OHL This Week: January 16 to 18, 2026

Interleague play headlines Friday Night Faceoff as Ottawa hosts Gatineau
The Ottawa 67’s and Gatineau Olympiques rekindle their cross-river rivalry on this week’s Friday Night Faceoff clash. The Barber Poles sit tied for first in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-9-1-2, taking on a Gatineau club that has played to a 15-21-4-0 mark. Read more

Team West prevails 4-3 in 2026 Connor McDavid Top Prospects Game
The Saginaw Spirit trio of Nikita Klepov, Egor Barabanov and Stepan Shurygin came up big to lead the Western Conference to a 4-3 victory in Peterborough on Wednesday. Read more

Bulldogs back on top of OHL Power Rankings
The Brantford Bulldogs are back on top of the mountain in the latest edition of OHL Power Rankings, while the Flint Firebirds, are up two spots to #2. Read more

Bulldogs, 67’s and Firebirds in CHL Top 10
The latest CHL Top 10 Rankings feature the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens in top spot. The Brantford Bulldogs (3), Ottawa 67’s (8) and Flint Firebirds (9) are included from the OHL. Read more

Eight OHL players included on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Draft Rankings
A total of 67 OHL skaters and 13 goaltenders were included on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft. It marks the highest total of OHL players on the midterms in the last 17 years. Read more

Thirteen OHL standouts appear on Craig Button’s January TSN NHL Draft List
Soo Greyhounds blueliner Chase Reid comes in at third on this month’s Craig’s List. Caleb Malhotra of the Brantford Bulldogs and Ethan Belchetz of the Windsor Spitfires also crack the top-20. Read more

Colts’ Cole Beaudoin named Cogeco OHL Player of the Week
Utah Mammoth prospect Cole Beaudoin of the Barrie Colts is the Cogeco OHL Player of the Week, recording seven points (2-5–7) over three victories. Read more

Storm’s Zachary Jovanovski named Mary Brown’s Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week
Zachary Jovanovski of the Guelph Storm is the Mary Brown’s Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week, going 1-0-0-1 with a 1.44 goals-against average and .963 save percentage. Read more

Firebirds’ Charlie Murata named OHL Rookie of the Week
Flint Firebirds forward Charlie Murata is the OHL Rookie of the Week, recording three points (1-2–3) in as many games as Flint went 3-0. Read more

Otters prospect Vaughn Barr named GOHL Prospect of the Week
Erie Otters prospect Vaughn Barr of the St. Marys Lincolns is the GOHL Prospect of the Week, going 2-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average, .981 save percentage and one shutout. Read more

Surveying the week’s top saves
Check out top saves from across the League, featuring denials from Saginaw’s Stepan Shurygin, Niagara’s Vladislav Yermolenko, London’s Sebastian Gatto, Guelph’s Zachary Jovanovski and Barrie’s Ben Hrebik. Watch

Team Thornton wins GOHL Top Prospects Game 5-3
The inaugural GOHL Showcase game, which saw 40 of the GOHL’s top OHL prospects compete, took place on Tuesday night at the Miskin Law Community Complex in Peterborough. Nicholas Gilby (Port Colborne Sailors/Owen Sound Attack) scored a shorthanded goal with just over seven minutes left in the third period, snapping a 3-3 tie and lifting Team Thornton to a 5-3 win over Team Scheifele. Read more

OHL scouts, GMs take-in two days of U16 action in Peterborough
The first-ever OHL U16 Showcase took place at the Miskin Law Community Complex in Peterborough this past week. Forty of the top OHL Draft eligible prospects from across the province were split into four teams and battled it out in a unique setting for evaluators league-wide to observe. Day 1 Recap / Day 2 Recap

 

League News:

OHL community to gather in Oshawa in celebration of life and legacy of former Commissioner David Branch: A Celebration of Life for former OHL Commissioner David Branch will be held at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa on Saturday, January 24th, beginning at 1:00pm. All are welcome to attend. Mr. Branch passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 4th at the age of 77. Respected throughout the hockey community, Mr. Branch was known for his integrity, steady leadership, and genuine care for the young people whose lives were shaped through the sport. Read more

Commissioner Bryan Crawford meets with the media in Peterborough: OHL Commissioner Bryan Crawford held a media availability in Peterborough where he discussed the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game in Peterborough, a total of 80 OHL players on the NHL Central Scouting midterms, potential expansion opportunities and surveying the new hockey landscape. Watch

Gervais plays in 300th career contest: Sebastien Gervais of the North Bay Battalion recorded an assist in his 300th career OHL contest on Thursday night as the Troops defeated the Sudbury Wolves 2-1. 297 of Gervais’ games came as a member of the Saginaw Spirit, the team he won a Memorial Cup title with in 2024.

OHL evaluates performance and head impact monitoring at Top Prospects Game: The OHL conducted a technology evaluation at the OHL Top Prospects Game presented by Enbridge Gas in Peterborough, equipping both teams of NHL Draft-eligible prospects with Bearmind head impact and performance monitoring sensors. Read more

Rangers complete first class of Level of Legacy inductees: Former captain and 1982 Memorial Cup champion Brian Bellows joined Peter DeBoer on the Kitchener Rangers Level of Legacy last Friday night at the Aud. It’s a new initiative introduced this season to recognize individuals whose impact shaped championship teams, set league milestones and left a lasting imprint on the Kitchener Rangers organization. Read more

Farr, Sandlak and Prust named to Don Brankley Hall of Fame Class of 2026: The London Knights unveiled their Don Brankley Hall of Fame Class of 2026 earlier this week, identifying Norman “Rocky” Farr as a player/builder of the 1960’s, Jim Sandlak as a player of the 1980’s and Brandon Prust as a player from the 2000’s. Read more at londonknights.com

Bowler discusses State of the Spitfires with Manny Paiva: Windsor Spitfires GM Bill Bowler took some to discuss the state of the Windsor Spitfires following the OHL trade deadline, joining radio colour voice Manny Paiva for a discussion. Watch on YouTube

 

Transactions:

Sting sign goaltender Kale Osipenko: The Sarnia Sting have signed 2008-born netminder Kale Osipenko to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. A 17-year-old goaltender from Renfrew, ON, Osipenko is 11-5-1 with a 2.41 goals-against average and .930 save percentage with the CCHL’s Renfrew Wolves so far this season. He was Sarnia’s seventh round pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection. Osipenko earned a win in his OHL debut last weekend. Read more

Blueliner Kalib Capecci signs with Sting: The Sarnia Sting have inked 19-year-old free agent defenceman Kalib Capecci to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The product of Sewell, NJ comes from the Johnston Tomahawks of the NAHL where he has recorded 32 points (9-23–32) over 35 games so far in 2025-26. Read more

 

At the Rinks:

Wolves, Rangers, Trout, Troops host Bell Let’s Talk Game: The Kitchener Rangers and Sudbury Wolves will both host Bell Let’s Talk Night at their Friday home games, an important platform for mental health awareness. Saturday marks Bell Let’s Talk Day in Brampton as the Steelheads take on the Windsor Spitfires at 4:00pm. Sunday is Bell Let’s Talk Day at the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens as the North Bay Battalion host the Flint Firebirds at 2:00pm. The first 1,000 fans into the building will received Bell Let’s Talk toques.

Otters home for Golf Night, Youth Sports Night this weekend: The Erie Otters will host the Windsor Spitfires and Saginaw Spirit at Erie Insurance Arena. Friday is Golf Night at the EIA, followed by Youth Sports Night on Saturday. The first 500 kids into the building on Saturday will receive a free Otters Zipper Pull.

IceDogs host Dog Country Fights Cancer Game on Sunday: The Niagara IceDogs will support the Rankin Cancer Run on Sunday when they play host to the Brantford Bulldogs for their Dog Country Fights Cancer Game at the Meridian Centre. Read more

 

Alumni News:

OHL mourns the loss of Jason Lafreniere: The OHL is saddened by news of the loss of former Brantford Alexanders, Hamilton Steelhawks and Belleville Bulls forward Jason Lafreniere, who passed away this week at the age of 59. Read more

Kane scores 500th, chasing NHL record: London Knights graduate and former OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year Patrick Kane looks to become the top-scoring American player in NHL history this weekend as his Detroit Red Wings take to the ice against the San Jose Sharks on Friday. Kane scored his 500th career NHL goal on Jan. 8th, part of a two-goal performance against the Vancouver Canucks. He’s four points shy of Mike Modano for the all-time mark, entering action with 1371 points (500-871–1371) in 1335 games.

Scheifele notches 500th assist: Barrie Colts alumnus Mark Scheifele recorded career assist #500 on Wednesday in a 5-4 win over the New York Islanders. The 32-year-old from Kitchener, ON is in his 13th season with the Winnipeg Jets after being the club’s first round (7th overall) pick in 2011. Scheifele has 58 points (23-35–58) over 46 games in 2025-26. He helped the Barrie Colts win an Eastern Conference title in 2013, recording 41 points (15-26–41) in 21 playoff contests.

Jenner records 200th assist: Oshawa Generals graduate Boone Jenner became the fourth player in Columbus Blue Jackets history to record 200 assists on Thursday. The 32-year-old is in his 13th season as a Blue Jacket after being a second round pick by the franchise in 2011. The Dorchester, ON native played four seasons in Oshawa from 2009-13, graduating as the club’s captain.

Nine OHL graduates named to 2026 AHL All-Star Classic: A total of nine OHL grads have been named to rosters for the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic being held Feb. 10-11 in Rockford, Illinois. Those names include Denver Barkey (London/Lehigh Valley), Ilya Protas (Windsor/Hershey), Matt Luff (Belleville/Hamilton/Springfield), Michael DiPietro (Windsor/Ottawa/Providence), Luca Del Bel Belluz (Mississauga/Sarnia/Cleveland), Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton/Belleville), Hunter Haight (Barrie/Saginaw/Iowa) and Nick Lardis (Peterborough/Brantford/Rockford).

 

Upcoming Schedule:

Friday January 16th
Peterborough at Brantford, 7:00pm
Windsor at Erie, 7:00pm
Saginaw at Kitchener, 7:00pm
Gatineau at Ottawa, 7:00pm (Friday Night Faceoff on FloHockey)
Brampton at Kingston, 7:05pm
North Bay at Oshawa, 7:05pm
London at Sarnia, 7:05pm
Flint at Sudbury, 7:05pm
Sault Ste. Marie at Guelph, 7:07pm

Saturday January 17th
Windsor at Brampton, 4:00pm
Kingston at Brantford, 4:00pm
Ottawa at Gatineau, 4:00pm
London at Owen Sound, 4:00pm
Saginaw at Erie, 7:00pm
Niagara at Peterborough, 7:05pm
Oshawa at Barrie, 7:30pm

Sunday January 18th
Guelph at Kitchener, 2:00pm
Brantford at Niagara, 2:00pm
Flint at North Bay, 2:00pm
Barrie at Owen Sound, 2:00pm
Rouyn-Noranda at Sudbury, 2:05pm
Peterborough at Ottawa, 3:00pm
Brampton at Oshawa, 6:05pm