chicago. He came up through the Chicago Mission AAA program, skating in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League and High Performance Hockey League.
In 2011–12, Dvorak posted 45 points in 29 games for the Mission under-16 squad. The next winter, he moved to the under-18 team and recorded 52 points across 31 contests. He also skated in nine games for the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel, registering five points.
Scouts recognized his soft touch in traffic and sharp offensive vision. Skeptics questioned his straight-line foot speed and slender physical frame. He committed to the University of Wisconsin, causing major junior clubs to hesitate.
A Calculated Investment
London general manager Mark Hunter took the risk in the spring of 2012. The Knights selected Dvorak in the eighth round, 163rd overall, of the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. It was a calculated investment on an uncommitted American forward.
Mark Hunter secured Dvorak’s signature on an OHL Standard Player Agreement on Aug. 19, 2013. Dvorak forfeited his college eligibility to report to training camp. He took sweater No. 10.
London entered the 2013–14 campaign facing organizational pressure. The Knights were scheduled to host the 2014 Memorial Cup. Dale Hunter placed the rookie centre in a bottom-six role behind Bo Horvat, Chris Tierney, and Ryan Rupert.
“Winning, that’s literally all that matters,” former teammate Max Domi said of the London room. “Everything else fits into place when you’re just focused on winning. That’s all they care about, it’s all they talk about, it’s all they expect.”
The Knee and the Rebuild
Dvorak recorded 14 points in his first 33 games while learning the system. Then his season stopped.
In mid-December 2013, Dvorak suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The structural knee damage required surgical repair and ended his rookie year. He sat out both the OHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup tournament on home ice.
The lost development time affected his draft position. “It was tough luck for Christian Dvorak as his debut season unfolded, after he suffered a season-ending ACL injury just as he was finding his comfort zone,” scout Brendan Ross noted for DobberProspects.
The Arizona Coyotes selected him in the second round, 58th overall, at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Dvorak adapted to the high expectations of the Hunter brothers and trusted their deliberate development path:
“They care about their players and want to see them grow. They won’t put them in a position to fail. They’ll always be really patient and make sure everything progresses nicely before they put them in those big positions. That’s something that I really learned -- you’ve got to be patient and continue to work.”
Two-Way Command
Dvorak returned for the 2014–15 season with rebuilt knee strength and increased responsibility. Dale Hunter deployed him on a scoring line alongside Max Domi and Mitchell Marner. Dvorak scored 41 goals and 109 points in 66 regular-season games.
By 2015–16, London named Dvorak co-captain alongside Marner. Matthew Tkachuk joined them on the left wing. Dvorak centred the combination, taking key defensive-zone draws, killing penalties, and screening goaltenders on the power play.
He led the OHL with 52 goals and finished second in league scoring with 121 points in 59 games. His plus-minus rating finished at plus-56.
“I try to teach them defence and that this is the pro way, this is what you have to do,” Dale Hunter said. “I try to prepare them.”
The Knights dominated because the trio moved the puck without hesitation. “They’re unselfish and they move the puck around well,” Dale Hunter said during the national tournament. “They pass the puck and they don’t care who scores as long as they get the end result.”
The Spring Sweep
Adversity lingered from 2015, when Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters swept London in the second round. The 2016 postseason produced a different pattern. London won 16 of 18 playoff games to claim the J. Ross Robertson Cup, with Dvorak generating 35 points in 18 games.
At the 2016 Memorial Cup in Red Deer, Dvorak tied for the tournament lead with 12 points. In the final, his late equalizer allowed Tkachuk to end the game in sudden death.
The three linemates departed junior hockey as national champions. All three stepped into full-time NHL roles the next autumn.
“It’s obviously on a crazy new level, but it definitely prepared us,” Tkachuk said of making the transition.
“I don’t know if it helped us make [our teams], but it definitely helped us become better players which could lead to that,” Dvorak said.
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Photos: Aaron Bell & Terry Wilson/OHL Images