Returning Staff, Players and Draft Class Fuel President Sciarra’s 2026-27 Optimism

New seasons bring new expectations, and in junior hockey that often coincides with new rosters as well. 

However, fresh off a 100-point season and loaded with a cast of returning stars, team president Adrian Sciarra is enthusiastic about the prospects of the Ottawa 67’s for the 2026-27 season.

“I’m really excited to get going; obviously there’s always excitement before a season gets going and you are full of optimism,” he said. “But with the returning players we have, a returning coaching staff, Jan Egert’s first full year as GM, and the new draft class—there’s just lots of exciting things for the year ahead.”

When it came down to the question of extending reigning OHL Coach of the Year Dave Cameron and assistant coaches Norm Milley and Paul Stoykewych, it was a no-brainer.

“We knew we had an excellent coaching staff led by Dave,” he said. “We obviously wanted to make sure that Dave wanted to continue on and be here with the 67’s moving forward.”

“You always start with the head coach and allow them to give their thoughts on their staff, and he was very supportive and hoping to retain both Norm and Paul,” he said. “We’ve got an excellent coaching staff: lots of experience, and having that cohesion is another advantage.”

With the departure of 67’s general manager James Boyd in November for a role with the league, Sciarra was tasked with the difficult decision of replacing the team’s longtime decision-maker. He landed on Jan Egert, who had followed Boyd through junior hockey from being a video coach in Mississauga to being the Barber Poles’ assistant general manager.

“To be honest, we were fortunate that Jan was still with us and available when James left,” he said. “We knew he had had and would continue to have other opportunities.”

“We did our due diligence, but the familiarity, the relationship that was already built with Jan and his familiarity with our team and getting to know how deeply involved with every decision around our team made it an easy decision.”

For a team in the middle of a strong start to the season, that familiarity proved invaluable.

“He quickly jumped right in, took leadership, and stepped right into the role seamlessly,” he said. “Now to have Jan and the coaching staff all in place going forward, it bodes well for the future.”

Since taking over as president of the team, Sciarra has seen a shift in junior hockey, with NCAA rule changes allowing CHL players to enroll in and compete in Division I collegiate hockey. While the paradigm has shifted, Sciarra believes the team’s responsibility hasn’t.

“Our job hasn’t changed from the standpoint of trying to draft and acquire the best players available,” he said. 

“I think certainly there’s been an influx of younger players who no longer have to pick the NCAA versus OHL route,” he added. “It has added to the availability of some of the younger players, and then our responsibility is to deliver an outstanding experience for those players so that they’ll hopefully stay as long as we can keep them here before they move on to the NCAA, AHL, NHL, or age out.”

He believes that the pro-level experience matched with a developmental mindset is the x-factor that the team has to pull and retain players.

“We’re focused on developing them as players, as students, as people, and that needs to come through in everything we do,” he said. “Not just on the ice, but with Ms. Duffin [Housing and Education Coordinator], billets, education, and nutrition; and be consistent through everything we do.”

Despite running it back in many ways, Sciarra is adamant that the team is always looking to find new ways to get ahead of the curve.

“I think we’ve always tried to be at the front end of the player experience, and to be honest the OHL as a whole continues to raise the bar there,” he said. “When you look at our coaching and support staff, strength and conditioning, skills coaches, how we travel, meals and nutrition, the billeting program… those are all areas we can enhance and deliver a premium experience, which hopefully translates into a better product on the ice.”

“The one thing that we probably aren’t leading the way currently is some of the facilities,” he added. “Landsdowne 2.0 and our new arena that’s being built now is going to address that in terms of new weight rooms, changing rooms, the players lounge, and all those types of spaces.”

While he believes that the new arena will bring the 67’s facilities to match the organization’s aspiration of bringing a pro-level experience for junior players, fans will enjoy the upgrades as well.

“A true arena with a traditional bowl, a center-hung scoreboard with an LED ring, with audio and lighting that are at current standards,” he said. “Then you add in open concourses and social areas; it’s going to be great from a fan experience perspective, and it’s also going to be good for the players to play in that kind of environment.”

In the meantime, Sciarra hopes that the team’s star power will be well enough to bring excitement for the franchise, even in a crowded market.

“There’s a lot going on in Ottawa, but we also have a loyal and dedicated fanbase that is with us year in and year out,” he said. “Last year we had five NHL draft picks; this year many of those are returning.”

“Fans should be excited that we already have NHL draft picks like Filip Ekberg, Spencer Bowes and David Bedkowski, but also players that they can look at like Kohyn Eshkawkogan and Brock Chitaroni for next year’s draft,” he said.

Fans can purchase multi-ticket flex packages starting at just $23/game here.