Ontario Hockey League - Feed

NHL Debut: Oliver Bonk (Apr. 14, 2026)

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:45:41 +0000

Former London Knights defenceman Oliver Bonk is set to make his NHL debut tonight with the Philadelphia Flyers as they close out their regular season. Selected 22nd overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, Bonk capped off his OHL career in style last season, helping the Knights capture the Memorial Cup after reaching the final for a second consecutive year. The 21-year-old Ottawa, Ont., native spent four seasons in London as part of the club’s core group, recording 150 points (45-105–150) across 189 career games. Internationally, he represented Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship in both 2024 and 2025. In his first AHL campaign with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Bonk has registered 19 points (6-13–19) in 44 games, leading all rookie defencemen on the team in scoring. Related Article: How the Knights’ 2021 COVID-19 draft class became a dynasty core

OHL Announces Postponed Game Between North Bay and Brantford

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:11:50 +0000

TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced that, following the City of North Bay's recommendation, tonight’s playoff game between the Brantford Bulldogs and host North Bay Battalion has been postponed due to flooding from the Chippewa Creek in the vicinity of Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens. The current conditions present potential safety concerns, including limited access for emergency vehicles and challenges related to the safe entry and exit of those participating and attending the game in the event of an emergency. Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Final Series between the Battalion and visiting Brantford Bulldogs has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 15 at 6:00pm at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.

Maple Leafs sign former London Knights forward Landon Sim to entry-level contract

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:33:46 +0000

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed former London Knights forward Landon Sim to a two-year NHL entry-level contract beginning with the 2026-27 season.

Sim, 21, developed over four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights, becoming a key part of one of the league’s top teams.

The New Glasgow, N.S., native recorded 124 points (66 goals, 58 assists) in 213 career regular season games, while adding 23 points (16 goals, seven assists) in 30 playoff contests.

Sim played an important role in London’s championship success, helping the Knights capture back-to-back OHL titles in 2024 and 2025 before going on to win the Memorial Cup. He brought a physical edge and scoring touch to the lineup, highlighted by a 30-goal season in 2024-25.

Known for his combination of offence and physical play, Sim was a consistent contributor throughout his OHL career, earning increased responsibility during London’s deep playoff runs.

Following his junior career, Sim transitioned to the professional ranks, spending time with the Toronto Marlies and Cincinnati Cyclones during the 2025-26 season.

2026 OHL Draft Prospect Profile: Emry Lowe

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:07:48 +0000

2026 OHL Draft Prospect Profile on forward Emry Lowe from the Brantford 99ers U16 AAA program.

2026 OHL Draft Prospect Profile: Johnathan Tait

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:01:53 +0000

2026 OHL Draft Prospect Profile on defenceman Johnathan Tait from the Mississauga Senators U16 AAA program.

2026 OHL Awards – Spirit’s Klepov named OHL Rookie of the Year

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:00:37 +0000

TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced that 2026 NHL Draft prospect Nikita Klepov of the Saginaw Spirit is this year's recipient of the Emms Family Award, presented annually to the OHL Rookie of the Year as voted by the League's General Managers. For the first time since 2007 when Patrick Kane claimed the honour, the OHL Rookie of the Year is also the League's top scorer as Klepov paced the OHL with 97 points (37-60--97) over 67 games. Jack Valiquette of the 1973-74 Soo Greyhounds is the only other player in OHL history to win both the Eddie Powers Trophy and Emms Family Award in the same season. "This season was definitely a special one for me," said Klepov. "I’d like to give a huge thank-you to the coaching staff for the opportunity and support they’ve given me. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to be at my best if it wasn’t for my teammates, and I am incredibly grateful for all of the people who surrounded me this year." Klepov's 37 goals tie Cole Perfetti's 2018-19 Spirit rookie record as he joins Michael Misa (2022-23) as the second player in Spirit history to win the Emms Family Award. He recorded at least three points in a game 13 different times, and was recognized as OHL Rookie of the Month in October, January and February. "The highest compliment I can give Nikita is that he spent so much of the season making people forget he was a rookie at all," said Spirit General Manager Dave Drinkill. "He has put himself high in the NHL draft conversation while working very hard all season long to achieve this award. We are extremely proud of Nikita for everything he accomplished as a rookie in our league, and are very excited to watch his game continue to grow and evolve moving forward." Having spent 2024-25 with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers, Klepov becomes the first player chosen in the CHL Import Draft to win OHL Rookie of the Year honours since Andrei Svechnikov in 2018. The 17-year-old who resides in Deerfield Beach, Florida won a Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal with the United States last summer, translating his international success into a remarkable first OHL season that sees him currently positioned as the 16th-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting for the 2026 NHL Draft. "Nikita had an opportunity to do something special when he arrived in our league and he attacked it," said Spirit Head Coach Chris Lazary. "His preparation for games was as intense as his play, and that’s one of the biggest reasons he was able to have such a historic season. I really enjoyed working with him and seeing him find new ways to develop this year." The Emms Family Award was donated by Leighton “Hap” Emms, former owner of the Barrie, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines OHL franchises. The award is selected by all 20 member team General Managers. Teams were asked to submit only one nominee from their own club for consideration on the ballot and were not permitted to vote for the player from their own hockey club. Klepov finished as the front-runner in the award voting process after emerging as a finalist alongside Brantford Bulldogs NHL Draft eligible centreman Caleb Malhotra. Nikita Klepov will be formally recognized as the OHL Rookie of the Year at the 2026 OHL Awards Ceremony to be held at The Hockey Hall of Fame in June. For a complete list of OHL award winners, click here.

Tickets on sale for 2026 OHL Priority Selection presented by Real Canadian Superstore

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:19:37 +0000

For the first time in over a quarter-century, the future of the Ontario Hockey League will be drafted live and in person, and we want our incredible fans there to take it all in!

Tickets are officially on public sale for the 2026 OHL Priority Selection presented by Real Canadian Superstore, taking place June 12-13 at Slush Puppie Place in Kingston. Marking the first in-person OHL Draft since the year 2000, this is your chance to be in the building for a historic weekend as the next generation of OHL talent takes centre stage.

Feel the anticipation, hear the announcements live, and cheer on the newest additions to your favourite teams.

Event Schedule: Round 1: Friday, June 12 at 7:00pm Rounds 2-15: Saturday, June 13 at 9:00am

Ticket Information: Two-day passes are available now for just $52.09 (taxes included).

2026 OHL Awards – Goaltender of the Year Finalists

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:30:22 +0000

TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced finalists for the Jim Rutherford Trophy, presented annually to the OHL Goaltender of the Year as voted by the League's General Managers. Team nominees were required to receive 20% of the vote from General Managers within their own conference to advance to the final ballot as award finalists. This year's Jim Rutherford Trophy finalists include: Mason Vaccari (Flint Firebirds) - 36 W, 2.70 GAA, .907 SV%, 4 SO An offseason addition by the Firebirds to address what, at the time, was an uncertain goaltending situation pending the fate of Nathan Day who turned pro with the Edmonton Oilers organization, Mason Vaccari turned out to be one of the OHL's best moves of the summer. A former OHL and CHL Humanitarian of the Year, Vaccari put up career numbers with a Firebirds record-setting 2.70 goals-against average, record-tying 36 wins and four shutouts. Vaccari made the most of his overage season, helping backstop the Birds to a club record 95 points in the standings. Ryder Fetterolf (Ottawa 67's) - 29 W, 2.07 GAA, .923 SV%, 6 SO Previously an unknown commodity, Ryder Fetterolf burst onto the scene with the Ottawa 67's, stacking up weekly and monthly recognition, being named the OHL's top rookie in November while pulling in rookie and goaltender honours in March. He set a new 67's goals-against average record with a league-best 2.07 as the 67's surrendered a franchise-low 160 goals during the regular season. Fetterolf's records spanned into the league record books as his six shutouts are the most ever by an OHL rookie goaltender. The NHL Draft eligible netminder competed in this year's Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game in Peterborough. Easton Rye (Peterborough Petes) - 38 W, 2.78 GAA, .915 SV%, 3 SO Hometown product Easton Rye was a workhorse for the Peterborough Petes, posting an impressive .915 save percentage while turning aside the second-most shots in the league with 1,687 saves. The 19-year-old Rye tied a Petes franchise record of 38 wins, originally set by Rick Laferriere all the way back in 1979-80. Busy most nights, 24 of Rye's 38 wins required at least 30 saves. He played the second-most minutes in the league this season, seeing 3,372 in the Peterborough crease. Carter George (Soo Greyhounds) - 23 W, 2.73 GAA, .907 SV%, 4 SO Los Angeles Kings prospect Carter George split his season between Sault Ste. Marie and Owen Sound, posting three of the four shutouts he recorded following his move north in January. After representing Canada on the national stage at the World Juniors for a second straight year, George finished the season with a goal and two assists, becoming the first goaltender in Canadian Hockey League history to score twice when he hit the empty net on Jan. 21st vs. London. Joey Costanzo (Windsor Spitfires) - 32 W, 2.16 GAA, .908 SV%, 4 SO Fifth-year veteran Joey Costanzo saved the best for his final season, registering a new Windsor Spitfires franchise record 2.16 goals-against average, backstopping them to a second straight West Division title. Costanzo started the season with eight consecutive wins and went on to set a new Spitfires franchise mark for career victories with 102. He helped the Spits end the season with the OHL's top penalty kill of 82.8 percent. He'll graduate as one of just a handful of OHL netminders to earn more than 100 career wins.

Bulldogs’ Adam Jiricek named Cogeco OHL Player of the Week

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:30:31 +0000

TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced that St. Louis Blues prospect Adam Jiricek is the Cogeco OHL Player of the Week, producing two goals, five assists and seven points over three wins in their second round playoff series. Jiricek started the series with a bang, producing a goal and three assists in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the North Bay Battalion. He added a goal and an assist in Game 2 as Brantford won by a score of 4-1. Jiricek chipped in with an assist in Sunday's 3-2 double-overtime road win as the Bulldogs established a 3-0 series lead. A 19-year-old from Plzen, Czechia, Jiricek leads OHL blueliners with 12 points (4-8--12) over seven games in these playoffs. He finished his second OHL campaign with 59 points (19-40–59) over 55 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-31. The 6-foot-3, 185Ib. defender helped the Bulldogs put together the OHL’s top-ranked power play, scoring nine of his 19 goals on the man advantage. Jiricek was selected by St. Louis in the first round (16th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft, and was chosen by the Bulldogs with the 19th overall pick of the 2023 CHL Import Draft. Jiricek was a World Junior silver medalist with Czechia this past January after winning bronze medals in both 2024 and 2025. 2025-26 Cogeco OHL Player of the Week – Playoffs Mar. 23-29: Jacob Battaglia (Flint Firebirds) Mar. 30-Apr. 5: Ben Wilmott (Barrie Colts) Apr. 6-12: Adam Jiricek (Brantford Bulldogs) 2025-26 Cogeco OHL Player of the Week – Regular Season Sept. 18-21: Cole Davis (Windsor Spitfires) Sept. 22-28: Ethan Czata (Niagara IceDogs) Sept. 29-Oct. 5: Kashawn Aitcheson (Barrie Colts) Oct. 6-12: Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs) Oct. 13-19: Adam Benak (Brantford Bulldogs) Oct. 20-26: Kieron Walton (Sudbury Wolves) Oct. 27-Nov. 2: Harry Nansi (Owen Sound Attack) Nov. 3-9: Alex Kostov (Flint Firebirds) Nov. 10-16: Nathan Aspinall (Flint Firebirds) Nov. 17-23: Marek Vanacker (Brantford Bulldogs) Nov. 24-30: Kieron Walton (Sudbury Wolves) Dec. 1-7: Alex McLean (Guelph Storm) Dec. 8-14: Christopher Brown (Soo Greyhounds) Dec. 15-21: Alex Pharand (Sudbury Wolves) Dec. 28-Jan. 4: Egor Barabanov (Saginaw Spirit) Jan. 5-11: Cole Beaudoin (Barrie Colts) Jan. 12-18: Nikita Klepov (Saginaw Spirit) Jan. 19-25: Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs) Jan. 26-Feb. 1: Kevin He (Flint Firebirds) Feb. 2-8: Ben Wilmott (Barrie Colts) Feb. 9-15: Egor Barabanov (Saginaw Spirit) Feb. 16-22: Quinn Beauchesne (Guelph Storm) Feb. 23-Mar. 1: Liam Greentree (Windsor Spitfires) Mar. 2-8: Sam O’Reilly (Kitchener Rangers) Mar. 9-15: Cooper Foster (Ottawa 67’s) Mar. 16-22: Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs)

Bulldogs’ Ryerson Leenders named Mary Brown’s Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:00:45 +0000

TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced that Buffalo Sabres prospect Ryerson Leenders of the Brantford Bulldogs is the Mary Brown's Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week, going 3-0 with a 1.12 goals-against average and .949 save percentage. Leenders was in the crease for all three Brantford wins in their second round series against North Bay, stopping 31-of-32 in Wednesday's 8-1 triumph in Game 1. He turned aside 20 shots in Friday's 4-1 victory and made 24 saves across 94 minutes of action in Sunday's 3-2 double-overtime road win. A 19-year-old from Nanticoke, ON, Leenders is 7-0 in these playoffs with a 1.84 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. He comes off a successful fourth OHL season, playing to a 27-5-4-2 record with a 2.69 goals-against average and .910 save percentage over 39 games, backstopping the Bulldogs to the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as regular season champions. The 6-foot-1, 179Ib. Leenders has split his OHL tenure between Brantford and Mississauga, playing to an overall mark of 94-51-14-2 with a 3.09 goals-against average and .904 save percentage with six shutouts. He was Buffalo's seventh round (219th overall) pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The Mississauga Steelheads drafted Leenders in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection. 2025-26 Mary Brown’s Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week – Playoffs Mar. 23-30: Joey Costanzo (Windsor Spitfires) Mar. 31-Apr. 5: Jack Lisson (North Bay Battalion) Apr. 6-12: Ryerson Leenders (Brantford Bulldogs) 2025-26 Mary Brown’s Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week – Regular Season Sept. 18-21: Jason Schaubel (Kitchener Rangers) Sept. 22-28: Joey Costanzo (Windsor Spitfires) Sept. 29-Oct. 5: Gavin Betts (Kingston Frontenacs) Oct. 6-12: Mason Vaccari (Flint Firebirds) Oct. 13-19: Patrick Quinlan (Sarnia Sting) Oct. 20-26: Ryerson Leenders (Brantford Bulldogs) Oct. 27-Nov. 2: Aleksei Medvedev (London Knights) Nov. 3-9: Matthew Minchak (Kingston Frontenacs) Nov. 10-16: Ben Hrebik (Barrie Colts) Nov. 17-23: Easton Rye (Peterborough Petes) Nov. 24-30: Zach Bowen (Brampton Steelheads) Dec. 1-7: Vladislav Yermolenko (Niagara IceDogs) Dec. 8-14: Mason Vaccari (Flint Firebirds) Dec. 15-21: Ryder Fetterolf (Ottawa 67’s) Dec. 28-Jan. 4: Easton Rye (Peterborough Petes) Jan. 5-11: Zachary Jovanovski (Guelph Storm) Jan. 12-18: Matthew Humphries (Oshawa Generals) Jan. 19-25: Carter George (Soo Greyhounds) Jan. 26-Feb. 1: Zach Bowen (Brampton Steelheads) Feb. 2-8: Easton Rye (Peterborough Petes) Feb. 9-15: Christian Kirsch (Kitchener Rangers) Feb. 16-22: Gavin Betts (Kingston Frontenacs) Feb. 23-Mar. 1: Ryder Fetterolf (Ottawa 67’s) Mar. 2-8: Arvin Jaswal (Barrie Colts) Mar. 9-15: David Egorov (Brantford Bulldogs) Mar. 16-22: Mike McIvor (North Bay Battalion)