London Knights Select Ryan Beaulieu in First Round
Ryan Beaulieu went in the first round to the London Knights in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection in Kingston, Ont. The local defenceman now joins the same franchise that once drafted his father, Josh Beaulieu, and the family tie gives the pick an immediate layer of meaning.
Ryan Beaulieu and Kingston
“By the eighth or ninth pick I started to wonder if it might happen,” Ryan Beaulieu said after hearing his name called. “I started to think about how great it would be to be able to stay at home and play for Mark and Dale Hunter and follow in my dad’s footsteps.”
That was not just wishful thinking. The Knights used their first selection on a defenceman who had spent this past season with the U16 AAA London Jr. Knights, where he was one of the top defenders in the Alliance and earned a spot on the All OHL Cup team after helping the Jr. Knights reach the final four of the top U16 tournament.
Josh Beaulieu’s Knights link
Josh Beaulieu already had a Knights history of his own. He was a second round pick in 2003, later went in the fifth round to the Philadelphia Flyers, and won the Memorial Cup with London in 2005.
Ryan said he models his game after Drew Doughty of the L.A. Kings, and he leaned on the family connection as the draft unfolded. “Me and my dad have a great relationship. He has the experience and he knows what it takes to play for the Knights.”
Josh had his own reaction to the pick. “I’m a big believer in everything happening for a reason,” he said after his son was selected. For London, the choice brought a local defender into the organization with a family record already attached to the jersey.
Danny Syvret and the Jr. Knights
Ryan’s past season under Danny Syvret also fits the same path. He said, “He knows the game, he knows what I need to do and he passed that along to all of us.”
That leaves the Knights with a first-round defender who already knows the city, the system and the family history that comes with the name. For a local player, the next step is no longer about wondering whether the call will come; it has already come from London.
