2025 OHL Cup: Meet the Teams
By Raine Hernandez/OHL
The 2025 OHL Cup Powered is underway at the Scotiabank Pond in Toronto. Here’s a look at the participating teams:
Lindros Division:
USA – Detroit Little Caesars
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: 2nd (Ranked in 16 of 17 weeks)
Qualified: USA Invite
Record: 65-5-2
One of the most polarizing teams in the age group this season led by OHL alumnus David Legwand behind the bench, the Detroit Little Caesars 15O’s have been must-watch hockey around the minor hockey rinks.
The group from Michigan have had a dominant season, and have succeeded in almost every tournament they have been in, with appearances to the semi-finals at the Whitby Silver Stick and Marlies Holiday Classic, followed by a tournament victory in October at the Wendy Dufton Tournament in London.
Players to Watch: Landon Jackman, Massimo Santa Maria, Vincent Arnone, Kage Flory
ALLIANCE – Huron-Perth Lakers
Qualified: ALLIANCE Finalist
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: 7th (Ranked in 17 of 17 weeks)
Record: 51-11-7
The ALLIANCE regular-season champions Huron-Perth Lakers also clinched their spot in the OHL Cup this past weekend, following their 6-2 series victory against the Cambridge Redhawks.
The Lakers have had a season for the ages, appearing in every week of the top-10 OHL Cup Rankings with a 49-9-6 record. The true highlight of their season was becoming the first ALLIANCE team in 17 years to win the Whitby Silver Stick.
Players to Watch: Kane Barch, Jake Murray, Matthew Henderson, Dante D’Andrea, Jesse DeBruyne
OMHA – Halton Hurricanes
Qualified: OMHA Champion
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: 6th (Ranked in 7 of 17 weeks)
Record: 51-15-1
The Halton Hurricanes came away with the Red Hats this past weekend, becoming the first Hurricanes team in over two decades to capture the OMHA Championship in the U16 AAA division.
Currently ranked #8 in the most recent OHL Cup rankings, the Hurricanes defeated the Ajax-Pickering Raiders in the semis, and followed it up with defeating the York-Simcoe Express in the championship game with a 6-4 victory.
Players to Watch: Aleksander Sementsov, Jacob Scarpelli, Alex Taylor, Colton D’Amico
NOHA – Northern Ontario Hockey Association
Qualified: NOHA Entry
Team NOHA consists of players from across the Great North Midget League including members of the Soo Greyhounds U16, Sudbury U16 Wolves, North Bay U16 Trappers, Kapuskasing Flyers and Copper Cliff Reds. They’ve been involved in some hard-fought games over the years, and are never an easy two points.
Players to watch: Adam Pszeniczny (Soo Greyhounds U16), Grady Dale (North Bay U16 Trappers), Theo Bourdon-Lemoyne (Kapuskasing Flyers)
GTHL – Toronto Red Wings
Qualified: GTHL Semi-Finalist
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: HM (Ranked in 13 of 17 weeks)
Record: 40-21-5
A team that has been in the thick of things all season long, the Toronto Red Wings became the final GTHL team to earn an automatic bid at the OHL Cup, pulling off the reverse sweep of the powerhouse Toronto Jr. Canadiens, coming back down 4-0 to complete the 6-4 series victory.
The organization’s first OHL Cup appearance since 2019, the Red Wings have been an impressive group all season long, holding a 40-20-5 record. The #10 ranked team in the OHL Cup rankings have found success at all the major tournaments they have appeared in, including a trip to the championship game at the Whitby Silver Stick.
Players to watch: Brenner Lammens, Caden Clair, Tyler Hinde, Cade Campbell, Cruz Reznik (G)
Nash Division:
OMHA – Barrie Jr. Colts
Qualified: OMHA Semi-Finalist
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: HM (Ranked in 5 of 17 weeks)
Record: 46-18-4
While the Barrie Jr. Colts could not repeat as OMHA Champions, losing to the York-Simcoe Express in the semis, they did however clinch their spot in the OHL Cup for the third consecutive season as an organization.
The Colts have been a dominant force in the OMHA this season, holding a record of 25-4-1, and earned their way to the OHL Cup with victories in the round robin against the eventual champion Halton Hurricanes, the Niagara North Stars, and North Shore Whitecaps.
Players to Watch: Brock Chitaroni, Lachlan Larmand, Hayden Martin
GTHL – Don Mills Flyers
Qualified: GTHL Champion
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: 1st (Ranked in 17 of 17 weeks)
Record: 62-7-2
The Flyers have been a powerhouse in both league and tournament play, securing championships at the Toronto Titans Early Bird, the Toronto Marlboros Holiday Classic, the Oakville Rangers Winter Classic, followed by the GTHL Championship as well. With their sights set on adding to their trophy case, Don Mills aims to capture its first OHL Cup championship since 2019.
Players to Watch: Charlie Murata, Lincoln Edwards, Caden Bell, Peter Green, Tyler Lee, Lyndon Cabral, Charlie Sullivan
OMHA – Niagara North Stars
Qualified: OHL Cup Wild Card (def. Oakville 2-1 3OT)
Record: 44-23-2
A talented group that has been in the thick of it this season, the Niagara North Stars made their way into the OHL Cup following a victory against their arch rivals, the Oakville Rangers in the Wild Card.
The North Stars feature some high-end future OHL talent on their roster, and will look to right their wrongs with a strong performance at the OHL Cup.
Players to Watch: Kieran Raynor, Cooper Oikawa, Gavin Christie
USA – TPH Hockey
Qualified: USA Invite
An annual USA invite to the OHL Cup, TPH Hockey consists of players from across states such as Michigan and New York. It’s always interesting to see how the group comes together in the opening games of the tournament.
Players to watch: Miles Jinman (Bishop Kearney Selects), Robert Matson (Bishop Kearney Selects), Cole Mazzoni (Victory Honda 15U)
ALLIANCE – Waterloo Wolves
Qualified: ALLIANCE Semi-Finalist
Record: 36-14-5
After making an appearance to the semi-finals of the OHL Cup back in 2023, the Waterloo Wolves organization will be back at the big dance following a one-year absence, after a 7-1 series victory against their arch rivals London Jr. Knights.
The Wolves are one of the hottest teams in the province since the new year, and following a competitive series against the Sun County Panthers, the Wolves will look to make it into the knockout stages at the OHL Cup.
Players to Watch: Parker Smith, Zach Forwell, Wyatt Marks
Shanahan Division:
OMHA – Ajax-Pickering Raiders
Qualified: OMHA Finalist
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: HM (Ranked in 1 of 17 weeks)
Record: 45-17-4
A team that has flown under the radar but have gotten the job done all season long, the Ajax-Pickering Raiders secured their spot in the OHL Cup following an undefeated round robin at the OMHA Championships this past weekend.
Winning the OMHA East regular season with an impressive 26-5-1 record, the Raiders produced impressive victories against the York-Simcoe Express and the Oakville Rangers to earn their spot in next week’s tournament.
Players to Watch: Luke Bouchard, Gavin Whiston, Cooper McAslan
ALLIANCE – Elgin-Middlesex Canucks
Qualified: ALLIANCE Semi-Finalist
Record: 33-18-9
The final team from the ALLIANCE to secure their spot in the 2025 OHL Cup, the Elgin-Middlesex Canucks clinched following their close 7-3 series victory against the Windsor Jr. Spitfires.
The Canucks have been battling atop the ALLIANCE all season long, and have made appearances at all of the major tournaments this season. Elgin most recently squared off against the Huron-Perth Lakers in the semi-finals in the ALLIANCE playoffs.
Players to Watch: Lucas Nutting, Myles Dunn, Owen Miniotas
HEO – Ottawa Valley Titans
Qualified: HEO Champion
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: 4th (Ranked in 17 of 17 weeks)
Record: 46-10-4
Considered the team to beat in the HEO, the Ottawa Valley Titans became the first Ottawa-based squad to secure a spot in the OHL Cup after sweeping the Eastern Ontario Wild 8-0 in the semi-finals of the HEO playoffs.
A fixture in the Top-10 rankings for all 14 weeks, the Titans are making their second consecutive OHL Cup appearance and currently hold an impressive 45-9-3 record.
Players to watch: Kaden McGregor, Carter Kunopaski, David Buchman, James Roy
GTHL – Toronto Marlboros
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: HM (Ranked in 17 of 17 weeks)
Qualified: OHL Cup Wild Card (def. Thunder Bay 9-0)
Record: 38-21-4
A talented group in its own right, the always-competitive Toronto Marlboros found themselves on the outside looking in following a first-round defeat in the GTHL playoffs to the Vaughan Kings. Defeating the Thunder Bay Kings in their wild card matchup to secure their spot into the tournament, The Marlboros will look to end their season on a high note.
Players to Watch: Cannon Thibodeau, Kingston Harris, Camilo Milani, Max Branton, Jack Johnson, Royden Smith (G)
GTHL – Toronto Titans
Qualified: GTHL Finalist
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: 3rd (Ranked in 17 of 17 weeks)
Record: 55-10-2
Ranked #3 in the latest OHL Cup standings, the Toronto Titans secured their spot in this year’s tournament with a commanding 6-0 series sweep of the North York Rangers in the first round of the GTHL playoffs.
Boasting a 49-8-2 record, the Titans are enjoying their most successful season as an organization since 2020. With momentum on their side, they will look to cap off their campaign with championships in both the GTHL playoffs and the OHL Cup.
Players to Watch: Max Delisle, Jeremy Freeman, Brayden Bennett, Michael Tang, Matthew Perreault, Owen Leonard (G)
Subban Division:
ALLIANCE – Sun County Panthers
Qualified: ALLIANCE Champion
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: 5th (Ranked in 17 of 17 weeks)
Record: 53-10-5
The Sun County Panthers became the first team from the ALLIANCE to secure their spot in the OHL Cup. The group from the Windsor-area defeated the Kitchener Jr. Rangers in the opening round of the ALLIANCE playoffs with a 7-1 series victory.
Sun County have appeared in every edition of the Top-10 OHL Cup rankings, and currently hold a 50-10-4 record.
Players to Watch: Jaakko Wycisk, Brayden Lappalainen, Eamon Edgar, Eric Wood
GTHL – Toronto Jr. Canadiens
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: 10th (Ranked in 17 of 17 weeks)
Qualified: OHL Cup Wild Card (def. Ottawa Myers 8-2)
Record: 50-14-4
A team that has been at the top of the top-10 OHL Cup rankings for most of the season, the Toronto Jr. Canadiens were unable to secure an automatic bid for the OHL Cup, losing in the opening round of the GTHL playoffs to the Toronto Red Wings.
The Jr. Canadiens have been at the doorstep at nearly every tournament they have participated in, including a quarter-finals loss to the Sun County Panthers at the Titans Early Bird, championship loss at the Wendy Dufton to the Little Caesars, and a semi-final loss to the Huron-Perth Lakers at the Whitby Silver Stick.
Players to Watch: Camryn Warren, Keaton Ardagh, Noah Laus, Jax Pereira, Sam Roberts
HEO – Upper Canada Cyclones
Qualified: HEO Finalist
Record: 21-30-10
For the second consecutive season, the Upper Canada Cyclones will be playing in the OHL Cup. UCC clinched their spot into the big dance on Wednesday night, following a 5-2 victory to close out a tight 7-3 series victory against Ottawa Myers, pulling off the upset.
To their standards the Cyclones have had an up and down season, but have collected a few signature victories against a number of teams inside the OHL Cup rankings, highlighted by wins against the Ottawa Valley Titans, as well as a victory against the #1 Don Mills Flyers at the Whitby Silver Stick.
Players to watch: Carter Beauchesne, Carter Cuglietta, Evan Graham
GTHL – Vaughan Kings
Qualified: GTHL Semi-Finalist
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: 8th (Ranked in 10 of 17 weeks)
Record: 32-20-2
The Vaughan Kings surprised many with their performance in the opening round of the GTHL playoffs, sweeping the Toronto Marlboros 6-0 to secure their place in the OHL Cup.
Seeking their third consecutive OHL Cup final appearance, the Kings will face off against Don Mills in the next round of the GTHL playoffs. With momentum on their side, they look to continue their strong play heading into the tournament.
Players to Watch: Gensen Geldart, Carter Lewandowski, Eloan Le Gallic, Quinn Norman, David Healy (G)
OMHA – York-Simcoe Express
Qaulified: OMHA Finalist
OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: 9th (Ranked in 5 of 17 weeks)
Record: 32-20-2
Despite losing in the OMHA Championship game, the York-Simcoe Express proved that they will be a team to watch at the OHL Cup, securing their spot following a productive weekend in Clarington.
Recently entering the most recent Top-10 rankings at the #10 spot, the Express have been a solid group all season long, and carried it into this past weekend with victories against the Oakville Rangers, Grey-Bruce Highanders, and a victory in the semi-finals against the Barrie Jr. Colts.
Players to Watch: Ryerson Edgar, Ben Veitch, Logan McAuley, Evan Pahanich
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