OHL 20 in 20: Ottawa 67’s
The Ottawa 67’s have been knocking at the door each of the past two seasons, winning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy in 2022-23 before running into the eventual champion Peterborough Petes, before loading up on veterans at least year’s deadline to reach the second round once again. Ottawa returns a good core of players for 2024-25, but will have to transition to some names from within the development pipeline to take on more prominent roles following the graduation of names like Brady Stonehouse, Braeden Kressler, Jacob Maillet and Sam Mayer. Fortunately, James Boyd, Jan Egert and the scouting staff in Ottawa have done a pretty good job finding OHL-level skill through the draft as the next wave of talent seeks an opportunity in the nation’s capital. Captain Luca Pinelli returns after a 48-goal season to lead the 67’s offence this fall while Henry Mews and Frankie Marrelli take lead roles on the blueline after being first rounds selections in 2022.
| NOTABLE DEPARTURES | KEY ADDITIONS |
| F Brad Gardiner (Trade BAR) | F Nathan Amidovski (1st Rd. ’24) |
| F Braeden Kressler (TOR) | G Liam Conway (1st Rd. ’24 U18) |
| F Jacob Maillet (StFX U.) | F Filip Ekberg (1st Rd. ’24 Import) |
| D Sam Mayer (Henderson, AHL) | D Kohyn Eshkawkogan (1st Rd. ’24) |
| D Derek Smyth (Brock U.) | F Jordan Perrier (3rd Rd. ’24) |
| F Brady Stonehouse (EDM) | |
| F Tuomas Uronen (Trade KGN) |
Five Questions Heading Into 2024-25:
1. Who steps up to fill the gaps?
The 67’s aren’t losing a lot in the way of quantity, but they are graduating some considerably quality as names like Braeden Kressler, Jacob Maillet, Sam Mayer, Brady Stonehouse and a glue guy on the back end in Derek Smyth are on to new opportunities. That’s five names, but all five of those players were important to the team and it’s triumph over the Brantford Bulldogs in the first round of the playoffs this past spring. The beauty of the OHL is there’s always young, hungry players looking for their opportunity the following season and Ottawa has some names that fall into that category like converted blueliner Bradley Horner on the wing, draft eligible Kimi Korbler, former second round pick Caden Kelly, Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Cooper Foster as well as a pair of first round defenders in Henry Mews and Frankie Marrelli. Coach Dave Cameron will likely spend the first quarter of the season identify which players will be moving up the lineup into higher leverage situations down the stretch.
2. Is Pinelli a 50-goal scorer?
Well, he scored 48 last season. Was that the real deal? Can Luca tack on a few more? The 67’s captain and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect will be relied on for consistent offensive production and the scrappy winger with a great release should be able to hit that target if development trends continue. Pinelli attended Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase over the summer, so you can expect him to likely audition for a role come December when the World Juniors are right in his backyard in Ottawa.
3. Is MacKenzie set for more starts?
Collin MacKenzie has been fairly reliable for the Ottawa 67’s in a split role over the past two seasons, with injuries partly contributing to limited minutes particularly last season. MacKenzie entered the league with a perfect 10-0 record before suffering his first loss. The Elora, Ont. native returns for an OA opportunity boasting a career record of 39-13-5-1 with a 2.62 goals-against average and .907 save percentage – pretty impressive numbers on paper. If MacKenzie can stay healthy, the 67’s might have one of the best goaltenders in the league. Keep an eye on understudy Jaeden Nelson, a former fourth round pick in 2023 who made his debut last year. Nelson comes off a CCHL title with the Navan Grads, being named the league’s Rookie of the Year, Top Goaltender and Playoff MVP.
4. What will Ekberg bring?
The 67’s have had success with import players in recent years, notably developing a first round NHL Draft pick in Marco Rossi just a couple seasons ago before Montreal Canadiens draftee Vinzenz Rohrer followed from Austria shortly thereafter. The Barber Poles turned to Sweden this time, finding electric forward Filip Ekberg who is sure to push the offensive pace this season. The 5-foot-10, 168Ib. centre was productive as a 16-year-old in Sweden’s U20 circuit, producing 29 points (12-17–29) over 33 games with Almtuna IS last season. He’s considered a top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft and won bronze for his country at both the 2023 World U17 Hockey Challenge as well as the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
5. Who gets the OA spots?
The 67’s have some decisions to make with their ’04 group. Goaltenders Collin MacKenzie, Ian Michelone, blueliners Matthew Mayich and Thomas Sirman, along with forward Will Gerrior are all in camp with the team. Gerrior is one of the league’s premier energy guys coming into his OA year after scoring 26 times in 2023-24, and Mayich is a sixth round pick of the St. Louis Blues who enters his fourth year on the Ottawa blueline. Sirman comes off being the league’s Roger Neilson Memorial Award recipient for his excellence in studies at Queen’s University. He translated an injury-shortened season into 16 points (3-13–16) from the back end. Michelone proved to be a nice pickup by GM James Boyd down the stretch last season, going 12-3-2-0 for Ottawa after being acquired from Windsor.
Related Content:
Futures Watch – Ottawa 67’s
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