Colorado Avalanche Prospect Signs With London Knights

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The retooling of the London Knights roster has been in full throttle throughout August. GM Mark Hunter has been actively signing free agents with valuable junior-level experience. Additionally, through the import draft, the team has acquired a large right-shot defenseman who was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in this past June's draft.

On Monday, the Knights organization announced the signing of Swedish blueliner Linus Funck to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. London used their first-round selection (58th overall) in the 2025 CHL Import Draft to take Funck. He is the 13th player from the first round of the draft to sign in the OHL for the upcoming season. 

We've signed @Avalanche prospect Linus Funck to an OHL Scholarship & Development Agreement.

DETAILS: https://t.co/2gTiBb6xevpic.twitter.com/J5FZup0BJu

— London Knights (@LondonKnights) August 18, 2025

Funck, 18, was taken 118th overall in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Avalanche. He played in Sweden’s top junior league (J20 Nationell) for the Lulea HF organization. Funck led his team in scoring amongst defensemen with 28 points (5 goals, 23 assists) in 48 games. Also, he wasn’t afraid to mix it up from time to time, a trait the Hunter brothers will adore, recording 59 penalty minutes. 

London Knights Bolster Lineup With Latest Two SigningsThere’s one thing that the London Knights don’t do: rebuild. Fresh off back-to-back OHL Championships, and several of their star players leaving the team due to graduating to the professional level or aging out of the league, don’t expect the Hunter brothers to stay quiet.

“Defensively, Funck shows good awareness and positioning within his own end. He’s quick on puck retrievals and shows great intensity when battling for the puck in the corners and down low. He anticipates and kills plays very well and does a great job of quickly transitioning to offense. While he has some bite, if he adds a little more strength to his game, he could become even more of a threat on the backend.” 

Peter Baracchini, a writer for The Hockey Writers, wrote a draft profile for Funck. The above quote is just a snippet describing Funck’s value on the defensive side of the puck. In his article, he mentions that the Swede is a pass-first kind of player, but does a good job at walking the blueline to find open shooting lanes. 

The Hunter brothers love size on their blueline. Funck stands at 6-foot-3 and 183 pounds. Pair that with his fluid mobility and you have a right-shot defenseman who can shut down attacks swiftly with his feet and reach. 

London has had one of the best bluelines in the OHL for a few years now. Their depth was unmatched. However, Oliver Bonk, Cam Allen, and most likely Sam Dickinson, won’t be back. The opportunity for Colorado’s fourth-rounder to play top-four minutes is there, as the Knights arguably only have one right-shot defenseman — Henry Brzustewicz — capable of handling those minutes. 

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