2025-26 Season Preview: Brampton Steelheads

The Brampton Steelheads (36–22–10–0) spent their inaugural season in their new home, aiming for a championship, but their playoff run was cut short in the first round by the Oshawa Generals. Last year’s roster featured star power in Porter Martone, Carson Rehkopf, and Luke Misa, along with standout goaltender and 2025 NHL Draft pick Jack Ivankovic – all of whom will not be returning.

Despite those departures, Brampton has retooled with a promising young core led by Matej Stankoven, Julian Demiglio, and David Green. Returning contributors like Gabriel Chiarot, paired with veteran additions such as goaltender Zach Bowen, will be tasked with guiding this emerging group as they look to establish themselves and pursue their first-ever championship. 

 

Recent Transactions

*- denotes conditional draft pick

DATE	TEAM	TRANSF.	TO	TEAM	TRANSF.
Aug. 22	GUE	Justin Bottineau		BRAM	BRAM 12 2028
Aug. 5	BRAM	Lucas Karmiris		PBO	Zach Bowen OS 2 2026 PBO 4 2029 PBO 3 2027*
Jun. 25	BRAM	Jack Van Volsen		SAR	David Green SAR 5 2026* OTT 3 2027*

 

Futures Watch – a list of some of the new faces fans should be keeping an eye on as the team prepares for the upcoming campaign.

 

Five Questions Heading Into 2025-26:

After a first-round exit of the OHL Playoffs last spring, the Brampton Steelheads enter the new season with some new faces and a lot to be excited about. To get a sense of what’s ahead, we asked three media members who cover the team closely to weigh in on the biggest storylines for the upcoming season.

 

1. Who is your breakout candidate?

Mike Karafilidis (Play-by-play, Sauga 960 AM): Kieran Witkowski – He got bigger, stronger and faster over the summer.

 

Zack Bodenstein (Colour commentator, Sauga 960 AM): Matej Stankoven – Import guys are not your typical rookies. ‘08 born with international experience playing U20. Most importantly, he’ll have the first crack at prime deployment as the team’s 1C, given the plethora of top-9 F the steelheads lost from last year. He’s off to a great start with 2+1 in two preseason games.

 

Jared Brown (Reporter, The Hockey News): Luke Dragusica – I’m excited to watch defenseman Luke Dragusica this season. He played only eight games last year due to injury, which tarnished his NHL draft-eligible season. He was an exciting player to watch on the Toronto Marlboros in his OHL draft year, and I think, barring any injuries, he will be a breakout candidate this year in the OHL.

 

2. What’s the Steelheads’ biggest question mark entering 2025-26?

Karafilidis: Scoring – Missing a lot of goal scorers from last year’s squad.

 

Bodenstein: Scoring – The big question mark in Brampton is who’ll provide the offence. There’s solidity in goal with the OA Zach Bowen and newcomer Peter Chlebowski, while the D core is younger but still anchored by Parker von Richter and Jakub Fibigr. I really do wonder about how many of the team’s forwards will be able to drive the play. Gabe Chiarot is poised for a big breakout alongside the aforementioned Stankoven, and Mason Zebeski will undoubtedly be an all-situations, go-to guy. Still, it’s extremely thin down the middle with inexperience at wing as well.

 

Brown: Scoring – Brampton’s offence, specifically at the centre ice position, is the biggest question mark for me heading into the 2025-26 season. They don’t have a proven top-six centre on the roster and will need a few players to exceed expectations. The Steelheads had a lot of firepower last year; this year, the offence will have to come by committee.

 

3. Who will the Steelheads’ top NHL Draft prospect be by the end of the season?

Karafilidis: Matej Stankoven – already with speed, NHL-calibre shot, playmaker and plays a great 200-foot game.

 

Bodenstein: Matej Stankoven – I’ll go back to Stankoven here. He’s a centreman, but he’s got some Kirill Kaprizov to his game. Maybe the fact that he shoots left and wears number 97 helps, but the creativity and shiftiness he provides will be involved in the majority of the offence this season. HC/GM James Richmond was complimentary of his hockey IQ and ability to play the middle of the ice.

 

Brown: Matej Stankoven – The Steelheads have an exciting import forward on their team who is a talented player with the offensive tools to snag a top-six role on Brampton. He’s entering his NHL draft year, and I think he will be Brampton’s top NHL draft prospect for the 2025-26 season.

 

4. Which new addition are you most excited to see?

Karafilidis: Zach Nyman – He’s a smooth-skating defenseman and should be a top 10 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft.

 

Bodenstein: Zach Bowen – While I could easily answer Stankoven again here, I think Steelheads fans will love their new goaltender, Zach Bowen. The 20-year-old is proven in the postseason and can calm things down when they get scrambly in his own end. A goalie with that demeanour goes a long way in the OHL.

 

Brown: Manuel Amado – Although Manuel Amado isn’t technically a new addition to the Steelheads roster, he’s a player who I’m excited to watch this year as he enters his NHL draft year. He should play a full-time role on the Steelheads this season in the middle-six of their forward core.

 

5. Who will the Steelheads’ MVP be in 2025-26?

Karafilidis: Gabriel Chiarot – Already a draft pick of the Canucks. Scores goals in the dirty areas, is a leader, and he’s gotten a lot faster.

 

Bodenstein: Gabriel Chiarot – I could pick a defenceman here, but I’ll say Gabe Chiarot. I project him to lead the team in goals and points. His first stride appears to be faster this year. He’ll get much better deployment. He’s not going to abandon his role as a nasty player who wins battles on the boards, but the skillset is certainly rounding into form.

Brown: David Green – Newcomer on the blueline, David Green, is my prediction for Steelheads MVP. I expect him to be used in all situations for the team and lead their defensemen in points. He has one year in the USHL and two in the OJHL under his belt. He’s 19 and has the experience to step up and be their number-one guy on the backend.