Ottawa’s Surge: 67’s rewrite expectations with rookie goaltender and depth scoring

Last spring, the Ottawa 67’s were stumbling to a 24-34-4-6 record, watching the playoffs from home after missing the cut by four points. In September, the team wasn’t even mentioned among the OHL’s top-16 teams in preseason rankings. 

Fast forward to today, and the 67’s sit atop the OHL power rankings at 19-7-1-1, having knocked off the Brantford Bulldogs, who held the top spot since mid-October. They’ve won 12 of their last 15 games and trail Brantford by just five points for first place in the East Division standings.

At the centre of Ottawa’s surge is 17-year-old rookie goaltender Ryder Fetterolf, whose arrival has transformed the team’s defensive identity. Signed as an undrafted free agent after a season at Gilmour Academy in the USHS-Prep, the Sewickley, Pennsylvania native has quickly become one of the league’s most composed and consistent netminders.

“Yeah, it’s been awesome,” Fetterolf said of his team’s success. “I think our team is showing up every day, and we’re just super close-knit, and that just allows me to go to the rink and do my thing and play my best.”

Named OHL Rookie of the Month for November, Fetterolf posted a perfect 8-0-0-0 record with a 1.98 goals-against average, .925 save percentage, and a shutout. He’s now 13-3-1-0 on the season with a .920 save percentage and carries the OHL’s second-lowest GAA at 2.16.

“I’m not really a flashy goalie, but this year is just obviously super competitive, and I want to make sure that I’m fighting for every single puck,” Fetterolf explained. “That’s also something we go over in practice, we play out every single rebound until it’s either covered or is a goal. I think that just helps me in games, you just always want to get that puck covered.”

When Fetterolf needs a breather, backup Jaeden Nelson has been equally reliable with a 6-4-0-1 record, 2.27 GAA, and .911 save percentage, giving the 67’s one of the most reliable tandems in the East. 

Offensively, Ottawa boasts four players with 20-plus points, including 2025 import pick Jasper Kuhta, who leads the team with 27 points (14-13—27) in 28 games. Veteran forward Nic Whitehead has also emerged as a major contributor, collecting 25 points through 27 games.

“The guys are just always putting it all out on the ice,” Whitehead said. “It starts with the fact that our team is just so tight. We have team dinners and just hang out all the time, we’re one group, not just a couple separate groups – we’re together, which obviously goes to practices and then it feeds into games. We’ve all bought into the same thing.”

With their sudden climb in the standings, the 67’s have firmly inserted themselves into the conversation as legitimate contenders.

For a team at the bottom of last year’s standings to being overlooked in the preseason rankings, the message is clear: last year’s struggles are firmly in the rear-view. Led by a breakout rookie, improved depth, and a galvanized leadership group, Ottawa has become one of the OHL’s most compelling stories and one of its most dangerous teams.

If their current trajectory holds, the 67’s won’t just be surprising people anymore. They’ll be in the driver’s seat heading into the second half of the season.