Big lad determined to prove his worth

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: METRO NEWS
Michael McCarron is newly Knighted.

London Knight Michael McCarron has massive shoes — or skates — to fill.

Team co-owners Dale and Mark Hunter got their guy in July following months of speculation.

“This is a big signing for us,” said Dale with a huge smile on his face.

Big? Try 6'5” and 228 pounds for size.

With all the hype surrounding the signing, McCarron was bound to be under intense media and fan scrutiny. And boy, he took a huge first step in showing everyone what he's capable of in his OHL debut.

The opposition? London's bitter rivals the Sarnia Sting on August 30.

McCarron was all over the ice, even dropping the gloves to a standing ovation in the second period, and scoring the Knights' fifth goal in their 5-1 victory.

It's a sign of things to come.

Drafted 25th overall by Montreal in the 2013 NHL Draft, McCarron was originally planning to take the college route to the NHL, having committed to Western Michigan University for next season.

The Montreal Canadiens had other ideas.

“[Montreal] came out and said that they wanted to sign me to a three-year deal,” said McCarron. “Obviously that's a big impact in my decision.”

McCarron's NHL contract meant he's ineligible to compete at the NCAA level. For a team like London, who's hosting the 2014 Memorial Cup, a player of this stature would always be welcome. The Hunters traded for the Macomb, Michigan native's OHL rights. The Belleville Bulls drafted him in the sixth round back in 2011. But instead of reporting to the Bulls, McCarron remained in the United States with the National Team Development Program.

He's known as a tough guy: a forward who'll play both ends of the ice. Dale said McCarron reminds him of Chicago's Bryan Bickell. But McCarron isn't after the ‘tough guy' moniker. He wants to be known as a well-rounded player, but isn't shying away from dropping the gloves as he clearly showed the raucous Budweiser Gardens crowd.

“He adds a lot of size and strength to our team,” added Dale. “That's why Montreal picked him up high in the draft, in the first round, because they see the skill, they see the size, the ability to be a top forward at their level.”

“For us, we have to get him to that level, He's going to come here and play lots for us, score big goals and be a big man for us in the corners.”

The Knights' success in recent years and the prospect of playing in the 2014 Memorial Cup, was hard to turn away from, said McCarron.

“I would've probably still come here because the Hunters move on so many players,” he added. “It's awesome to see all those players come in here and now they're playing in the NHL…I just want to be a part of that.”

McCarron takes the same path that former Knights' captain Jarred Tinordi took. Both players are now part of the Canadiens organization. Both of them picked the Knights over an American University.

And both will have worn number 24 in London.

“[Tinordi] said that he wouldn't look back for anything,” added McCarron. “He said the billets here were awesome. He also said there's no difference of games from when he played in the NHL to here ... He's a good guy to follow and I took his word to heart.”