The Windsor Spitfires announced that they have signed forward Hamza Havusic (have-u-sick) to the club.<\/p>\n
The Spitfires selected Havusic with the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 OHL U-18 Priority Selection. A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Havusic stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds.<\/p>\n
Havusic played his minor hockey in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). During his U16 season with the Toronto Nationals, he recorded 8 goals and 6 assists for 14 points in 33 games. After going undrafted in the OHL Priority Selection, he became eligible for the U-18 draft.<\/p>\n
In his U-18 season with the Vaughan Kings, Havusic scored 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 35 games.<\/p>\n
Following his selection by Windsor, Havusic joined the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) and suited up for the Stouffville Spirit. In 34 regular season games, he recorded 6 goals and 12 assists for 18 points. He also appeared in 9 playoff games, registering one assist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am thrilled to be a part of the Spitfires organization\u201d Havusic said. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to get started!\u201d<\/p>\n
Bill Bowler spoke on Havusic putting pen to paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cHamza has a big frame with the ability to skate well\u201d GM Bill Bowler said. \u201cWe see potential in this young man with his size and strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Windsor Spitfires announced that they have signed forward Hamza Havusic (have-u-sick) to the club. The Spitfires selected Havusic with the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 OHL U-18 Priority Selection. A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Havusic stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds. Havusic played his minor hockey in the Greater…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":298487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3788,"name":"Hamza Havusic","slug":"hamza-havusic","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3788,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3787,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2970"},{"term_id":890,"name":"Prospects","slug":"prospects","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":901,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1658,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3116"},{"term_id":62,"name":"Windsor Spitfires","slug":"windsor-spitfires","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":62,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1638,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3632"}],"class_list":["post-298454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-hamza-havusic","tag-ohl-news","tag-prospects","tag-windsor-spitfires","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/06\/09143038\/Havusic-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\/298454","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=298454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":298470,"date":"2026-06-09T13:12:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=298470"},"modified":"2026-06-09T13:12:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:12:39","slug":"jovanovic-makes-history-as-first-woman-selected-in-ohl-under-18-priority-selection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/jovanovic-makes-history-as-first-woman-selected-in-ohl-under-18-priority-selection","title":{"rendered":"Jovanovic Makes History as First Woman Selected in OHL Under-18 Priority Selection"},"content":{"rendered":"
History was made Monday night as goaltender Sophie Jovanovic became the first woman ever selected in the OHL Under-18 Priority Selection.<\/span><\/p>\n The Brantford Bulldogs used the 40th overall pick to select the Toronto Nationals netminder, making her just the second female player ever drafted by an Ontario Hockey League club. Jovanovic follows Taya Currie, who was selected by the Sarnia Sting in the fifth round of the 2021 OHL Priority Selection from the Elgin-Middlesex U16 AAA program.<\/span><\/p>\n While Currie made history as the first female player drafted by an OHL team, she never appeared in a game for the Sting, leaving the door open for Jovanovic to potentially become the first woman to play in an OHL game.<\/span><\/p>\n “It’s amazing. I don’t even know how to feel right now. It’s awesome,” said Jovanovic following her selection.<\/span><\/p>\n The 2009-born goaltender has spent her minor hockey career competing at the AAA level with the Toronto Marlboros organization and suited up for the Toronto Nationals U18 AAA program this past season.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2024-25, Jovanovic appeared in 17 games, posting a 10-1-3 record along with a 1.71 goals-against average. She also represented the Marlboros at the 2025 OHL Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n Bulldogs General Manager Spencer Hyman said the organization had been following Jovanovic’s development for years and viewed her as one of the top goaltenders available in the draft.<\/span><\/p>\n “We have seen her play all the way up, and we really liked her style,” said Hyman. “She is one of the best goalies in the age group, and really, the draft. We’re thrilled that we were able to get her.”<\/span><\/p>\n The historic selection carried extra significance as Bulldogs Director of Player Development and assistant coach Laura Fortino personally called Jovanovic to deliver the news. Fortino made history herself in August 2022 when she became the first female assistant coach in OHL history after joining the franchise while it was based in Hamilton. In addition to her coaching duties, the Olympic gold medalist has played a key role in developing the organization’s prospects, continuing that work following the club’s relocation to Brantford.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy God, it was, I don’t even know how to say it,” Jovanovic said when asked about receiving the call from Fortino. “It was just a very surreal moment. I’m just very grateful for the opportunity to get a call from her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For Hyman, having Fortino deliver the news made the moment even more meaningful.<\/span><\/p>\n “Laura Fortino made the call and let Sophie know that we were drafting her,” he said. “From one Olympian who trains our players daily to one we believe will be a future Olympian, it was a pretty special moment. I know they had a really emotional call, which is pretty special, and I’m glad that they both got to share that moment.”<\/span><\/p>\n Jovanovic’s future in the game is already bright. She is committed to the University of Wisconsin beginning in 2027, joining one of the premier programs in women’s college hockey. The Badgers are the reigning back-to-back NCAA Division I national champions and have established themselves as the standard in the women’s game.<\/span><\/p>\n Hockey runs in the Jovanovic family as well. Sophie’s older brother, Matthew Jovanovic, was selected by the Saginaw Spirit in the second round of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As women’s hockey continues to grow across North America, highlighted by the rapid rise of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), Hyman believes Jovanovic’s selection represents another important step forward.<\/span><\/p>\n “You see the PWHL growth all over North America right now, and it’s fantastic,” said Hyman. “Women’s hockey is amazing, and for us to bring Sophie, who has been unbelievable in her minor hockey career, is really special, and I think it sets the tone for the entire week.”<\/span><\/p>\n For Jovanovic, the opportunity is still sinking in. But as the first woman ever selected in the OHL Under-18 Priority Selection and only the second female player drafted by an OHL club, her name is already etched into the league record books.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n More importantly, she is helping inspire the next generation of young athletes, proving that dreams really can come true.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" History was made Monday night as goaltender Sophie Jovanovic became the first woman ever selected in the OHL Under-18 Priority Selection. The Brantford Bulldogs used the 40th overall pick to select the Toronto Nationals netminder, making her just the second female player ever drafted by an Ontario Hockey League club. Jovanovic follows Taya Currie, who…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":298482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3787,"name":"Sophie Jovanovic","slug":"sophie-jovanovic","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3787,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2"},{"term_id":2724,"name":"Brantford Bulldogs","slug":"brantford-bulldogs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2740,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":659,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1262"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3787,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2970"},{"term_id":1324,"name":"OHL U18 Priority Selection","slug":"ohl-u18-priority-selection","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1336,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":53,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2986"}],"class_list":["post-298470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-sophie-jovanovic","tag-brantford-bulldogs","tag-ohl-news","tag-ohl-u18-priority-selection","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/06\/09131056\/Jovanovic-Web-1.jpg",1920,1087,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\/298470","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=298470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":298466,"date":"2026-06-09T13:00:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=298466"},"modified":"2026-06-09T13:06:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:06:57","slug":"ohl-announces-home-openers-for-2026-27-regular-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/ohl-announces-home-openers-for-2026-27-regular-season","title":{"rendered":"OHL Announces Home Openers for 2026-27 Regular Season"},"content":{"rendered":" TORONTO \u2013<\/strong> The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced 2026-27 regular season home opener dates for all 20 member clubs, with the puck set to drop Thursday, Sept. 17 when the Kingston Frontenacs visit the Peterborough Petes.<\/p>\n The Kitchener Rangers will raise their 2026 J. Ross Robertson Cup and Memorial Cup championship banners on Friday, September 18 when they play host to the Owen Sound Attack.<\/p>\n The complete 2026-27 OHL regular season schedule will be released Tuesday, June 16.<\/p>\n Home Opener dates, matchups and start times are listed below.<\/p>\n