[{"id":299358,"date":"2026-07-23T10:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T14:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=299358"},"modified":"2026-07-23T10:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T14:22:11","slug":"2026-ohl-in-the-system-pittsburgh-penguins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/2026-ohl-in-the-system-pittsburgh-penguins","title":{"rendered":"2026 OHL In The System: Pittsburgh Penguins"},"content":{"rendered":"

This 32-part series will spotlight OHL players who are either signed to an NHL or AHL contract or are recently drafted, and are 25 years old or younger with 50 or fewer NHL games played.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Join us for OHL in the System!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Today, we take a closer look at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospect pool.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pierce Mbuyi<\/b><\/a> (LW) \u2013 Owen Sound Attack (2024-26)<\/b><\/p>\n

Selected: 3rd Round, 86th Overall (2026)<\/b><\/p>\n

OHL Career Stats: 131 GP, 61G, 66A, 127 PTS, +10<\/b><\/p>\n

Age: 18<\/b><\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Penguins selected former OHL Rookie of the Year Pierce Mbuyi in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft. The shifty winger is coming off a 32-goal sophomore season with the Owen Sound Attack, serving as the club’s captain while leading the OHL with 19 power-play goals. He is committed to Penn State University for the 2026-27 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Parker von Richter<\/b><\/a> (D) \u2013 Mississauga\/Brampton Steelheads (2022-26), Barrie Colts (2025-26)<\/b><\/p>\n

Selected: 4th Round, 111th Overall (2026)<\/b><\/p>\n

OHL Career Stats: 259 GP, 25G, 94A, 119 PTS, +36<\/b><\/p>\n

Age: 20<\/b><\/p>\n

Acquired by Barrie at the trade deadline, Parker von Richter recorded a career-high 49 points (12-37\u201349) in 67 regular-season games during his fourth OHL season. The 2006-born blueliner is committed to the University of New Hampshire for 2026-27.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Travis Hayes<\/b><\/a> (RW) \u2013 Soo Greyhounds (2023-26)<\/b><\/p>\n

Selected: 4th Round, 105th Overall (2025)<\/b><\/p>\n

Signed (ATO): <\/b>Apr. 23, 2026<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

OHL Career Stats: 186 GP, 51G, 75A, 126 PTS, +44<\/b><\/p>\n

Age: 18<\/b><\/p>\n

Travis Hayes, the younger brother of Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton Penguins leading goal-scorer Avery Hayes, recorded 40 points (16-24\u201340) while tying for the Soo Greyhounds’ lead with a +27 rating. The Greyhounds assistant captain was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team in 2023-24 and recently signed an ATO agreement with Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Quinn Beauchesne<\/b><\/a> (D) \u2013 Guelph Storm (2023-26)<\/b><\/p>\n

Selected: 5th Round, 148th Overall (2025)<\/b><\/p>\n

Signed (ATO): <\/b>Apr. 26, 2026<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

OHL Career Stats: 138 GP, 15G, 51A, 66 PTS, -24<\/b><\/p>\n

Age: 19\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Quinn Beauchesne wrapped up his third season with the Guelph Storm, notching new career-highs with seven goals, 28 assists and 35 points in 56 contests. The 148th overall selection in 2025 led all Guelph defenders in those areas. He recently signed an ATO agreement with Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton and is committed to Boston College for the 2026-27 season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jordan Charron<\/b><\/a> (RW) \u2013 Soo Greyhounds (2024-26)<\/b><\/p>\n

Selected: 5th Round, 154th Overall (2025)<\/b><\/p>\n

Signed (ATO): <\/b>Apr. 23, 2026<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

OHL Career Stats: 114 GP, 35G, 33A, 68 PTS., -10<\/b><\/p>\n

Age: 19<\/b><\/p>\n

Jordan Charron enjoyed a breakout 2025-26 season with career highs across the board. The 19-year-old recorded 45 points (25-22\u201345), with his 25 goals ranking third on the team. He recently signed an ATO agreement with Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton and is committed to the University of Massachusetts for the 2026-27 season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Finn Harding<\/b><\/a> (D) \u2013 Mississauga\/Brampton Steelheads (2022-25)<\/b><\/p>\n

Selected: 7th Round, 223rd Overall (2024)<\/b><\/p>\n

Signed: <\/b>Mar. 3, 2025<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

OHL Career Stats: 198 GP, 19G, 82A, 101 PTS, +93<\/b><\/p>\n

Age: 21<\/b><\/p>\n

Spending the majority of the season with Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton, Finn Harding led Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton rookie defencemen with 22 points (4-18\u201322) while posting a team-best +32 in 54 regular-season games. He also suited up for seven games with the ECHL\u2019s Wheeling Nailers, where he tallied four assists.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Avery Hayes<\/b><\/a> (RW) \u2013 Hamilton Bulldogs (2018-23), Peterborough Petes (2022-23)<\/b><\/p>\n

Signed: <\/b>March 13, 2025<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

OHL Career Stats: 237 GP, 106G, 97A, 203 PTS, +41<\/b><\/p>\n

Age: 23<\/b><\/p>\n

In his third year with Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton, Avery Hayes produced 39 points and a team-leading 24 goals in 42 regular-season games. He made his NHL debut just before the Olympic break and became just the third player in Penguins history to score multiple goals in his debut, as well as only the seventh player in NHL history to score twice in the first period of his first NHL game. A two-time OHL champion, Hayes went undrafted at the NHL level before signing as a free agent with Pittsburgh in 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maleek McGowan<\/b><\/a> (D) \u2013 Kingston Frontenacs (2021-26)<\/b><\/p>\n

Signed (ATO): <\/b>Apr. 26, 2026<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

OHL Career Stats: 208 GP, 24G, 62A, 86 PTS, +6<\/b><\/p>\n

Age: 21<\/b><\/p>\n

Spending his entire OHL career with the Kingston Frontenacs, Maleek McGowan saved his best season for last, recording career highs with 36 points (14-22\u201336) in 62 games during his overage campaign. He was named a finalist for the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy as the OHL’s Overager of the Year and earned Kingston’s Team MVP honours. After going undrafted in the NHL, the physical defenceman recently signed an ATO with Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tomorrow on OHL In The System: We’ll take a look at the OHL talent inside the Ottawa Senators organization.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Explore the Pittsburgh Penguins’ OHL pipeline, featuring Pierce Mbuyi, Parker von Richter, Avery Hayes and more in the latest edition of OHL In The System.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":299402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3073,"name":"OHL in the System","slug":"ohl-in-the-system","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3073,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":86,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2802"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL 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Brown: Post-NHL Draft Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":606,"featured_media":299356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2788],"tags":[{"term_id":3506,"name":"2026 NHL Draft","slug":"2026-nhl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3506,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":71,"filter":"raw","term_order":"62"},{"term_id":96,"name":"London Knights","slug":"london-knights","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":96,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2205,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2172"},{"term_id":2767,"name":"Ryan Brown","slug":"ryan-brown","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2783,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":10,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3149"}],"class_list":["post-299355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-2026-nhl-draft","tag-london-knights","tag-ryan-brown","category-2788","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/21151009\/Brown-Web.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2749075","partner_id":"31013","player_id":"47901","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31013\/sd\/2749075.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31013\/ld\/2749075.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31013\/hsd\/2749075.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31013\/fhd\/2749075.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31013\/streaming\/2749075\/2749075.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31013\/webp\/2749075.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/606"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299355"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":299357,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299355\/revisions\/299357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":299396,"date":"2026-07-22T17:32:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T21:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=299396"},"modified":"2026-07-22T17:32:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T21:32:04","slug":"steelheads-sign-forward-stepan-kuryachenkov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/steelheads-sign-forward-stepan-kuryachenkov","title":{"rendered":"Steelheads sign forward Stepan Kuryachenkov"},"content":{"rendered":"

BRAMPTON, ON \u2013<\/strong> The Brampton Steelheads have announced the signing of forward Stepan Kuryachenkov, the club’s 68th overall selection in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The 2008-born forward was originally selected 59th overall by the Swift Current Broncos (WHL) in the first round of the 2025 CHL Import Draft.<\/p>\n

Kuryachenkov, a 6-foot, 176-pound forward from Ufa, Russia, recorded 28 points (12-16\u201328) as a 16-year-old with the Swift Current Broncos last season. He has also represented Russia internationally at the U16 and U17 levels.<\/p>\n

Head Coach and General Manager James Richmond commented after Kuryachenkov\u2019s signing. “We are excited to see Stepan in the Steelheads jersey this season. He is a very skilled player that can really push the offence. He\u2019s hard to play against and will compete for all 200 feet of the ice.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BRAMPTON, ON \u2013 The Brampton Steelheads have announced the signing of forward Stepan Kuryachenkov, the club’s 68th overall selection in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The 2008-born forward was originally selected 59th overall by the Swift Current Broncos (WHL) in the first round of the 2025 CHL Import…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":299399,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3850,"name":"Stepan Kuryachenkov","slug":"stepan-kuryachenkov","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3850,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"},{"term_id":3474,"name":"Brampton Steeleads","slug":"brampton-steeleads","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3474,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":31,"filter":"raw","term_order":"486"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3932,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2808"},{"term_id":890,"name":"Prospects","slug":"prospects","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":901,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1719,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3009"}],"class_list":["post-299396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-stepan-kuryachenkov","tag-brampton-steeleads","tag-ohl-news","tag-prospects","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/22173153\/Kuryachenkov-Web.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/575"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299396"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":299400,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299396\/revisions\/299400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":299390,"date":"2026-07-22T16:55:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T20:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=299390"},"modified":"2026-07-22T16:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T20:55:26","slug":"spirit-sign-defenceman-gordei-khotkov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/spirit-sign-defenceman-gordei-khotkov","title":{"rendered":"Spirit sign defenceman Gordei Khotkov"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saginaw, MI \u2013 <\/strong>The Saginaw Spirit have signed Russian defenseman Gordei Khotkov<\/strong> (GOR-dee KAWT-kawv) to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement, General Manager Dave Drinkill has announce. Khotkov was Saginaw\u2019s first selection in the 2026 CHL Import Draft at 16th overall.<\/p>\n

\u201cKhotkov is a player that came up on our radar a year ago,\u201d said Drinkill. \u201cWe watched a lot of video on him and he was a big-time player of interest for us moving into the import draft. When the rules changed to allow us to draft 2010-born players, we were very excited at the chance to add him to our already impressive group. Gordei is a mobile, skilled, and smooth-skating defenseman who can contribute at both ends of the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khotkov is a left-shot defenseman from Yaroslavl, Russia standing at 6\u20195\u201d, 210lbs. At 16 years old, he spent the 2025-2026 season playing at the U16 and U17 levels for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and CSKA Moskva. In 56 regular season and tournament games at both levels, Khotkov finished the season with 63 points (24G-39A).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe Gordei has the abilities and the mindset to be successful in our system. He is physically mature for his age as well, which will allow for an easier transition into matchups against older players. I believe that under Chris Lazary and our staff, Gordei has the potential to be a star in this league and beyond. We are extremely happy to sign Gordei today and look forward to working with him in August.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young defenseman\u2019s finest performance of the season came at the U16 Russia Cup with CSKA Moskva. He tallied 31 points (13G-18A) in 19 games and led all defenseman in tournament scoring. Khotkov also appeared internationally at the U16 level, with four assists in four games while representing Russia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saginaw, MI \u2013 The Saginaw Spirit have signed Russian defenseman Gordei Khotkov (GOR-dee KAWT-kawv) to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement, General Manager Dave Drinkill has announce. Khotkov was Saginaw\u2019s first selection in the 2026 CHL Import Draft at 16th overall. \u201cKhotkov is a player that came up on our radar a year ago,\u201d said…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":299392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3849,"name":"Gordei Khotkov","slug":"gordei-khotkov","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3849,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3932,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2808"},{"term_id":890,"name":"Prospects","slug":"prospects","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":901,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1719,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3009"},{"term_id":66,"name":"Saginaw Spirit","slug":"saginaw-spirit","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":66,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1659,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3230"}],"class_list":["post-299390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-gordei-khotkov","tag-ohl-news","tag-prospects","tag-saginaw-spirit","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/22165505\/Khotkov-Web.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/575"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299390"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":299393,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299390\/revisions\/299393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":299364,"date":"2026-07-22T15:30:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T19:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=299364"},"modified":"2026-07-22T16:29:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T20:29:47","slug":"ohl-helping-hands-meet-the-ottawa-67s-locker-room-assistant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/ohl-helping-hands-meet-the-ottawa-67s-locker-room-assistant","title":{"rendered":"OHL Helping Hands: Meet the Ottawa 67’s Locker Room Assistant"},"content":{"rendered":"

For most people walking through the halls of TD Place on game day, there’s one familiar face they’re almost guaranteed to see.<\/p>\n

Whether he’s helping prepare the dressing room, lending a hand with equipment, or simply stopping to chat with anyone who crosses his path, Cooper Gage, better known around the rink as “Coop”, has become a huge part of the Ottawa 67’s organization.<\/p>\n

Serving as the club’s Locker Room Assistant since 2017, Gage works alongside Head Equipment Manager Chris Hamilton, helping with everything from game-day setup to whatever needs to be done behind the scenes. It’s work he takes immense pride in, knowing every small task contributes to the team’s success.<\/p>\n

But years before he was part of the staff, Gage was simply another loyal fan in the stands.<\/p>\n

He rarely missed an opportunity to cheer on the 67’s, dreaming about one day working for the club. While the idea always appealed to him, it never seemed like something that could become reality. But that changed when Hamilton and members of the organization opened the door, giving him an opportunity that has grown into one of the most meaningful relationships of his life.<\/p>\n

Today, Hamilton considers Gage much more than a co-worker.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoop is so much more than a member of our equipment staff; he’s part of the family,” Hamilton said. \u201cFrom the moment he walks into the rink, you can feel his energy. He genuinely loves being here, and that passion spreads to everyone around him.\u201d<\/p>\n

“His work ethic is incredible. No matter the task, he wants to help and always takes pride in making sure the players and staff have everything they need. He’s always looking for ways to go the extra mile.”<\/p>\n

Hamilton has worked with the 67’s since 2009 and has served as Head Equipment Manager since 2012. Over the years, he has helped teach Gage every aspect of the job, but he says it’s Gage who has left the biggest impression on everyone around the organization.<\/p>\n

“What really makes Coop special is the way he connects with people,” Hamilton continued. “He’ll stop and talk to anyone, whether it’s our players, coaches, security, media staff, parking attendants, food services, or people from the visiting team. He’s built relationships with so many people over the years that he’s become a familiar face around the entire league.<\/p>\n

“Everyone knows Coop, and everyone is happy to see him. People call him a legend, and it’s easy to understand why. He makes the rink a better place just by being himself, and we’re incredibly lucky to have him. He’ll always have a home with the Ottawa 67’s.”<\/p>\n

That sense of belonging is something Gage treasures every day he walks into the arena.<\/p>\n

“Being part of the Ottawa 67’s means so much to me,” Gage said. “When Hammy [Hamilton] gave me the opportunity to join the team, everyone welcomed me right away. From the equipment staff to the coaches, players and everyone else in the organization, they’ve always treated me like I belong. That support has given me so much confidence over the years.”<\/p>\n

Gage says his favourite part of every game day isn’t being in the spotlight \u2013 it’s simply helping others.<\/p>\n

“My favourite part of every game day is helping wherever I can,” he said. “I like making sure everyone has what they need before the game and doing the little things that make someone’s game day easier. It makes me feel proud to know I’m contributing to the team, even if it’s behind the scenes.”<\/p>\n

Over the years, he’s formed lasting friendships with countless players, including former 67’s Kevin Bahl, Merrick Rippon and Nikita Okhotiuk, whose kindness left a lasting impression.<\/p>\n

“I’ve made so many great memories over the years that it’s hard to pick just one,” Gage said. “Getting to know the players has been really special. I miss being at the rink during the summer because I love seeing everyone every day. I’m always excited when a new season starts, and I can’t wait to be back soon. The 67’s are like a second family to me, and I feel lucky to be part of it.”<\/p>\n

Seven years after first joining the organization, “Coop” has become far more than a Locker Room Assistant. He’s a trusted teammate, a familiar face across the league, and someone whose enthusiasm reminds everyone around him why the game is about more than what happens on the ice. And for the Ottawa 67’s, game day simply wouldn’t feel the same without him.<\/p>\n

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Coop firing up the troops \ud83d\udd25 <\/p>\n

Cooper Gage with the most ELECTRIC starting lineup intros you'll ever see \u26a1 pic.twitter.com\/6h19qm22Mu<\/a><\/p>\n

— Ottawa 67\u2019s (@Ottawa67sHockey) November 12, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n