Thirty Years Later: Brian Miller and Dan Lebold Reunite at the OHL Top Prospects Game
When the puck drops tonight at the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game Presented by Enbridge Gas, it won’t just mark another milestone moment for the league’s next generation of stars; it will also represent a full-circle reunion for two longtime athletic trainers who helped shape the event from its very beginning.
Brian Miller, head trainer and equipment manager of the Peterborough Petes representing Team East, and Dan Lebold, head trainer and equipment manager of the Kitchener Rangers representing Team West, are both respected and honoured figures in the OHL training space and are reuniting 30 years after being selected as the athletic trainers for the first-ever CHL Top Prospects Game in 1996. Three decades later, they find themselves once again working side by side, bringing their experience, perspective, and shared history to one of the league’s premier showcases.
“I was working with the Guelph Storm at the time, and Dan Lebold was working with the Kitchener Rangers, and we got selected by the league to be the two trainers at the very first 1996 Top Prospects Game,” Miller recalled. “We did a lot of the training and testing at York University, and the main game was at Maple Leaf Gardens, which was really cool.”
That inaugural game marked a turning point for the league, elevating the profile of draft-eligible talent and setting the foundation for what has become a marquee event on the OHL calendar. For Miller and Lebold, it also marked the beginning of a shared memory that has stayed with them throughout their careers.
“And here we are 30 years later, still at it, still doing the same thing,” Miller said. “It’ll be neat as the puck drops and being able to look across the ice at Dan and remembering us back 30 years ago, doing the very first Top Prospects Game and all the excitement and notoriety that it brought.”
For Lebold, memories of that 1996 game remain vivid, particularly the setting. Hosted at Maple Leaf Gardens, the event carried an All-Star-level atmosphere that left a lasting impression.
“It was at Maple Leaf Gardens and was like an All-Star game; it was awesome to work with that group of skilled people in such an elite venue,” Lebold said. “I think I spent more time looking around the building than actually working in it.”
Thirty years later, the weight of time has only added to the reunion’s meaning. When the two posed for a photo after morning skate, wearing their original 1996 jackets, it sparked a reminder of how far both the event and their careers have come.
“Miller reminded me that it’s been 30 years, and I went, wow, that’s a long time,” Lebold said. “But those are great experiences. When we walked out with the two original 1996 jackets today to take a picture, it brought back a lot of memories.”
This year’s game, hosted at the Peterborough Memorial Centre, offers its own sense of history as being one of the oldest rinks in league history, which is something Lebold deeply appreciates as he once again works with the league’s top prospects.
“This year, to work in a historical building like the PMC is pretty cool,” he said. “To work with these guys and the players, it’s a great experience too. And to be selected to do it, it’s great.”
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The 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game presented by Enbridge Gas is set for Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Peterborough Memorial Centre, home of the Peterborough Petes.
The game will be produced by YourTV and televised province-wide on local community channels across the YourTV and Rogers TV networks. Fans can also watch online via FloHockey, with free streaming available on FloHockey’s YouTube and social media platforms.
