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OHL Awards – Coach of the Year Finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO<\/strong> –\u00a0<\/strong>The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced finalists for the Matt Leyden Trophy, presented annually to the OHL Coach of the Year as voted by the League’s General Managers.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

This year’s Matt Leyden Trophy finalists include:<\/p>\n

Dylan Smoskowitz (Barrie Colts) – 45-14-5-4, 99 Pts., 1st Central Division
\n<\/strong>Getting off to a remarkable start to his OHL head coaching tenure, Dylan Smoskowitz steered the Colts to 45 wins, the most by a first-year coach in the League since Craig Hartsburg’s 47 at the helm of the 1994-95 Guelph Storm. Featuring high profile names in first round NHL Draft picks Cole Beaudoin (Utah), Emil Hemming (Dallas) and Kashawn Aitcheson (NY Islanders), the Colts sprinted to their second straight Central Division title, playing to a 16-3-5-4 record in one-goal games, seeing overtime a league-high 21 times. The Colts were 31-1-1-1 in games when they scored first during the regular season, and led the OHL with 24 road wins.<\/p>\n

Paul Flache (Flint Firebirds) – 44-17-4-3, 95 Pts., 2nd West Division
\n<\/strong>It was a memorable season in Flint as the Firebirds won a record 44 games, finishing with an all-time best 95 points under Head Coach Paul Flache. Though they came up just shy of their first-ever West Division title, the Firebirds flexed their muscle with the Western Conference’s best road record of 22-9-1-2. Flint enjoyed plenty of individual success, with captain Nathan Aspinall setting a new single season mark with 61 assists and goaltender Mason Vaccari’s 2.70 goals-against average standing out as a new benchmark. The Firebirds finished tied with the Barrie Colts with a season-high 11-game winning streak that spanned from Nov. 5th through the 29th, with the last game in that string seeing Flache become the winningest coach in Firebirds history. He earned his 100th victory behind the Flint bench on Mar. 7th.<\/p>\n

Jussi Ahokas (Kitchener Rangers) – 47-14-5-2, 101 Pts., 1st Midwest Division
\n<\/strong>The reigning OHL Coach of the Year, Kitchener’s Jussi Ahokas looks to become the first to earn back-to-back honours since Ottawa’s Andre Tourigny in 2019 and 2020. Ahokas’ Rangers finished atop the Western Conference standings for the first time since 2008, securing the first back-to-back 100 point seasons in the club’s 62-year history. Kitchener led the OHL with 19 shorthanded goals, and outshot their opponents by a margin of 492, the widest in the League. The Rangers finished the season as the OHL’s only team to go undefeated in regulation when leading after one period. The Blueshirts won a season-high 14 consecutive home games from Jan. 9th through Mar. 17th.<\/p>\n

Dave Cameron (Ottawa 67’s) – 47-15-3-3, 100 Pts., 2nd East Division
\n<\/strong>There’s always a team that exceeds everyone’s expectations, and according to the OHL’s annual pre-season power rankings, that team was the Ottawa 67’s in 2025-26. The Barber Poles weren’t even ranked on the list filed back in September, assembled based off the votes of the OHL’s accredited media members. Dave Cameron’s club went on to hit the 100-point mark, getting big contributions from previously unknown commodities in draft-eligible goaltender Ryder Fetterolf, Finnish 32-goal-scorer Jasper Kuhta, offseason recruit Thomas Vandenberg and former 15th round pick Spencer Bowes. The 67’s were 38-0 when leading after two periods, and surrendered a league-low 160 goals, setting a new franchise record while reaching the 100-point plateau for the seventh time in their storied history. One of the OHL’s longest-tenured coaches, Cameron also won Coach of the Year honours in 2022-23.<\/p>\n

Greg Walters (Windsor Spitfires ) – 44-15-6-3, 97 Pts., 1st West Division
\n<\/strong>Greg Walters’ West Division champions secured their second straight banner, persevering in the face of late-season injuries to prominent forwards Ethan Belchetz and Nathan Villeneuve. The Spits finished with a league-best 82.8% penalty kill, surrendering a league-low 24.07 shots-per-game. They were also fast starters throughout the campaign, scoring first in a league-high 46 of their 68 games. Walters displayed creativity behind the bench, overcoming injuries with the deployment of talented blueliners Anthony Cristoforo and Carson Woodall in forward roles at various points throughout the season. Walters coached his 400th career OHL contest on Feb. 27th before closing out a second-straight 40+ win season at the helm in Windsor.<\/p>\n

The OHL will announce the winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy as Coach of the Year on Thursday, April 16th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The OHL has announced finalists for the Matt Leyden Trophy presented annually to the OHL Coach of the Year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":297390,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":899,"name":"Awards","slug":"awards","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":910,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":290,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1064"},{"term_id":98,"name":"Barrie Colts","slug":"barrie-colts","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":98,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1487,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1073"},{"term_id":298,"name":"dave cameron","slug":"dave-cameron","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":301,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":24,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1584"},{"term_id":362,"name":"dylan smoskowitz","slug":"dylan-smoskowitz","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":365,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1707"},{"term_id":63,"name":"Flint Firebirds","slug":"flint-firebirds","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":63,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1325,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1797"},{"term_id":1658,"name":"Greg Walters","slug":"greg-walters","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1671,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":10,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1868"},{"term_id":2831,"name":"Jussi Ahokas","slug":"jussi-ahokas","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2846,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2217"},{"term_id":82,"name":"Kitchener Rangers","slug":"kitchener-rangers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":82,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1619,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2306"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3612,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2890"},{"term_id":90,"name":"Ottawa 67's","slug":"ottawa-67s","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":90,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1605,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2933"},{"term_id":1387,"name":"Paul Flache","slug":"paul-flache","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1399,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2986"},{"term_id":62,"name":"Windsor Spitfires","slug":"windsor-spitfires","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":62,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1597,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3552"}],"class_list":["post-297389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-awards","tag-barrie-colts","tag-dave-cameron","tag-dylan-smoskowitz","tag-flint-firebirds","tag-greg-walters","tag-jussi-ahokas","tag-kitchener-rangers","tag-ohl-news","tag-ottawa-67s","tag-paul-flache","tag-windsor-spitfires","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/04\/08105949\/Coaches-Finalists-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\/297389","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\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":297386,"date":"2026-04-08T10:21:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:21:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=297386"},"modified":"2026-04-08T10:21:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:21:29","slug":"series-hq-barrie-colts-vs-ottawa-67s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/series-hq-barrie-colts-vs-ottawa-67s","title":{"rendered":"Series HQ: Barrie Colts vs. Ottawa 67\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"

(2) Barrie Colts (45-14-5-4) vs. (3) Ottawa 67\u2019s (47-15-3-3)<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The Eastern Conference semifinals deliver a fascinating clash between two of the conference’s most evenly matched clubs, as the Barrie Colts welcome the Ottawa 67’s for what promises to be a tightly contested series, and the standings tell the story of just how close these teams are. Ottawa actually finished the regular season with one more point than Barrie, but because the Colts claimed the Central Division title, they earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference, while the 67’s settled for third after finishing behind the OHL-best Brantford Bulldogs in the East.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ottawa comes into this round having quietly swept the Kingston Frontenacs, though the performance was not without its bumps. Rookie goaltender Ryder Fetterolf showed some cracks early, surrendering a combined seven goals through the first two games before settling down considerably and allowing just three over the final two. If he can find that steadier version of himself from the outset, the 67’s have a real chance at halting the Colts offence. Up front, multiple different players found their way onto the scoresheet throughout the four games, suggesting this is not a team that relies on one or two names to carry the load. The 67’s also showed they know how to win the hard way, holding on in two one-goal decisions without the cushion of overtime to bail them out. That ability to manage tight games and see them through speaks to a maturity and composure that could serve them well deep into a playoff run.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Barrie needed five games to get past the Niagara IceDogs, and the goaltending was inconsistent at times, with both Ben Hrebik and Arvin Jaswal having their difficult moments throughout the series. But when it mattered most, the Colts’ tandem delivered, closing things out with a shutout in Game 5. Offensively, Barrie has some of the most productive players in the entire league right now. Cole Beaudoin leads the club with 11 points and has recorded a point in every game of the series. Both Ben Wilmott and Brad Gardiner sit at 10 points as well, with Wilmott earning OHL Player of the Week honours after putting up eight points across three games. The return of Kashawn Aitcheson from suspension also adds a significant piece to the lineup, bringing added physicality on the back end. That physicality is something of a theme for this group, as Barrie leads the league in penalty minutes, and in the intensity of a playoff series, that edge could prove to be a double-edged sword.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ultimately, both teams carry capable goaltending tandems into this series, and how each unit holds up under pressure could be the deciding factor. Ottawa will need Fetterolf to recapture his regular-season form, while Barrie will hope their goaltending resembles the steady version rather than the one that leaked goals in the middle games against Niagara. With the Colts chasing back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference finals and the 67’s looking to continue one of the most remarkable single-season turnarounds the OHL has seen in recent memory, both sides have plenty to play for.\u00a0<\/span>This series has all the ingredients for a grind. Two evenly matched rosters, two capable goaltending tandems, and a season series that settled nothing. Do not sleep on this one.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Series Schedule:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

* <\/span>if needed<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Game 1: Thursday April 9th at Barrie 7:00pm<\/span><\/p>\n

Game 2: Saturday April 11th at Barrie 7:30pm<\/span><\/p>\n

Game 3: Tuesday April 14th at Ottawa 7:00pm<\/span><\/p>\n

Game 4: Thursday April 16th at Ottawa 7:00pm<\/span><\/p>\n

Game 5: Saturday April 18th at Barrie 7:30pm*<\/span><\/p>\n

Game 6: Sunday April 19th at Ottawa 5:00pm*<\/span><\/p>\n

Game 7: Tuesday April 21st at Barrie 7:00pm*<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Season Series:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Series tied 2-2<\/span><\/p>\n

Oct. 9 – OTT 2 at BAR 1<\/span><\/p>\n

Dec. 5 – BAR 4 at OTT 1<\/span><\/p>\n

Feb. 16 – BAR 8 at OTT 5<\/span><\/p>\n

Mar. 12 – OTT 3 at BAR 2 \u2013 OT<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Playoff History:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This marks the fourth time that Barrie and Ottawa have met in the OHL Playoffs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2012 OTT def. BAR 4-3 \u2013 Second Round, 2005 OTT def. BAR 4-2 \u2013 First Round, 1997 OTT def. BAR 4-1 \u2013 First Round.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\t\t

<\/p>\n\t\t

<\/p>\n\t\t

Who will win the second round series between Barrie and Ottawa<\/strong><\/p>