In his final OHL season, Kings prospect Jared Woolley is thriving in a larger role in London

In the system, Jared Woolley is a draft pick on the backend who brings different traits to the Kings’ pool of prospects.

The Kings liked those traits enough to move up 18 picks, from 182nd to 164th overall, to select him in the sixth round in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

Not only are his size and physicality traits that stand out when you watch him play but it’s also his skating for a player his size (6-foot-5) that people inside the London Knights organization believe will blend in well for him in the professional game.

“I think his combination of size and skating is what makes him an interesting player,” Knights Associate General Manager Rob Simpson said. “He skates well for a player who is 6-foot-5, has a good stick, brings a physical element and sticks up for his teammates. He plays with an edge and lays a couple of big hits a game. He has a lot of intangibles there that will blend, I think, well, to the professional game as well as our junior game.”

In fact, those are the same traits that led to Simpson and the Knights selecting Woolley to their OHL club to begin with.

While playing as a 16-year-old with the Quinte Red Devils, a AAA program in Belleville, ONT, Woolley stood out for the role that he played, helping his club to shut games down even at a young age, and the tools he showcased in doing so.

“When we looked at him on his team with Quinte, his coach put him in a defensive role,” Simpson said. “He was always in at the end of games and played a shutdown role against the opposition’s best players. We noticed how the coach used him, looked at his tools and it ended up working to where he is now. You have to give a lot of credit to Jared for putting in a lot of work on his body, tools, and skills to continue progressing to where he is now.”

Since that time, what progress Woolley has made.

Now in his third OHL season, 2025-26 brings one last run with the London Knights for Woolley before he likely begins his professional career next year with the Kings, having already signed his entry-level contract. With several players from last season’s Memorial Cup winning squad now graduated, Woolley has moved into an elevated and leadership role. In his final season with his junior team, he has played on London’s top defensive pairing. He’s seen power play time while still playing on the penalty kill, wearing an ‘A’ throughout the process.

His new role has seen him off to the best start with London, racking up 22 points (8-14-22) in 31 games and he is on pace to set a new season high for himself in the OHL. With Sam Dickinson turning pro with San Jose, Woolley has filled the void left by the Sharks prospect on the top defensive pairing and has done so rather nicely, and by his standards, has done ‘okay for himself.’

“I try not to think about it too much. I just let the game come to me and not force anything, stick to my roots by playing good defense first, and transition up the ice,” Woolley said about seeing an elevated role for this season.

Despite perhaps a modest self assessment, those who are evaluating see something different.

Adapting and excelling in his new role isn’t surprising to Simpson, who was complimentary of Woolley’s start.

“I think he has done a good job to start the season,” Simpson said. “If you look at his point totals already to date, he’s having his best year in the OHL. I think he’s taken that in stride, like any young player who is starting to be put into a bigger role with the team. There are going to be ups and downs, but one of the best things about Jared is that he is very coachable and wants to get better.”

For a player who wants to get better, there is perhaps no better place to do so in junior hockey than London.

Woolley was quick to credit the Knights organization for their coaching and player development, a pathway that has seen 27 Knights alumni make an NHL opening night roster this year.

“[London] has been huge for my development. Coming in at 17 years old and working my way up each year, getting more and more time up in the lineup constantly, whether it’s on the ice after practice with coaches, or doing video, you’re always learning something here. It’s good for your development,” Woolley said when crediting the Knights’ success in developing players.

In addition to London’s player development prowess, their consistent year-in and year-out competition for an OHL championship was also cited by Woolley, as the team played in the OHL and Memorial championship matches in back-to-back years, further aiding his development.

Last season, the Knights won it all, with Woolley and fellow Kings prospect Henry Brzustewicz contributing each night along the way. What an experience it was for the 19-year-old blueliner.

“It’s huge playing in that tournament,” Woolley stated. “You’re playing against three of the best teams, with two winning in their league (WHL & QMJHL) and the other as the host. It’s all elite teams, and when you’re playing against the best, it just makes you better.”

This season, his role has expanded, but playing in a top-four defensive pairing role isn’t new to Woolley.

Being given power-play time and seeing more of an offensive role while playing on the top pairing is, as mentioned earlier, reflected in his point production. Woolley is known more for his shutdown and physical presence rather than offensive production, but this season’s he’s seemingly found the best of both worlds.

Perhaps there is some hidden offense in his game that we are finally seeing this year. Dial it back a bit and Woolley made one of the smoothest plays in the tournament with a saucer breakout pass from behind his net in the Memorial Cup tournament against the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats.

This saucer pass from Jared Woolley is OUTRAGEOUS pic.twitter.com/6pDL0b3tUe

— BarDown (@BarDown) May 30, 2025

“He’s going to get assists naturally from being able to break the puck out of his own end,” said Simpson. “When he does jump into the rush, he has a good shot that can pick corners, and when he gets in tight, he can roof it pretty well for a bigger player. I wouldn’t say he’s just a shutdown defensive defenseman or that kind of role. A lot of his offense is going to stem from his defensive work in breaking pucks out and separating players from the puck, allowing the offense to transition from there.”

Just this week, Woolley turned in a multi-goal performance on Wednesday, including the game-winning goal in overtime. The offense is coming and it’s building onto the defensive foundation he already put in place.

Woolley knows he isn’t going to light up the league offensively at the next level, just because of the increase in offensive production in London this year, but he does believe he’s got more offense in his game than perhaps he’s thought of.

“I think I do have some offensive touch to my game. I wouldn’t say I’ll be a super offensive defenseman at the next level, but I like to think I play a simple game with skill,” Woolley said about his offensive game.

With his new role seeing him have success both offensively and defensively, Woolley has played a big part in London’s team success and is ready to end his OHL career with a bang by defending their OHL title and taking another run at a Memorial Cup.

“Winning last year was nice, but it’s over now, and you want to repeat that. We’ll see what we can do.”

THE BIG WOLF!!@LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/WNbut3fYJP

— London Knights (@LondonKnights) December 18, 2025