- Kane Barch is leaving the U.S. National Team Development Program to play for the OHL’s London Knights this season
- The 2027 draft prospect is a Michigan commit whose father Krys played eight years in the NHL
- Read below for what the move means for Barch’s draft stock and a loaded London roster
The London Knights just added another name to an already stacked roster.
Kane Barch, a 2027 draft-eligible winger, has been released from the U.S. National Team Development Program and will join London for the 2026-27 season. Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek reported the move Saturday.
Marek laid it out plainly:
Barch is still committed to the University of Michigan, where he is slated to arrive for the 2028-29 season. The OHL stop gives him a full year of junior hockey before that.
His lone year with the NTDP was a quiet one. He put up 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 36 USHL games and ranked third on the team with 60 penalty minutes. Against college and international competition he added 23 points in 54 games.
London already owned his OHL rights. The Knights acquired them from Kitchener back in January, sending Sam O’Reilly and Jared Woolley the other way. Now Barch actually reports to the team.
The fit works on paper. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound winger out of Plano, Texas plays with a physical edge, and London is a perennial CHL powerhouse that keeps loading up. The Knights also landed 2027 prospect Luca Santala earlier this summer.
There is some family history here too. Barch’s father, Krys, played 381 games in the NHL and suited up for the Knights himself as a junior. Kane gets to chase his draft year in the same building.
Six new forwards are fighting for spots in London, so Barch will have to earn his ice time. A strong showing in a top OHL lineup would do plenty for his 2027 stock.
