OHL Power Rankings: 2025-26 Preseason Edition

It’s Monday of OHL Opening Week, and we’re rolling out a preseason edition of the OHL Power Rankings! 

 

A total of 26 accredited media members from across the OHL provided their insights, with teams receiving a first place vote awarded 20 points, a second place being awarded 19, third receiving 18 and so on. An average point score has been included next to each team in brackets. 

 

The OHL Power Rankings come out weekly on Monday afternoons, and will continue in 2025-26, with the first edition circulated on Monday, September 22. 

 

1. Brantford Bulldogs (19.58) 
Losing a 70-goal scorer and still coming in on top of the preseason power rankings! Bulldogs fans have lots to be excited about with high profile additions in Caleb Malhotra, Cooper Dennis, Edison Engle joining a talented roster anchored by veteran goaltender and Buffalo Sabres prospect Ryerson Leenders.

2. Windsor Spitfires (18.77) 
Last year’s West Division champions will lean on captain Liam Greentree as he comes off a 49-goal, 119-point season. The big question everyone’s asking around Windsor is what about Ilya Protas? With or without the Washington Capitals prospect, the Spits look deep. Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Ethan Belchetz is primed for a big season, and get ready for more big minutes from Anthony Cristoforo and Carson Woodall on the blueline.

3. Kitchener Rangers (18.19) 
The Rangers exceeded expectations last season. This year, those early season estimates have them at the top of the standings. Let’s see how the Rangers, led by OHL Coach of the Year Jussi Ahokas, handle a higher profile, especially without reigning OHL Goaltender of the Year Jackson Parsons. Expect big things from Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham, who returns to lead the offence after originally being committed to Boston University.

4. London Knights (16.19)
It’s tough to overlook the Knights, even if they’re seeing a lot of their Memorial Cup championship squad moving on as graduates. General Manager Mark Hunter has a knack for finding players, with intriguing veteran adds in Braiden Clark, Kaeden Hawkins and Ben Willmott from the USHL along with Colorado Avalanche prospect Linus Funck through the CHL Import Draft. There’s still lots to like about the green and gold in their title defence.

5. Niagara IceDogs (13.96) 
Incoming Niagara IceDogs coach Krys Barch takes over a team with some serious offensive firepower led by top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Ryan Roobroeck, who comes off a 41 goals as a sophomore in 2024-25. New addition Riley Patterson joins talented puck distributor Braidy Wassilyn up front and the IceDogs will lean heavily on overage acquisition Grayson Tiller to start the season. The biggest question mark comes in goal.

6. Barrie Colts (13.38) 
Last year’s Central Division champions have lost some core pieces up front but are hopeful Cole Beaudoin, Emil Hemming and Brad Gardiner can carry the torch forward. Opponents will need to keep their head on a swivel with hard-hitting New York Islanders prospect Kashawn Aitcheson back to patrol the blueline. Don’t overlook Ben Hrebik, who gave the Colts solid goaltending in a breakout year last season.

7. Kingston Frontenacs (12.04) 
The Fronts reached Game 7 of the second round last spring, and return with some intriguing additions to the lineup, joining 40-goal man Jacob Battaglia and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Tyler Hopkins. Slovak centreman Tomas Pobezal joins the OHL having spent the past two seasons playing professionally against grown men. Overage addition Andrew Kuzma is a former 30-goal scorer in the USHL, and Vancouver Canucks draftee Kieren Dervin showed some positive signs in his audition last season. The big challenge will be filling the minutes provided by veterans Quinton Burns and Emil Pieniniemi on the back end.

8. North Bay Battalion (10.35) 
After three straight Eastern Conference Final appearances, the Troops re-tooled in 2024-25 and look to be in the discussion as a contender this time around. Mike McIvor has proven he can steal a game in the crease. The Troops will just need offensive support to complement McIvor, hopeful for a breakout season from sophomore winger Parker Vaughan along with forward progress from guys like Lirim Amidovski, Shamar Moses and captain Ethan Procyszyn.

9. Saginaw Spirit (10.04)
The Spirit come in at ninth, perhaps assuming stars Michael Misa and Zayne Parekh are long shots to be anywhere near Saginaw to start the season. Regardless, GM Dave Drinkill has brought in some promising names to join a developing forward corps led by Dima Zhilkin, Jacob Cloutier and Carson Harmer. Rookie defenders Levi Harper and Drew Roscoe both come with solid reputations while 18-year-old forward Egor Barabanov could provide some punch offensively. It will take some time to get used to the Spirit without Andrew Oke in the crease, a position they’re looking to get established in the opening weeks of the season.

10. Soo Greyhounds (9.85) 
The Greyhounds fall in the middle of the pack, featuring some real solid depth on offence with the likes of Brady Martin, Marco Mignosa, Travis Hayes and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Jordan Charron. Defenceman Chase Reid has been getting a lot of headlines as he embarks on his NHL Draft year. The Hounds have a big question mark in net, with the club hopeful that Detroit Red Wings prospect Landon Miller can run with the starter’s job to start the year.

11. Guelph Storm (9.62) 
The Storm are looking to get back into the mix after missing the playoffs last spring. Overage captain Charlie Paquette returns to lead the offence after a 37-goal season and the Storm are hoping to get some secondary punch from a stable of veteran names in Wil McFadden, Parker Snelgrove and Hunter McKenzie up front. Guelph has enough veterans to be a factor this season after adding big winger Ethan Miedema to the roster. They also have some lingering questions around both Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers) and their goaltending situation featuring Colin Ellsworth and Zach Jovanovski battling for time to start the year.

12. Oshawa Generals (9.08) 
The back-to-back Eastern Conference champions are positioned to be a tough two points, with speedy centreman Owen Griffin, big 6-foot-6 blueliner Simon Wang and 2026 NHL Draft prospect Brooks Rogowski back to battle in the East Division. Talented Anaheim Ducks draftee Beckett Sennecke and Toronto Maple Leafs first round pick Ben Danford will no doubt get a look from their NHL squads to begin the season, but the Generals have lots to be optimistic about as the season gets underway. Perhaps the club’s biggest loss comes in the crease, as Jacob Oster moves on to the University of Vermont.

13. Flint Firebirds (8.19) 
The Firebirds have benefitted from the NCAA eligibility change, with an influx of former draft picks in Dryden Allen, Luka Graziano and Chase Hull all signing to begin the 2025-26 season. Last year’s team had a number of veterans, but goals were hard to come by some nights. With Jimmy Lombardi, Jeremy Martin, Alex Kostov and Kaden Pitre all a year older, perhaps the offence will find another gear. Nathan Day may get a look from the Edmonton Oilers organization, but the goaltending position should be covered regardless with the club’s addition of Mason Vaccari from the Kingston Frontenacs.

14. Sarnia Sting (7.54) 
The Sting are a team that could very-well find themselves higher than 14th by Christmas if things go the way they want them to. The draft eligible duo of Beckham Edwards and Alessandro Di Iorio will keep opponents on their toes. Offseason addition Jack Van Volsen joins Liam Beamish, Matthew Manza and Ryan Brown in needing to provide goal-scoring if the Sting do want to be a competitive force in the Western Conference. Physical blueliner Lukas Fischer joins overager Mitch Young in being relied upon defensively to start the year.

15. Erie Otters (7.04) 
The Otters aren’t forming plans around Matthew Schaefer, who starts the year with the New York Islanders after being chosen first overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. Swedish netminder Noah Erliden is back to provide some stability behind a team that features a lot of new faces following the graduation of Carey Terrance, Sam Alfano, Pano Fimis and Malcolm Spence. Expect big things from overage winger Dylan Edwards, who had 20 goals last season, and finds ways to get himself involved offensively.

16. Owen Sound Attack (6.88) 
The Bears probably have the league’s best solution in the crease with LA Kings prospect Carter George back to defend the den while Matthew Koprowski and Trenten Bennett are both solid backup options. Owen Sound has some intriguing names offensively, with reigning OHL Rookie of the Year Pierce Mbuyi joining former sixth overall OHL Draft pick Cole Zurawski and 18-year-old Michael Dec with high ceilings. Big 6-foot-6 Buffalo Sabres prospect David Bedkowski will carry the load on the blueline.

17. Peterborough Petes (6.50) 
The Petes are another team that, based off the backdrop of the past two seasons, could be overlooked on the preseason edition leading into 2025-26. Peterborough added veterans Matthew Soto, James Petrovski and Lucas Karmiris over the summer, with the latter sidelined with an injury to begin the year. Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Adam Novotny brings a dynamic set of skills to the OHL, and the blueline features former first round pick Carson Cameron, who is ready for more responsibility in his third OHL campaign.

18. Sudbury Wolves (5.46) 
The Wolves are tasked with finding some goals to start the year with Quentin Musty, Kocha Delic and Henry Mews moving on. There’s lots to like with big Winnipeg Jets draftee Kieron Walton back to patrol the wing following 38 goals last season. Seattle Kraken prospect Nathan Villeneuve, scrappy winger Chase Coughlan and hometown product Alex Pharand are all back in the fold while Rowan Henderson garnered a lot of positive feedback in his rookie season. The Wolves have questions in the crease, and the defence corps isn’t overly experienced with both Donovan McCoy (Providence College) and Nick DeAngelis (New Hampshire) in the NCAA.

19. Ottawa 67’s (4.08)
The Barber Poles have some interesting names on their defence corps with NHL Draft eligible Ondrej Ruml joining a group that includes sophomore standout Kohyn Eshkawkogan and 19-year-old veteran Frankie Marrelli in front of returning netminder Jaeden Nelson and American addition Ryder Fetterolf. Finding offence will be the challenge for Ottawa as Carolina Hurricanes prospect Filip Ekberg looks to channel the dominance he showed at the World Under-18 Hockey Challenge moving into his second OHL season. Overage centreman Cooper Foster will also be counted on to help hit the scoresheet in the early going this season.

20. Brampton Steelheads (3.27) 
The Steelheads lost a number of key names over the summer. GM/Head Coach James Richmond and his staff look to fill some of those gaps, but many of those will be filled by younger names such as newcomer Matej Stankoven, first rounders Peter Green and Keaton Ardagh and veteran goaltending acquisition Zach Bowen. Nineteen-year-old defenceman David Green comes off a strong season in the USHL and he’ll be thrown right into the action on the Brampton blueline. Another 19-year-old in forward Julian Demiglio comes off a great preseason, recording 10 points (6-4—10) over six games.