The Puck Drops on a New Era in Sarnia

The wait is over. After a long summer of hard work, training camps, endless days at the rink, and hard-fought pre-season battles, the 2025-26 OHL season is here, and the Sarnia Sting are hungry to win. For the Sting, it’s a new season and a new chapter. Opening night at Progressive Auto Sales Arena isn’t just the start of another OHL season; it’s the return of a team that brings the community together and marks the beginning of a new era.

 

New ownership and leadership have set the tone for a successful season, while the players have been putting in the work. This year’s roster features a blend of familiar faces and new talent. The team welcomes back the veterans and invites the first-years to their new home. The players, ownership and fans alike all have one thing in mind – winning. This Friday (September 19^th)  is the first game of the season, and it starts at home against the Windsor Spitfires.

 

The season-long fight starts now.

This season begins under new leadership, marking an exciting chapter in the history of the Sarnia Sting. With the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) officially approving the sale of the franchise earlier this summer, Ryan Finch and Mark Guy now step in as majority owners, alongside David Legwand who remains an important part of the group. Together, this ownership team blends deep hockey knowledge, proven business leadership and strong community roots, qualities that position the Sting for long-term growth both on and off the ice.

 

Finch, President of Finch Auto Group, brings a wealth of business expertise and a reputation for meaningful community investment. Guy, a respected hockey mind with decades of experience representing elite NHL talent, adds a lifetime of passion for the game and a strong connection to Sarnia through his family’s history with the Sting. Legwand, who has been instrumental in guiding the franchise since 2015, provides steady leadership and a player-first vision shaped by his long NHL career.

 

For fans, the transition represents more than just a change in ownership. It signals a renewed commitment to the team, the city and the future of hockey in Sarnia.

 

“This is a proud hockey community, and the Sting are at the heart of it,” said new owner and President Mark Guy. “We want to build on that tradition, create an environment where our players can succeed, and give our fans a team they can be proud of every single night.”

 

With this foundation in place, the organization is entering a new era filled with energy, optimism and ambition. It is a direction that reflects both the blue-collar identity of the team on the ice and the passionate support of Sting fans in the stands.

 

Behind the bench, the Sting are guided by a coaching staff that reflects the same resilience and blue-collar mentality as the players on the ice. Head Coach Alan Letang brings proven leadership and a strong track record of developing young talent at both the OHL and international levels. His approach balances accountability with support, creating an environment where players are challenged to grow every day.

 

The Sting are also excited to welcome Mason Baptista as Assistant Coach. Baptista joins the club from the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL), where he played a major role in developing one of the league’s top power plays over the past three seasons. Known for his energy and work ethic, he excels in relationship building and brings extensive knowledge and creativity that will be a major asset to the Sting’s offensive development.

 

Alongside him is Assistant Coach Brayden Guy, a former Sting captain whose leadership and first-hand experience with the organization bring unique perspective behind the bench. Guy understands what it means to wear the Sting jersey and now passes that mindset on to the next generation of players.

 

Together, this staff combines experience, energy and a clear vision for how the team will compete. Their collective focus is on building a group that plays with pace, purpose and resilience while staying true to the Sting identity of hard work and pride in the details.

 

As the Sting prepare to open the 2025–26 season, all eyes turn to the group that will take the ice on Friday night. This year’s roster carries a mix of familiar veterans and fresh talent, setting the stage for both immediate competition and long-term growth. Head coach Alan Letang sees plenty to be excited about heading into opening night.

 

“I think it’s an exciting roster for the first game here going into the Windsor game,” shared Head Coach Alan Letang. “Lots of young guys are going to get their OHL debuts. We’re excited for some of our young guys that are up and coming. We’re excited for some of our returning players. Lots of work to do, lots of little habits we’ve got to instil but we’ve got some building blocks and got some foundation to have some success.”

 

Lukas Fischer returns as captain again this year, leading a diverse team of veterans and first years. The defensive captain has been with the team since the 2022-23 season and is trending upwards in his personal game. In a post-game press conference after their final presason game, first-year Kaden Aucoin said many players have stepped up into leadership roles when needed, “its like a family in there, we’re all stepping up when needed, and the older guys are welcoming us, letting us know we’re a part of the team, and there’s no reason not for us to step up”.

 

The team has its fair share of draft-eligible players in next year’s NHL draft.  One to keep an eye on this season is Alessandro Di Iorio, who was drafted second overall in last year’s draft and had a breakout rookie season with the Sting. He is ranked 29th by Draft Prospects Hockey.  Di Iorio is battling an injury sustained in a preseason game and will not play to start the season.

 

Beckam Edwards is another player to watch this season. He had an impressive preseason and a successful season last year. Ranked 27th, the center put up 25 goals and 20 assists in 62 games last season. The point of this league is to bring young players in and prepare, develop and condition them to play in the NHL, which requires support from all aspects of the organization. In a press conference, Mark Guy said, “We know the landscape is changing in the OHL, there is more and more pressure, and there are more requirements from a development standpoint, and we are fully committed to making sure we provide our players and staff with all the tools and everything they need to be very successful here”.

 

A new addition to the team this year is the Aucoin brothers, Cameron and Kaden. Kaden, the youngest brother, was drafted by the Sting in the second round and closed the preseason with an impressive two-goal game, leading the team to tie the game. Cameron, the older brother, is a left-shooting defenceman. This isn’t the first pair of brothers in Sarnia’s history, but all the more it will be interesting to see how the boys develop on the ice together.

 

The team has seen quite a few of its players reach success in the NHL, Steven Stamko and Jordan Kyrou, just to name a few. Long-time owner David Legwand says, “It’s the best development league in the world”.

 

This year’s roster combines seasoned players with fresh talent, resulting in a complex game that teams should watch out for.

The momentum of the off-season carries through into the outlook for the regular season and on the ice. Players, staff and most importantly, fans are excited and looking forward to the new era in the arena.

 

This team is deeply intertwined with its community, and new owner and President Mark Guy has made it clear what the goal is: “We are here to win. This community and fanbase deserve a winning team. And we will do everything we can to bring a Memorial Cup to Sarnia.”

 

There is a renewed commitment to building not only a competitive hockey team but also a winning culture that the fans can be proud to get behind every night. The message from the top has been made clear: the goal is to raise the standard and to chase victories.

 

Players and staff have worked relentlessly all summer, leading up to this moment, the start of the season, and the start of something new. General Manager Dylan Seca echoed that mindset, saying, “We will be hard to play against. That’s an easy thing to say but the message has been delivered that we want to be the hardest team to play against in the Ontario Hockey League.”

 

The journey will be long and hard-fought and will command the attention of teams and players. The Sting are the team to watch out for this season. Resilience is a pillar of the Sarnia Sting, and one that won’t be changing with the new ownership but rather will be built upon.

 

This team fights for every win and learns from every loss. The team’s resilience is what compels their supporters, because they can trust that no matter the game or the circumstances, the team will be putting their best foot forward and playing with grit and integrity.

 

Fans can feel confident that when they buy a ticket to a game, their team will be giving it their all. As Ryan Brown said in that same post-game conference, “The preseason is behind us, and we will take everything we learned going into the regular season and come out flying.”

 

This Friday, September 19, the Sting will face the Windsor Spitfires on home ice. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. and marks the beginning of a new era for the Sting. In Sarnia, hockey is more than a game. It’s tradition. It’s community. And this Friday, it begins again. It’s a new era, but the same fight, and we invite fans to be a part of it.

 

You won’t want to miss it.