CREDIT: CHL IMAGES
Newest Knight Gemel Smith was acquired from Owen Sound.

The dust has settled on another Ontario Hockey League trade deadline day. Now the junior hockey world can — and will — judge.

The London Knights were fairly quiet this time around, acquiring Gemel Smith and a conditional draft pick from the Owen Sound Attack for Kyle Platzer and defenceman Santino Centorame. Was it the right move? That question will only be answered once the Memorial Cup comes to an end.

At present, though, it's a London roster that has tons of players eyeing redemption at the Memorial Cup.

Add Gemel Smith to that list.

Smith was a rookie with Owen Sound at the 2011 Memorial Cup — incidentally the last team to beat the Knights in a playoff series. The Knights have lacked a goal scorer ever since Seth Grffith and Alex Broadhurst graduated at the end of last season. Now they have another trusted veteran, and he's expected to be good fit for them.

“He's a young man we don't think will be frightened by the 9,000 fans (at Budweiser Gardens) and the hype,” Knights general manager Mark Hunter told the London Free Press. “We think he will thrive in this environment. He knows how to win and he knows what it takes.”

Like last year, the Knights were hesitant to trade away their future for a sure shot chance at winning the Memorial Cup. Risks like that don't often work in hockey. Look at the John Tavares/Michael Del Zotto trade to London back in 2009. London went all out, then lost to Windsor in the conference finals, and lost both Del Zotto and Tavares to the NHL the next season.

Dale and Mark Hunter appear satisfied with what they possess at forward and on defence.

Goaltending may still be an issue for London, but Anthony Stolarz and Jake Patterson will once again bear the burden of responsibility to back stop London to their second Memorial Cup title — this one too on home ice.

Mark Hunter though did trade young goalie Liam Herbst to Ottawa for draft picks, meaning that next season the Knights will have a new netminder. Patterson should return as the overage starter, for the time being anyway.

Don't get me wrong, this is still a good London team. But in a tougher OHL Western Conference, that might not be enough to win their third straight league title. The Erie Otters and the Guelph Storm went all out to contend for the OHL title this season.

Erie added Owen Sound defenceman Kurtis MacDermid, who joins World Junior defenceman Adam Pelech and former Knight Troy Donnay on the Otters blueline. They also added Brendan Gaunce from Belleville earlier in the season. It's these moves that give Erie a team they believe will be enough to propel the club from the basement of the OHL to the summit in just one season.

The Guelph Storm made the “Cup or Bust” trade this season by going all out to acquire Kerby Rychel and Nick Ebert from the Windsor, so when an opportunity presented itself to restock the draft cupboard, the Storm sent Hunter Garlent to Peterborough for four second round picks.

On deadline day, Guelph, like most of the league, was quiet.

Nonetheless, the Storm still has all the makings of a championship side on forward and defence. Like London, their biggest concern is their goaltending tandem of Justin Nichols and Matt Mancina.

In the Eastern Conference, the Sudbury Wolves and the Oshawa Generals solidified themselves as the two likely contenders. Oshawa managed to, in the words of the GM Jeff Twohey, “acquire two overagers for a second-round pick.” They signed free agent Alex Lepkowski and acquired Dylan Smoskowitz from Mississauga for a second-round pick.

Oshawa wasn't necessarily expected to be a contender this season, but the return of Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers made them change their mind.

Sudbury landed Radek Faksa from Kitchener, who too was rumoured to be on his way to London. They also got Trevor Carrick from Mississauga, giving the Wolves their first real shot at contention in almost a decade.

But back to the Knights. They know the pressure that surrounds the franchise. They know what it takes to play in the Memorial Cup. They know what their fans expect of them night after night.

Now the rest of the league has risen to the challenge, and only one team can rise above everyone, when the playoffs come to a close.

Buckle up!