OHL This Week: March 12 to 15, 2026

Only a week-and-a-half of season left! Here’s what’s happening in the stretch run towards the playoffs.

Greyhounds visit Firebirds in West Division clash on Friday Night Faceoff
Friday Night Faceoff heads to the Dort Financial Center this week as the Flint Firebirds host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in a key Western Conference matchup. With both teams positioned in the playoff race, Friday’s meeting carries added importance as the regular season enters its final stretch. Live coverage begins at 7:00 pm on FloHockey’s social platforms. Read more

2026 OHL Playoff Tracker
Marking the miles on the road to the 2026 OHL Playoffs, with a nightly look at who’s clinched and what’s up for grabs as first round matchups begin to take shape. Read more

Bulldogs back on top of latest OHL Power Rankings
The Brantford Bulldogs are back on top of the OHL Power Rankings while the Flint Firebirds, London Knights, Saginaw Spirit and Guelph Storm are also climbing the list this week. Read more

Bulldogs, Rangers, Colts and Firebirds inside CHL Top 10 Rankings
The OHL features four teams inside the CHL Top 10 Rankings presented by Delta Hotels by Marriott, with the Brantford Bulldogs (6), Kitchener Rangers (7), Barrie Colts (9) and Flint Firebirds (10) each contending for championships this spring. Read more

Rangers’ Sam O’Reilly named Cogeco OHL Player of the Week
Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Sam O’Reilly of the Kitchener Rangers is the Cogeco OHL Player of the Week, collecting three goals, five assists and eight points over three games. Read more

Colts’ Arvin Jaswal named Mary Brown’s Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week
Rookie netminder Arvin Jaswal of the Barrie Colts is the Mary Brown’s Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week, going 2-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .937 save percentage, extending his current winning streak to 13 games. Read more

Frontenacs’ Nolan Snyder named OHL Rookie of the Week
Nolan Snyder of the Kingston Frontenacs is the OHL Rookie of the Week, scoring while adding three assists over a pair of victories. Read more

Attack prospect Dylan Durno named GOHL Prospect of the Week
Owen Sound Attack prospect Dylan Durno of the St. Thomas Stars is the GOHL Prospect of the Week, going 2-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, .970 save percentage and one shutout. Read more

Cast your vote for the OHL Play of the Week
Candidates for the OHL Plays of the Week presented by Milk are in, and this week’s choices include Niagara’s Haoxi Wang, Brantford’s Adam Benak, Erie’s Cayden Smith and Flint’s Jimmy Lombardi. Watch & Vote

Take in the OHL Saves of the Week
This week’s top saves include great efforts from Sarnia’s Patrick Quinlan and Kale Osipenko, Kitchener’s Christian Kirsch, Barrie’s Ben Hrebik and Erie’s Noah Erliden. Watch

OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings: HoneyBaked back on top after winning state title
The latest OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings are out, with the Detroit HoneyBaked AAA program topping the charts fresh off a Michigan state title. The HEO’s Eastern Ontario Wild and Ottawa Jr. 67’s also punched their tickets to the showcase this past week. Read more

Road to the 2026 OHL Cup
Tracking playoff progress on the road to the 2026 OHL Cup, highlighting which teams have clinched on the countdown to March 30th. Read more

 

League News

OHL Futures Camp to Showcase Top 2026 Draft Prospects at Ridley College from May 1-3: The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is proud to announce the launch of the OHL Futures Camp, taking place from Friday, May 1st to Sunday, May 3rd, 2026. Hosted in partnership with Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ontario, this exclusive, invite-only event replaces the former OHL Combine that was first established in 2010, and serves as a premier showcase for the next generation of OHL talent. Read more

Back on the Bench – Bill Houlder’s Return Fuels Battalion’s Playoff Push: In late January, Battalion assistant coach Bill Houlder was injured in a snowmobile accident after colliding with a moose. It was a frightening and unusual incident that temporarily pulled him away from the bench during an important stretch of the season. But after weeks of recovery and staying connected with the team remotely, Houlder made his return to the Battalion bench on March 5. Read more

Flache earns 100th win, Firebirds closing in on history: Paul Flache recently earned his 100th coaching win with the Flint Firebirds, and the club is on the verge of making history, currently tied with their record of 89 points set in 2021-22 and one win shy of their record of 42 from that same season. The Firebirds are chasing their first-ever West Division title, and host the Soo Greyhounds on the OHL Friday Night Faceoff in their next action.

Pierce Mbuyi named 30th captain in Attack history: Draft eligible Owen Sound Attack forward Pierce Mbuyi has been named the 30th captain in club history. Last year’s OHL Rookie of the Year has 30 goals, 35 assists and 65 points over 63 games this season. The former seventh overall OHL Priority Selection choice in 2024 hails from Mississauga, ON. Read more

Ray King officiates final OHL game after 20 seasons: Ontario Hockey League official Ray King officiated the final game of his OHL career on Saturday night, closing out 20 years of service to the league. King worked the matchup between the Erie Otters and the London Knights, bringing his OHL officiating career to a close in Erie. Over the course of his OHL career, King officiated 250 regular-season games. Known for his professionalism and steady presence on the ice, he earned the respect of players, coaches, and fellow officials throughout his time in the league. Read more

 

Transactions

Battalion signs forward Austin Brekelmans: The North Bay Battalion has signed left winger Austin Brekelmans to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The Battalion picked Brekelmans, a resident of Strathroy, Ont., in the seventh round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection from the Elgin Middlesex Canucks U16s. He has scored 38 goals and earned 40 assists for 78 points in 53 games with the Culver Military Academy Prep team of Culver, IN this season. Read more

Colts sign free agent forward Phillip Shargorodsky: The Barrie Colts have signed free agent forward Phillip Shargorodsky to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The 6-foot-3, 200Ib. forward has spent 2025-26 at Culver Academy, recording 12 goals, 22 assists and 34 points over 37 games. The 18-year-old hails from White Plains, New York. Read more

Attack sign free agent forward Mack Diggins: The Owen Sound Attack have signed free agent forward Mack Diggins to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement for the 2026-27 season. The 17-year-old from Eau Claire, Wisconsin has 41 points (13-28–41) over 50 games with the NAHL’s Fairbanks Ice Dogs. Read more

 

At the Rinks

Country Night in North Bay: The North Bay Battalion play host to the Brantford Bulldogs on Country Night at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens on Thursday. Wear your country and western attire for a fun night at the rink!

Fight Night in Windsor on Thursday: The Windsor Spitfires host stars from Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling and Border City Boxing at the WFCU Centre on Thursday when they take on the Soo Greyhounds. Get in on the fun promotions and catch a great West Division matchup while you’re at it!

Next Gen Game on Friday in Sarnia: The future of hockey takes centre stage at the Sarnia Sting’s Next Gen Game on Friday when they play host to the Windsor Spitfires. From the game presentation to special in-arena roles, the next generation will be taking over to deliver a one-of-a-kind Sting experience.

Colts host annual St. Patrick’s Night: The Barrie Colts are well-known for their annual St. Patrick’s jersey and this year will be no different as they play host to the Sudbury Wolves on Saturday. Tune in to see this year’s special uniform when the Colts hit the ice at 7:30pm.

Mental Health Awareness Night in Saginaw: The Saginaw Spirit host their annual Mental Health Awareness Game on Saturday when they play host to the Flint Firebirds, hitting the ice in support of the Barb Smith Suicide Resource & Response Network.

Generals celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday night: The Oshawa Generals have the Barrie Colts in town on Sunday night and fans can expect their usual green St. Patrick’s look to be in display!

Star Wars Game in Sault Ste. Marie on Sunday: The Soo Greyhounds host the Brantford Bulldogs in their Star Wars Game on Sunday afternoon, hoping the Force will be with them against the first place team in the OHL!

 

Alumni News

From the O to the Pros – Weekly Alumni Report: Mark Scheifele is the NHL’s First Star of the Week, Jack Quinn recorded his first career NHL hat-trick and Alex Nylander is doing big things in the American Hockey League. Read more

Post Secondary Alumni Round-Up: Covering the red hot Keegan McMullen, Luke Torrance coming up big for UNB, Nate Krawchuk lights out in the NCAA ranks and Charlie Schenkel named AHA Goaltender of the Week at Robert Morris University. Read more

Generals graduate Noah Powell signs with Flyers: The Philadelphia Flyers have signed former Oshawa Generals forward Noah Powell to a three-year NHL entry-level contract beginning with the 2026-27 season. Powell, 21, was selected by the Flyers in the fifth round, 148th overall, of the 2024 NHL Draft. He will report to the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. Powell appeared in 28 regular season games with Oshawa, recording nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. He added 14 points, including four goals and 10 assists, in 21 playoff games as the Generals advanced to the 2025 OHL Championship Series. Read more

 

Upcoming Schedule

Thursday, March 12th
Ottawa at Barrie, 7:00pm
Kingston at Niagara, 7:00pm
Brantford at North Bay, 7:00pm
Oshawa at Peterborough, 7:05pm
Sault Ste. Marie at Windsor, 7:05pm

Friday, March 13th
Ottawa at Brampton, 7:00pm
Kingston at Erie, 7:00pm
Sault Ste. Marie at Flint, 7:00pm (Friday Night Faceoff on FloHockey)
Owen Sound at Kitchener, 7:00pm
Guelph at London, 7:00pm
Windsor at Sarnia, 7:05pm

Saturday, March 14th
Niagara at Erie, 7:00pm
Guelph at Owen Sound, 7:00pm
Flint at Saginaw, 7:05pm
Sudbury at Barrie, 7:30pm

Sunday, March 15th
Kingston at Brampton, 2:00pm
Ottawa at Niagara, 2:00pm
Peterborough at North Bay, 2:00pm
Saginaw at Sarnia, 2:05pm
Brantford at Sault Ste. Marie, 2:07pm
London at Windsor, 4:05pm
Barrie at Oshawa, 6:05pm
Kitchener at Guelph, 7:07pm