Sixteen players with OHL ties capture Sutherland Cup with Cambridge RedHawks
Sixteen players with ties to the Ontario Hockey League are Sutherland Cup champions.
Led by former OHL standout and NHL alumnus Todd Bertuzzi behind the bench, the Cambridge RedHawks captured the 2026 Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL) title with a 4-3 overtime win over the St. Marys Lincolns in Game 5 of the final, clinching the series 4-1 and securing the first championship in franchise history.
The deciding game featured a strong OHL presence throughout the lineup.
Kitchener Rangers prospect Alexander Forrest opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the playoffs, continuing a standout rookie season on the RedHawks’ blueline. Former Oshawa Generals forward Tyler Graham extended the lead to 2-0 before the Lincolns battled back.
St. Marys evened the game through two periods before Sarnia Sting 2022 draftee Cameron Fries restored Cambridge’s lead late in the third period. The Lincolns responded with 18 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
Kyler Morgan, who played three games with the Windsor Spitfires in 2023-24, scored the championship-winning goal 7:19 into overtime to secure the Sutherland Cup for Cambridge.
“I drove the net, it was right in front of me and I batted it out of the air,” Morgan told Cambridge Today’s Matt Betts. “I think I blacked out right after.”
Players with OHL ties – Cambridge RedHawks (2026 Sutherland Cup Champions)
| Player | Position | OHL Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Reid Gammage | F | London Knights |
| Micah Della Croce | F | Guelph Storm |
| Lucas Durham | F | Sarnia Sting |
| Callan Newton | F | Guelph Storm |
| Tyler Graham | F | Oshawa Generals |
| Cameron Fries | F | Sarnia Sting |
| Parker Smith | F | Sudbury Wolves |
| Jake Skuta | F | Owen Sound Attack |
| Kalyn McQueen | F | Soo Greyhounds |
| Kyler Morgan | F | Windsor Spitfires |
| Jack D’Arcy | D | Flint Firebirds |
| Ryker Young | D | Kitchener Rangers |
| Alexander Forrest | D | Kitchener Rangers |
| Nathan Gaitens | D | Kitchener Rangers |
| Joey Wassilyn | D | Guelph/Niagara |
| Aidan Hill | G | Ottawa 67’s |
Forrest’s performance in the final capped one of the most impressive rookie seasons in the GOHL.
The 2025 second-round pick of the Kitchener Rangers tied a franchise record with 15 goals from the back end and led all GOHL defencemen with 52 points in just 35 regular-season games. He added nine appearances with Kitchener, recording three assists, and carried that momentum into the playoffs, where he was among Cambridge’s top producers.
“I think I had an advantage over some of the other rookies entering the league,” Forrest said of his season. “I had a little stint at the end of last year with some pretty valuable playoff experience, so that definitely made it a lot easier to transition.”
In goal, Ottawa 67’s draft pick Aidan Hill delivered a dominant postseason, earning playoff Most Valuable Player honours. The Stratford, On., native posted a 13-1-0 record with a 1.53 goals-against average, .934 save percentage, and five shutouts.
Cambridge’s championship run capped a historic season that saw the club open with 23 consecutive wins, finish 45-5-0 in the regular season, and go 16-1 in the playoffs.
The result highlights the continued strength of the development pathway between the GOHL and the Ontario Hockey League, with OHL prospects playing key roles in a championship-winning environment.
While the Sutherland Cup crowns the top team in Ontario, it also stands as one of several regional Junior B championships across the country. Similar titles are awarded in Western Canada, Quebec, Eastern Ontario, and Atlantic Canada, leaving multiple teams each year with a claim among the top Junior B clubs in the country.
For Cambridge’s OHL prospects, the 2026 Sutherland Cup represents both a championship achievement and another step forward along the OHL development path.
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