[{"id":300097,"date":"2026-08-19T17:00:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T21:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=300097"},"modified":"2026-08-19T16:55:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T20:55:52","slug":"ohl-concludes-annual-general-meeting-leadership-meetings-ahead-of-training-camps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/ohl-concludes-annual-general-meeting-leadership-meetings-ahead-of-training-camps","title":{"rendered":"OHL Concludes Annual General Meeting, Leadership Meetings Ahead of Training Camps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica neue, helvetica, sans-serif\"><strong>TORONTO <\/strong><\/span>\u2013 The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) concluded its Annual General Meeting and Leadership Meetings over the past two weeks, with the League&#8217;s Board of Governors and member clubs addressing a range of items ahead of the opening of training camps for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" role=\"heading\"><strong>Amendments to Fighting Penalties\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">The Board of Governors approved amendments to the OHL Discipline Policy governing fighting penalties, effective for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\"><u>Under the amended policy:<\/u><\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335551671&quot;:1,&quot;335552541&quot;:0,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[65533,0,46],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-listid=\"4\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">Previous parameters enforced a team-wide threshold of a maximum of 50 fights in a single season and a maximum sanction of $2,000 per fight for exceeding that threshold. The new parameters will see the team-wide threshold reduced to 35 per team, with a fine of $5,000 assessed for each fight beyond the team-wide threshold.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li role=\"listitem\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335551671&quot;:1,&quot;335552541&quot;:0,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[65533,0,46],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-listid=\"4\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">A player may be\u00a0assessed\u00a0a maximum of three fighting majors between the start of the regular season and Dec. 31. That total resets on Jan. 1, with a maximum of three additional fighting majors permitted through the\u00a0remainder\u00a0of the regular season.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li role=\"listitem\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335551671&quot;:1,&quot;335552541&quot;:0,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[65533,0,46],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-listid=\"4\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">A separate\u00a0threshold of three fighting majors\u00a0continues\u00a0to apply throughout the OHL Playoffs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li role=\"listitem\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335551671&quot;:1,&quot;335552541&quot;:0,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[65533,0,46],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-listid=\"4\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">Any fighting major beyond the applicable limit results in supplemental discipline\u00a0in accordance with\u00a0the OHL Discipline Policy \u2014 a\u00a0minimum\u00a0two-game suspension for the player exceeding the threshold, unchanged from the standard currently in place.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li role=\"listitem\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-font=\"\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335551671&quot;:1,&quot;335552541&quot;:0,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[65533,0,46],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-listid=\"4\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">The League will also be strengthening its application\u00a0of\u00a0discipline with regards to instances of premeditated fights before the drop of the puck as well as players involved in the second fight within the same stoppage.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" role=\"heading\"><u>The framework these amendments operate within<\/u><\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">The thresholds above sit within the OHL&#8217;s existing rules governing fighting conduct, which remain unchanged, and which distinguish between controlled participation and predatory\u00a0behaviour.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">Penalties for instigating, aggressor conduct, premeditated fights, bullying and a second fight in the same stoppage continue to apply, and are enforced independently of the thresholds set out above \u2014 as does the long-standing provision that a player who has been instigated upon does not have that fighting major counted toward his own total or his club&#8217;s. Each OHL member team also remains subject to an in-game threshold of three major penalties for fighting, with a sanction of $500 per fight beyond the threshold. Fighting in the OHL is not consequence-free: it is regulated, penalized, and subject to progressive discipline.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">The League will continue to sanction dangerous play more severely than spontaneous fighting and will continue to\u00a0monitor for\u00a0premeditated fights and predatory conduct through officiating and supervisory reporting. That monitoring is also enhanced by\u00a0Spiideo, the comprehensive in-venue video review system introduced across the League in 2025-26, which gives OHL Hockey Operations the footage\u00a0required\u00a0to assess fighting scenarios and apply consistent judgment.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" role=\"heading\"><u>Review<\/u><\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">Throughout the 2026-27 season, the OHL will conduct a review of fighting occurrences, including numbers and distribution across players and teams. The findings will inform policy for future seasons.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" role=\"heading\"><strong>2026-27 OHL Season \u2013 Key\u00a0Hockey Operations\u00a0Dates\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\">August 24 \u2013 Earliest date teams can open training camp (Erie granted exemption to start\u00a0August 22)<br \/>\nAugust 27\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Trade window for defected players (until September 15)<br \/>\nSeptember 17 \u2013 OHL regular season commences<br \/>\nNovember 13 \u2013 Reduce overage protected\u00a0players\u00a0list\u00a0players to a maximum of four<br \/>\nDecember 1 \u2013 CHL\/USA Top Prospects Game (Chicoutimi, QC)<br \/>\nDecember 2 \u2013 CHL\/USA Top Prospects Game (Quebec City, QC)<br \/>\nDecember 4 \u2013 Restricted trading period for World Junior players (to January\u00a05)<br \/>\nDecember 20 \u2013 Restricted trading period begins (to December\u00a026)<br \/>\nJanuary 7 \u2013 Reduce overage protected players\u00a0list\u00a0to a maximum of three<br \/>\nJanuary 7 \u2013 Final overage trade deadline\u00a0(12:00pm)<br \/>\nJanuary 8 \u2013 Final trading deadline (12:00pm)<br \/>\nJanuary 15 \u2013 Final date to sign an overage player<br \/>\nJanuary 20 \u2013 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game (Owen Sound)<br \/>\nFebruary 10 \u2013 Final date to sign a player<br \/>\nMarch 21 \u2013 OHL regular season concludes<br \/>\nMarch 25 \u2013 OHL Playoffs commence<br \/>\nMay 21 \u2013 2027 Memorial Cup (Guelph, ON)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The OHL has concluded its Annual General Meeting of the Board of Governors as well as its Leadership Meetings, with some adopted policy changes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":300098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4036,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2867"},{"term_id":2459,"name":"Releases","slug":"releases","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2475,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":258,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3110"}],"class_list":["post-300097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-ohl-news","tag-releases","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/19162659\/Leadership_Web-4.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\/300097","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=300097"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300106,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300097\/revisions\/300106"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":300101,"date":"2026-08-19T16:33:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T20:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=300101"},"modified":"2026-08-19T16:33:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T20:33:43","slug":"erie-otters-welcome-nutritionist-jessy-brinling-lake-and-olympian-vanessa-crone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/erie-otters-welcome-nutritionist-jessy-brinling-lake-and-olympian-vanessa-crone","title":{"rendered":"Erie Otters Welcome Nutritionist Jessy Brinling Lake and Olympian Vanessa Crone"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">As the Erie Otters continue to invest in player development both on and off the ice, the club has added two new members to its hockey operations staff ahead of the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The Otters have welcomed 2010 Olympian <strong>Vanessa Crone<\/strong> as a Skating Coach and Registered Dietitian <strong>Jessy Brinling Lake<\/strong> as a Team Nutritionist, adding expertise in two different areas of player performance and development.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>Vanessa Crone Joins as Skating Coach<\/h3>\n<p>Crone comes to the Otters following numerous years of working as an elite skating specialist, working with, and developing OHL and NHL talent such as Sam Gagner, Luke Evangelista, Evan Bouchard and Matthew Andonovski. The Toronto native comes to the Otters from the figure skating world where she competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver for Team Canada. She joins fellow Olympian, Goaltending Coach Ryan Zapolski on the Otters staff.<\/p>\n<p>Crone spoke with excitement about joining the club and about the importance of the development process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very excited to be apart of this incredible organization,\u201d Crone said. \u201cIt will be a privilege to contribute to this team\u2019s success. I can\u2019t wait to get started!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The addition of Crone marks another important step in keeping the Otters organization as the class of the OHL when it comes to player development. Grieve spoke on what this means for the club and their aspirations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we strive to continue to provide our players with on-ice resources, Vanessa is a tremendous addition to our staff,\u201d Grieve said. \u201cAdding a coach with Olympic experience in her field, who also comes highly recommended by OHL and NHL players is a fantastic boost to our player development model.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>Jessy Brinling Lake Added as Team Nutritionist<\/h3>\n<p>With her company Great Lake Nutrition, Brinling Lake has helped over 1,000 clients reach their nutritional goals. She has worked with high-end athletes looking to maximize their athletic performance through nutrition.<\/p>\n<p>Brinling Lake spoke about her excitement to work with the Otters organization and what she will look to bring.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am excited to partner with the Erie Otters organization and contribute to the health and performance of its players,\u201d Brinling Lake said. \u201cAs a Registered Dietitian, my goal is to provide each athlete with the nutrition knowledge and support they need to fuel their bodies, optimize performance and perform at their best on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grieve spoke about the addition of the position and what the partnership with Brinling Lake means for the organization regarding performance on the ice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe OHL is not only about on-ice development,\u201d Grieve said. \u201cThe league also strives to educate and prepare players for all aspects of high-performance hockey, whether at this level and beyond. We are thrilled to add Jessy\u2019s nutrition and dietary expertise to our organization as we continue to invest in all aspects of our players\u2019 development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Erie Otters continue to invest in player development both on and off the ice, the club has added two new members to its hockey operations staff ahead of the 2026-27 season. The Otters have welcomed 2010 Olympian Vanessa Crone as a Skating Coach and Registered Dietitian Jessy Brinling Lake as a Team Nutritionist,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":300103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":104,"name":"Erie Otters","slug":"erie-otters","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":104,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1393,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1302"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4036,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2867"}],"class_list":["post-300101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-erie-otters","tag-ohl-news","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/19163259\/ER-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\/300101","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=300101"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300104,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300101\/revisions\/300104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":300094,"date":"2026-08-19T15:48:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T19:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=300094"},"modified":"2026-08-19T15:48:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T19:48:16","slug":"futures-watch-peterborough-petes-2026-draft-class-and-new-faces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/futures-watch-peterborough-petes-2026-draft-class-and-new-faces","title":{"rendered":"Futures Watch: Peterborough Petes\u2019 2026 Draft Class and New Faces"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the 2026-27 OHL season approaches, the Peterborough Petes are preparing for a new campaign. We spoke with General Manager Mike Oke about the club\u2019s 2026 draft class and the new faces fans should keep an eye on heading into the upcoming season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><b>2026 Draft Class Revisit:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QQ36HZitdAw\"><b>Landon Roulston<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20191\u201d, 189lbs, right-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakville, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 5, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1st Round, 13th Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Vaughan Kings U16 AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">33 GP, 18G, 20A, 38 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 13th overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Landon Roulston recorded 38 points (18-20\u201338) in 33 games with the Vaughan Kings U16 AAA program last season. After helping the Kings win the GTHL Championship, Roulston added one goal and three assists in four games at the 2026 OHL Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHe\u2019s a player that demonstrated to be one of the top \u2013 he\u2019s somebody that we identified as a top player in the group. He\u2019s somebody that\u2019s got good size and good skill. We\u2019ve seen improvement in his game from the start of last year to where he is now. He\u2019s somebody that we think has the ability to continue to improve as he moves forward as a player, and we\u2019re excited about what he brings to Peterborough.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RG-pQpzEGy8&amp;vl=en-CA\"><b>Mason Quinn<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20190\u201d, 186lbs, right-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Little Britain, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 13, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3rd Round, 59th Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Toronto Marlboros U16 AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">28 GP, 15G, 10A, 25 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 59th overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Mason Quinn recorded 25 points (15-10\u201325) in 28 games with the Toronto Marlboros U16 AAA program last season. The 2010-born forward also helped the Marlboros qualify for the 2026 OHL Cup, where he scored once in four games. Prior to joining Toronto for his U16 season, Quinn spent several years developing with the Central Ontario Wolves organization.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMason is somebody who is relatively local, having grown up just outside of Peterborough. He\u2019s somebody that\u2019s very competitive. He played many years with the Central Ontario Wolves and obviously played for the Toronto Marlboros. He\u2019s somebody that you know is willing to put the work in.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;text-decoration: underline\">Colton Lapierre<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20190\u201d, 212lbs, left-shot defenceman<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Innisfil, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feb 14, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5th Round, 94th Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Toronto Red Wings U16 AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">33 GP, 9G, 8A, 17 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected in the third round of the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Colton Lapierre spent the 2025-26 season with the Toronto Red Wings U16 AAA program, recording 17 points (9-8\u201317) in 33 games from the blue line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHe\u2019s physically strong. His strength is definitely his physicality. He\u2019s able to use it to his advantage, using his size and strength to protect the box in those battle areas. He\u2019s got a good shot, and he can battle.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;text-decoration: underline\">Patrik Polacek<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20195\u201d, 196lbs, left-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Praha, CZE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 13, 2009<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1st Round, 37th Overall (2026 CHL Import Draft)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (HC Sparta Praha U17): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">42 GP, 36G, 31A, 67 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 37th overall in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, Patrik Polacek is a 6-foot-5 forward from Praha, Czechia, who put together a standout season with HC Sparta Praha U17. Polacek finished second in Extraliga dorostu U17 regular-season scoring with 67 points (36-31\u201367) in 42 games before adding a league-leading 17 points in 12 playoff contests to help Sparta Praha capture the championship. He also appeared in four games at the U20 level, recording two goals and three assists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHe\u2019s a big, strong player. He\u2019s somebody that \u2013 we\u2019re not certain if he\u2019s going to come right away \u2013 but certainly somebody that\u2019s demonstrated he has the skill and ability to play in the CHL. He\u2019s physically imposing; he\u2019s got a good shot and tremendous size. Those are all qualities that, if you can add them to your group, you\u2019re excited to be able to do that.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Other members of the 2026 class include:\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>PLAYER<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>POSITION<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>HOMETOWN<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DOB<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2025-26 TEAM<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DRAFTED<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Zidane Jasey<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">G<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toronto, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jan 12, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6th round, 119th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marco Nichele<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ottawa, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 21, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ottawa Jr. 67&#8217;s U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7th round, 134th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brady Cunningham<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Plainfield, IL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 18, 2008<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lincoln Stars<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7th round, 136th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dylan Delgado<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Weston, FL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jul 20, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Detroit HoneyBaked 15&#8217;s<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">8th round, 145th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ty Civello<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Port Perry, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 2, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Don Mills Flyers U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">8th round, 154th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nicholas Hahn<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eagle River, WI<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jan 17, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Team Wisconsin 15&#8217;s<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">9th round, 174th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nathan Slack<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toronto, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jul 6, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Don Mills Flyers U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10th round, 194th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Andrew Vaduva<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">G<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakville, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 11, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Burlington Eagles U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">11th round, 214th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hudson Clayton<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Burlington, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 17, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Burlington Eagles U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">12th round, 234th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Quinn Creally<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ottawa, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jan 3, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Upper Canada Cyclones U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">12th round, 234th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Evan Vukelic<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Buffalo, NY<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 1, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shattuck-St. Mary&#8217;s Sabres 15&#8217;s<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">14th round, 274th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aiden Plooy<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brockville, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 3, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Upper Canada Cyclones U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">15th round, 294th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nolan Gerow<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beamsville, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 11, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hamilton Steel U18 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1st round, 13th overall (U18)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cole McLennan<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brockville, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feb 18, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Upper Canada Cyclones U18 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2nd round, 33rd overall (U18)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">2026 New Faces<\/span>:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">*Note: Player additions are current as of publication. Team signings remain ongoing, and this section will be updated throughout the offseason as additional players are signed and trades are completed.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/players\/9473\/\"><b><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;color: #3366ff\">Cooper Dennis<\/span><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5\u20196\u201d, 151lbs, right-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ithaca, NY<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May. 7, 2007<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Acquired: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/petes-acquire-dennis-from-bulldogs-brantford-lands-mcgregor\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aug. 4, 2026<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Brantford Bulldogs): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">68 GP, 34G, 40A, 74 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cooper Dennis heads to Peterborough following an impressive rookie campaign with the Brantford Bulldogs, recording 74 points (34-40\u201374) in 68 games to finish second in team scoring while leading the OHL with a plus-48 rating. The Ithaca, NY, native added seven points in 15 playoff games as the Bulldogs advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship Series. Originally selected by Brantford in the sixth round (109th overall) of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, Dennis is committed to the University of Michigan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHe\u2019s somebody that we noticed each and every time we played them, or we were watching and scouting a game. He was a noticeable player for Brantford. He\u2019s got tremendous puck skills, tremendous speed, playmaking ability and also an offensive touch. In addition to our group, he\u2019ll complement some of our players quite nicely, and I think our players will complement what he does very well. We\u2019re excited to be able to add him to our core and know that he\u2019ll be somebody that will contribute to our success this season.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;text-decoration: underline\">Owen Nelson<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20191\u201d, 181lbs, goaltender<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hudson, WI<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr. 5, 2007<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Signed (FA): <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-petes\/article\/petes-sign-goaltender-owen-nelson-to-an-ohl-scholarship-and-development-agreement\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">July 7, 2026<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Tri-City Storm): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">26 GP, 2.92 GAA, .909 SV%, 1 SO<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Owen Nelson appeared in 26 games with the USHL\u2019s Tri-City Storm last season, posting a 2.92 goals-against average, .909 save percentage and one shutout. The Hudson, WI, native also appeared in one playoff game, recording a 1.61 GAA and .955 save percentage. Nelson earned an opportunity with the Petes after attending the club\u2019s Development Camp as a free-agent invitee.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHe came to camp as a free agent. We\u2019ve been monitoring him over the course of the season, and he\u2019s certainly somebody who demonstrated an ability to play at the junior level. He\u2019s got size and really wants to work hard and wants to learn. We\u2019re looking forward to having him as a first-year player in the OHL.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;text-decoration: underline\">James McMurray<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5\u20198\u201d, 172lbs, left-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fenelon Falls, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jun. 15, 2007<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Signed (FA): <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/petes-sign-forward-james-mcmurray\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">July 21, 2026<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Berkshire School): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">32 GP, 23G, 23A, 46 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">James McMurray returns to Ontario after spending the past two seasons with Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, where he recorded 78 points in 65 games. A product of the Central Ontario Wolves organization, the Fenelon Falls, ON, native previously played for the Peterborough Petes U18 AAA program in 2023-24, leading the team with 47 points in 34 games. That same season, he also appeared in three games with the OJHL\u2019s Lindsay Muskies, recording one assist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHe\u2019ll bring a bit of a veteran presence. With James McBurry, I know he\u2019s very feisty and very competitive. He did attend a couple of our camps previously as a free agent. He was attending a prep school down in the United States where he had a lot of success. He\u2019s someone that our coaches are familiar with from having coached minor hockey previously. He\u2019s highly competitive, does have good puck skills and is a team-first player.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Additional new faces include:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>PLAYER<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>POSITION<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>HOMETOWN<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DOB<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2025-26 TEAM<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DRAFTED\/ACQUIRED<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/players\/9557\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kieran Raynor<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">St. Catharines, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar. 22, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Haliburton County Huskies (OJHL) + Peterborough (8 GP)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2nd round, 27th overall (2025)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With a young group continuing to take shape in Peterborough, the Petes will enter the 2026-27 season with a mix of returning talent and new additions looking to make an impact. After adding size and skill through the draft while bringing in players with junior experience through trades and free agency, Peterborough will look for its new faces to complement its returning core as the club takes another step forward in its development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flohockey.tv\/signup\"><b>FloHockey<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> remains the exclusive streaming home of the Ontario Hockey League, delivering more than 680 regular-season games throughout the year, plus complete coverage of the OHL playoffs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Subscribers can stream games live or watch on demand from anywhere, ensuring they never miss a goal, save, or highlight during the 2026-27 season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether you\u2019re following your hometown team or tracking prospects across the league, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flohockey.tv\/signup\"><b>FloHockey<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> provides comprehensive coverage of every OHL club all season long.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Get to know the Peterborough Petes\u2019 2026 draft class and new faces ahead of the 2026-27 OHL season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":300095,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3875,"name":"2026 Futures Watch","slug":"2026-futures-watch","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3875,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw","term_order":"36"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4036,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2867"},{"term_id":77,"name":"Peterborough Petes","slug":"peterborough-petes","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":77,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1617,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3029"}],"class_list":["post-300094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-futures-watch","tag-ohl-news","tag-peterborough-petes","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/19154655\/FuturesWatchWeb-5.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\/300094","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=300094"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300096,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300094\/revisions\/300096"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":300089,"date":"2026-08-19T13:54:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T17:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=300089"},"modified":"2026-08-19T13:55:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T17:55:38","slug":"team-usa-wins-gold-at-the-2026-u17-four-nations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/team-usa-wins-gold-at-the-2026-u17-four-nations","title":{"rendered":"Team USA wins gold at the 2026 U17 Four Nations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The United States captured gold at the 2026 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament on Wednesday, defeating host Czechia 5-4 in a shootout in Chomutov, CZE.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The tournament, held from August 15-19, featured Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States, with the U.S. Under-17 Men\u2019s Select Team comprised of players selected from the USA Hockey Boys National 16 Player Development Camp.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Team USA finished the tournament undefeated with a 1-3-0-0 record (W-OTW-OTL-L), flipping the script from a year ago. After falling to Czechia in the 2025 championship game, the Americans returned the favour this time around, defeating the host nation in a shootout to capture gold.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brantford Bulldogs forward Aiden Kelly played the hero in the championship game, scoring the deciding goal in the shootout to lift the United States to a 5-4 victory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kelly, selected 20th overall by Brantford in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, finished the tournament with three goals in four games. He was one of two signed OHL players on the U.S. roster alongside Niagara IceDogs prospect Max Lappan, who was selected ninth overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection and appeared in all four games of the tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seven additional OHL-drafted prospects represented the United States at the tournament, including Rylan Aufderheide (Sudbury), Dylan Delgado (Peterborough), Austin Hall (Owen Sound), Chase Pastor (Sarnia), Christopher Pinko (London), Jack Riehl (Owen Sound) and Benjamin Slavick (Ottawa).<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States captured gold at the 2026 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament on Wednesday, defeating host Czechia 5-4 in a shootout in Chomutov.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":300091,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3758,"name":"Aiden Kelly","slug":"aiden-kelly","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3758,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"199"},{"term_id":3722,"name":"Max Lappan","slug":"max-lappan","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3722,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2528"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4036,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2867"},{"term_id":934,"name":"USA Hockey","slug":"usa-hockey","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":946,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":89,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3667"}],"class_list":["post-300089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-aiden-kelly","tag-max-lappan","tag-ohl-news","tag-usa-hockey","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/19135336\/Team-USA-U17.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\/300089","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=300089"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300093,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300089\/revisions\/300093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":300085,"date":"2026-08-19T10:14:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=300085"},"modified":"2026-08-19T11:10:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:10:24","slug":"gens-mourn-the-loss-of-long-time-off-ice-official-mike-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/gens-mourn-the-loss-of-long-time-off-ice-official-mike-champion","title":{"rendered":"Generals mourn the loss of long time off-ice official Mike Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<strong>Oshawa, ON &#8211;\u00a0<\/strong>The Oshawa Generals extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mike Champion, who sadly passed away at the age of 68.<\/p>\n<p>Mike had been with the Generals&#8217; off-ice officials crew for 36 years, having joined the group back in 1990.<\/p>\n<p>Mike worked in the penalty box and was a staple there; he loved being at the rink, being part of the action and thoroughly enjoyed his chats with Gens players while they served two minutes or less.<\/p>\n<p>Mike was a beloved member of the crew and will be deeply missed.<\/p>\n<p>Mike, once a General, always a General.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]Oshawa, ON &#8211;\u00a0The Oshawa Generals extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mike Champion, who sadly passed away at the age of 68. Mike had been with the Generals&#8217; off-ice officials crew for 36 years, having joined the group back in 1990. Mike worked in the penalty box and was a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":586,"featured_media":300086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":2201,"name":"In Memoriam","slug":"in-memoriam","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2216,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":146,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1574"}],"class_list":["post-300085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-in-memoriam","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2026\/08\/07132426\/InMemory_Hor-1.jpg",1200,675,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\/300085","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\/586"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300085"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300088,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300085\/revisions\/300088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":300082,"date":"2026-08-18T14:59:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T18:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=300082"},"modified":"2026-08-18T14:59:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T18:59:29","slug":"futures-watch-soo-greyhounds-2026-draft-class-and-new-faces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/futures-watch-soo-greyhounds-2026-draft-class-and-new-faces","title":{"rendered":"Futures Watch: Soo Greyhounds\u2019 2026 Draft Class and New Faces"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the 2026-27 OHL season approaches, the Soo Greyhounds are preparing for a new campaign. We spoke with General Manager Kyle Raftis about the club\u2019s 2026 draft class and the new faces fans should keep an eye on heading into the upcoming season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><b>2026 Draft Class Revisit<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><b>:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/video\/2026-ohl-draft-prospect-profile-jaden-licastro\"><b><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Jaden Licastro<\/span><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20192\u201d, 186lbs, left-shot defenceman<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vaughan, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 2, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1st Round, 12th Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Toronto Marlboros U16 AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">32 GP, 11G, 19A, 30 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 12th overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Jaden Licastro captained the Toronto Marlboros U16 AAA program this past season, recording 30 points (11-19\u201330) in 32 regular-season games to lead all Marlboros defencemen in scoring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cJaden is a guy we were really excited to get at 12. He has great size already, a powerful, quick stride, plays with an edge and can defend. He was put in a lot of situations last year with the Marlboros \u2013 power play, penalty kill, big minutes \u2013 and you could see him continue to get better as the year went on. For us, when you\u2019re trying to build your back end for the future, those are the types of players you want to bring in. He can skate, he can move the puck, he competes, and there\u2019s still a lot of room for him to grow. We\u2019re really excited to see what he can do at this level.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eliteprospects.com\/video\/ep_1080793_8200\/alec-walker-2025-26-highlights\"><b>Alec Walker<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20194\u201d, 174lbs, left-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lithia, FL<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 8, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4th Round, 62nd Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Florida Alliance 15&#8217;s): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">55 GP, 34G, 34A, 68 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 62nd overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Alec Walker recorded 68 points (34-34\u201368) in 55 games with the Florida Alliance 15\u2019s program. The Florida native also represented Team Kelly at the USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp, where he collected seven points (2-5\u20137) in four games. Walker was also ranked 13th on Elite Prospects\u2019 final ranking of 2010-born American skaters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAlec was a guy we really liked. When we got to our pick at 62, we didn&#8217;t want to pass him up. He&#8217;s got size, he can skate, he&#8217;s got skill and the ability to get to the middle of the ice, all while making it look very smooth. When you can add a player with that skill set at that point in the draft, that&#8217;s something you feel pretty good about being able to work with in the coming years. As Alec&#8217;s strength and power continue to develop, he is a player we&#8217;re excited to get into our program and see how quickly he can make that jump.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;text-decoration: underline\">Nixon McCaig<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20192\u201d, 168lbs, left-shot defenceman<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakville, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 4, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4th Round, 72nd Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Vaughan Kings U16 AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">33 GP, 5G, 7A, 12 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 72nd overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Nixon McCaig recorded 12 points (5-7\u201312) in 33 games from the blueline with the Vaughan Kings U16 AAA program, helping the club capture the GTHL title. He also suited up for two games with the Ayr Centennials, scoring twice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cNixon is a really smart defender. He&#8217;s probably a guy people will look at and say he&#8217;s more of a defensive defenceman, but there&#8217;s more to his game than that. He can really move the puck, skate, and play hard. He&#8217;s got good length, he competes, and he&#8217;s reliable. For us, that&#8217;s a really good foundation for a young defenceman. He&#8217;s a guy who can defend, but can also help you get out of your end and move the puck up the ice. We&#8217;re excited about having him in the group and watching him develop.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;text-decoration: underline\">Jake Hall<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20191\u201d, 161lbs, left-shot defenceman<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whitesboro, NY<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 11, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5th Round, 93rd Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Notre Dame HA 15U AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">33 GP, 5G, 7A, 12 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 93rd overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Jake Hall recorded 35 points (6-29\u201335) in 46 games from the blueline with Notre Dame\u2019s 15U program. He also competed with TPH Academy at this year\u2019s OHL Cup, where he scored twice, before representing Team Orange at the USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp and recording three assists in four games.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cJake is another big defender who we think has a lot of upside. He&#8217;s got good size, he moves well, and there&#8217;s some offensive ability there as well. He put up good numbers with Notre Dame, so there&#8217;s already some confidence in his game with the puck. For us, when you get a young defenceman with that kind of size and offensive ability, you want to give him time and see where he can take it. We&#8217;re excited about Jake and what he can become.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/hounds-sign-import-goaltender-david-vermirovsky\/\"><b>David Vermirovsky<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20195\u201d, 181lbs, goaltender<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pardubice, CZE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jul 25, 2008<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1st Round, 34th Overall (2026 CHL Import Draft)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Dynamo Pardubice Jr.): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">27 GP, 3.23 GAA, .904 SV%<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected with the Greyhounds\u2019 first pick in the 2026 CHL Import Draft, David Vermirovsky joins the club from HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech U20 league. In 27 regular-season games, the 6-foot-5 netminder posted a 13-14 record alongside a 3.23 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. He followed that up with a strong postseason, recording a 2.72 goals-against average and .913 save percentage across 12 playoff appearances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAt 6 foot 5, he&#8217;s obviously got the size, but what we liked was that he can move and he&#8217;s competitive. He&#8217;s got the ability to make some big saves with his athleticism. He&#8217;s played against older players in Czechia and has international experience as well, so he&#8217;s seen some pretty good hockey already. With his size and athleticism, he&#8217;s a guy we&#8217;re really looking forward to getting into our program and watching develop. After being passed over in the most recent NHL Draft, there&#8217;s a chip on his shoulder to prove he can step into the OHL and show what he&#8217;s capable of.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Other members of the 2026 class include:\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>PLAYER<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>POSITION<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>HOMETOWN<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DOB<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2025-26 TEAM<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DRAFTED<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Evan Miller<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">London, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 10, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Huron-Perth Lakers U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6th round, 113th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jax Martin<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Foxboro, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sep 29, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Quinte Red Devils U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7th round, 123rd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joshua Jodoin<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mississauga, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 17, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mississauga Reps U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7th round, 133rd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Matthew Taylor<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Belle River, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 19, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ajax-Pickering Raiders U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">9th round, 173rd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Owen Stevens<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Casselman, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feb 27, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eastern Ontario Wild U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10th round, 193rd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Leo Parini<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">West Seneca, NY<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jul 2, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Buffalo Jr. Sabres 15&#8217;s<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">11th round, 213th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Calder Anderson<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ohsweken, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oct 13, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brantford 99ers U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">12th round, 233rd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kaiden Harper<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">G<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">London, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 14, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Elgin-Middlesex Canucks U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">13th round, 253rd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Landon Keefe<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakville, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aug 20, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vaughan Kings U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">14th round, 273rd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Landon Bellchamber<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Georgetown, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jan 30, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Credit River Capitals U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">15th round, 289th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Finn Gilbert<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Severn, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jul 10, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ridley College Tigers<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1st round, 12th overall (U18)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Josh Pinchak<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mississauga, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 06, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Burlington Eagles U18 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2nd round, 32nd overall (U18)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melichar Kovar<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pardubice, CZE<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 7, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pardubice Jr. B<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2nd round, 95th overall (Import)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><b>2026 New Faces<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><b>:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">*Note: Player additions are current as of publication. Team signings remain ongoing, and this section will be updated throughout the offseason as additional players are signed and trades are completed.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/greyhounds-sign-trevor-daley-jr\/\"><b>Trevor Daley Jr.<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5\u20199\u201d, 185lbs, left-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dallas, TX<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jul 11, 2009<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3rd Round, 51st Overall (2025 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (U.S. National U17 Team): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4 GP, 0G, 1A, 1 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Originally selected in the third round (51st overall) of the 2025 OHL Priority Selection, Trevor Daley Jr. appeared in four games with the U.S. National U17 Team during the 2025-26 season. In his draft year, the Dallas, Texas native recorded 87 points (32-55\u201387) in 47 games with the Florida Alliance 15O AAA program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cTrevor is a really talented offensive player. He&#8217;s got elite speed; he can make plays, and he has the ability to create something every time he gets the puck. He&#8217;s a player that can pull you out of your seat with his creativity, vision and explosive speed. Obviously, there&#8217;s a lot of attention that comes with his last name, but for us it&#8217;s about Trevor and the player he is. With his skill package and being a constant student of the game, now it&#8217;s about getting him into our environment, letting him continue to develop and helping him round out his game.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/greyhounds-sign-buffalo-sabres-prospect-doman-szongoth\/\"><b>Doman Szongoth<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20191\u201d, 194lbs, left-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Budapest, HUN<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">June 8, 2008<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1st Round, 20th Overall (2025 CHL Import Draft)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (KooKoo U20): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">44 GP, 10G, 18A, 28 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Originally selected by the Greyhounds in the first round of the 2025 CHL Import Draft, Doman Szongoth joins the club after spending the 2025-26 season with KooKoo U20 in Finland, where he recorded 28 points (10-18\u201328) in 44 regular-season games. He was later selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 2026 NHL Draft, becoming just the fifth Hungarian-born player selected in NHL Draft history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 6-foot-1 forward has represented Hungary on the international stage for four consecutive seasons. His recent appearances include the IIHF World Junior Championship Division I, Group B, where he recorded seven points (3-4\u20137) in five games; the U18 World Championship Division I, Group A, where he led Hungary with five goals in five games; and the IIHF World Championship, where he scored once in seven games. At just 16 years old, Szongoth also debuted for Hungary\u2019s senior national team during the 2024 Olympic Qualifying tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cDoman is an interesting player for us because he&#8217;s already played a lot of hockey with pro-calibre players. He&#8217;s played internationally at the World Championships, U18S, and other events where he&#8217;s consistently played against older players, and he&#8217;s shown what he can do at that level. There&#8217;s going to be an adjustment coming over and playing in the OHL, like there is for any European player, but he&#8217;s a competitive player with a skill set that should translate really well to how we want to play. We think there&#8217;s a lot there to work with, with the combination of his shooting ability, his ability to transport pucks and how efficient he is down low.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Additional new faces include:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>PLAYER<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>POSITION<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>HOMETOWN<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DOB<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2025-26 TEAM<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DRAFTED\/ACQUIRED<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;text-decoration: underline\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;text-decoration: underline\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/greyhounds-sign-blueliner-christopher-weiss\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Christopher Weiss<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Washington Township, MI<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jan 17, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 16U AAA (USHL)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6th round, 123rd overall (2025)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/greyhounds-sign-forward-cam-anderson\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cam Anderson<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lake Villa, IL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">June 16, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chicago Reapers 16U AAA (USHL)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">9th round, 170th overall (2025)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gohl.ca\/stats\/player\/20834\/96\/william-camputaro\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">William Camputaro<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">G<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">North York, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 23, 2008<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">St. Thomas Stars (GOHL)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4th round, 80th overall (2024)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;color: #3366ff\">Isaiah Allen<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Milton, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nov 23, 2008<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kirkland Lake Gold Miners (NOJHL)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10th round, 200th overall (2024)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With an established veteran core already in place, the Greyhounds have used the offseason to continue building around that group while adding depth for the future. A particular emphasis has been placed on the back end, with several defencemen selected throughout the 2026 draft class and additional depth added between the pipes. With a mix of experience and young talent taking shape, the Greyhounds will look to balance the present with the future as they prepare for the 2026-27 season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flohockey.tv\/signup\"><b>FloHockey<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> remains the exclusive streaming home of the Ontario Hockey League, delivering more than 680 regular-season games throughout the year, plus complete coverage of the OHL playoffs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Subscribers can stream games live or watch on demand from anywhere, ensuring they never miss a goal, save, or highlight during the 2026-27 season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether you\u2019re following your hometown team or tracking prospects across the league, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flohockey.tv\/signup\"><b>FloHockey<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> provides comprehensive coverage of every OHL club all season long.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Get to know the Soo Greyhounds\u2019 2026 draft class and new faces as GM Kyle Raftis breaks down the young talent joining the organization ahead of the 2026-27 OHL season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":300083,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3875,"name":"2026 Futures Watch","slug":"2026-futures-watch","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3875,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw","term_order":"36"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4036,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2867"},{"term_id":102,"name":"Soo Greyhounds","slug":"soo-greyhounds","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":102,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1464,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3406"}],"class_list":["post-300082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-futures-watch","tag-ohl-news","tag-soo-greyhounds","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/18145921\/FuturesWatch-Web-SOO.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\/300082","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=300082"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300084,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300082\/revisions\/300084"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":300075,"date":"2026-08-17T12:35:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T16:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=300075"},"modified":"2026-08-17T12:35:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T16:35:54","slug":"futures-watch-north-bay-battalions-2026-draft-class-and-new-faces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/futures-watch-north-bay-battalions-2026-draft-class-and-new-faces","title":{"rendered":"Futures Watch: North Bay Battalion\u2019s 2026 Draft Class and New Faces"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the 2026-27 OHL season approaches, the North Bay Battalion are preparing for a new campaign. We spoke with General Manager Adam Dennis about the club\u2019s 2026 draft class and the new faces fans should keep an eye on heading into the upcoming season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;font-size: 14pt\"><b>2026 Draft Class Revisit<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><b>:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JdyVkUdHkNs\"><b>Owen Loftus<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20191\u201d, 163lbs, goaltender<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toronto, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 29, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1st Round, 11th Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Don Mills Flyers U16 AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">50 GP, 2.00 GAA, 9 SO<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 11th overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Owen Loftus was the first goaltender off the board. In 50 games with the Don Mills Flyers U16 AAA program last season, the Toronto, ON., native posted a 25-15-10 record, a 2.00 goals-against average and nine shutouts. Away from the rink, Loftus is also an accomplished pianist, having performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City at the age of 13.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cOwen was a difference maker for his team all season; he possesses a high hockey IQ and exceptional athleticism that gives them the opportunity to have a chance at every puck regardless of the situation.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/battalion-sign-forward-alexandre-saulnier\/\"><b>Alexandre Saulnier<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20192\u201d, 192lbs, left-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ottawa, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 16, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2nd Round, 35th Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Ottawa Jr. 67&#8217;s U16 AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">17 GP, 5G, 19A, 24 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 35th overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Alexandre Saulnier recorded 24 points (5-19\u201324) in 17 regular-season games with the Ottawa Jr. 67\u2019s U16 AAA program. The 6-foot-2, 192-pound forward added another 10 points (6-4\u201310) across 12 playoff contests.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAlex flew under the radar a bit this season as he had a few injuries that cut into his game time. Despite that, he helped lead his team to the OHL Cup, where he was a key contributor. He brings a mix of size, strength and skill.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OHLHockey\/videos\/2026-ohldraft-prospect-profile-austin-ottenhof-is-settling-in-nicely-with-quinte\/1418443173081515\/\"><b>Austin Ottenhof<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5\u201911\u201d, 161lbs, right-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Odessa, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">June 7, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3rd Round, 48th Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Quinte Red Devils U16 AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">31 GP, 14G, 21A, 35 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 48th overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Austin Ottenhof recorded 35 points (14-21\u201335) in 31 games with the Quinte Red Devils U16 AAA program during the 2025-26 season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAustin plays the game the right way; he competes every shift and is the type of player that helps win big games down the stretch.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;text-decoration: underline\">Drew Hulbert<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5\u201911\u201d, 191lbs, left-shot defenceman<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toronto, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 4, 2010<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3rd Round, 60th Overall (2026 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Don Mills Flyers U16 AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">16 GP, 4G, 7A, 11 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 60th overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Drew Hulbert joins Don Mills Flyers teammate Owen Loftus in North Bay\u2019s 2026 draft class. The 5-foot-11, 191-pound defenceman recorded 11 points (4-7\u201311) in 16 games during the 2025-26 season while serving as captain of the Flyers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe captain of a very strong Don Mills back end brings consistency and maturity to a position that requires it. He helped lead his team to tournament wins and an OHL Cup birth.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;text-decoration: underline\">Grady Dale<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5\u201910\u201d, 173lbs, left-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sudbury, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aug 30, 2009<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1st Round, 11th Overall (2026 OHL U18 Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (BioSteel Sports Academy U18 AAA): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">50 GP, 28G, 45A, 73 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected 11th overall in the 2026 OHL U18 Priority Selection, Grady Dale put together a productive 2025-26 campaign while serving as an assistant captain with BioSteel Sports Academy U18 AAA. The Sudbury, ON., native also suited up for one game with the Leamington Flyers of the OJHL, finding the back of the net in his lone appearance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cGrady was a player we were familiar with in his U16 year with the Trappers. He had a great year at the BioSteel Academy and was very deserving of his selection this year.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Other members of the 2026 class include:\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>PLAYER<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>POSITION<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>HOMETOWN<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DOB<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2025-26 TEAM<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DRAFTED<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sebastien Fortin<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Woodstock, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">June 14, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vaughan Kings U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5th round, 92nd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Spencer Greenhalgh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ottawa, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 25, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Florida Alliance 15&#8217;s<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6th round, 112th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ethan Bridges<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stratford, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 1, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Huron-Perth Lakers U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6th round, 117th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gavin Henry<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Georgetown, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aug 3, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Credit River Capitals U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7th round, 132nd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Colten Wilkinson<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Holland Landing, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aug 17, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toronto Nationals U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">8th round, 152nd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ryder Nobes<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brooklin, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aug 11, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Markham Majors U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">9th round, 172nd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ethan Davidson<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nestleton, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feb 22, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Central Ontario Wolves U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10th round, 192nd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tayden Smith<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sudbury, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jan 3, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sudbury Wolves U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">11th round, 212th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Carter Trudell<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Belle River, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jan 13, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Windsor Jr. Spitfires U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">12th round, 227th overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dylan Dawe<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inglewood, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sep 8, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Halton Hurricanes U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">12th round, 232nd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Simon Godin<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">G<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kingston, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">July 9, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Greater Kingston Jr. Gaels U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">13th round, 252nd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lucas Wellenreiter<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Waterdown, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 5, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Don Mills Flyers U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">14th round, 272nd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aidan Duchesne<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">North Bay, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feb 18, 2010<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">North Bay Trappers U16 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">15th round, 292nd overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wyatt Marks<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">RW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Waterloo, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feb 22, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Waterloo Wolves U18 AAA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2nd round, 31st overall (U18)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><b>2026 New Faces<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><b>:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">*Note: Player additions are current as of publication. Team signings remain ongoing, and this section will be updated throughout the offseason as additional players are signed and trades are completed.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/battalion-sign-forward-kam-hodgson\/\"><b>Kameron Hodgson<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5\u201911\u201d, 168lbs, right-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Barrie, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 2, 2008<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6th Round, 118th Overall (2024 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Culver Military Academy Prep): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">58 GP, 36G, 27A, 63 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected in the sixth round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, Kameron Hodgson recorded 63 points (36-27\u201363) in 58 games with Culver Military Academy Prep during the 2025-26 season. Over the previous two seasons with Culver\u2019s 16U program, Hodgson amassed 115 points (64-51\u2013115) across 90 games. He also appeared in one preseason game with the Battalion last August.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/battalion-sign-forward-austin-brekelmans\/\"><b>Austin Brekelmans<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6\u20190\u201d, 188lbs, left-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Strathroy, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar 8, 2008<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drafted: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7th Round, 138th Overall (2024 OHL Priority Selection)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (Culver Military Academy Prep): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">53 GP, 38G, 40A, 78 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Selected in the seventh round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, Austin Brekelmans tallied 78 points (38-40\u201378) in 53 games with Culver Military Academy Prep during the 2025-26 season. Like Hodgson, Brekelmans also appeared in one preseason game with the Battalion last August.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cBoth Kam and Austin have been developing at Culver Academy and should be able to step in and make an immediate impact.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/players\/9143\/\"><b>Max Crete<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5\u20199\u201d, 182lbs, left-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ottawa, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr 24, 2008<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Acquired: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/battalion-acquire-forward-maximus-crete-from-knights\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">June 18, 2026<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (London Knights): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">54 GP, 5G, 8A, 13 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Originally selected by the Niagara IceDogs in the second round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, Max Crete heads to North Bay after spending the 2025-26 season with the London Knights. The Ottawa, ON., native appeared in 54 games, recording five goals and eight assists for 13 points.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/players\/9052\/\"><b>Rene Van Bommel<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5\u201911\u201d, 185lbs, left-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Strathroy, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 14, 2006<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Acquired: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/battalion-acquire-van-bommel-from-knights\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aug 4, 2026<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (London Knights): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">66 GP, 10G, 11A, 21 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rene Van Bommel heads to North Bay after spending the first three seasons of his OHL career with the London Knights. The Strathroy, ON., native recorded 21 points (10-11\u201321) in 66 games during the 2025-26 season. Originally selected by London in the 11th round (216th overall) of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection, Van Bommel was a member of the Knights\u2019 back-to-back OHL championship teams and helped the club capture the 2025 Memorial Cup. He is committed to Lake Superior State University for the 2027-28 season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><b>Player Spotlight: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/players\/9151\/\"><b>Nikolas Rossetto<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Profile: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5\u20199\u201d, 156lbs, right-shot forward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hometown: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sault Ste. Marie, ON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Birthdate: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aug 2, 2006<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Acquired: <\/b><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/battalion-acquire-forward-nikolas-rossetto-from-bulldogs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aug 6, 2026<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2025-26 Stats (London Knights): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">49 GP, 6G, 3A, 9 PTS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Originally selected by the Brantford Bulldogs in the third round (53rd overall) of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, Nikolas Rossetto appeared in 49 games during the 2025-26 season after returning from injury, recording nine points (6-3\u20139). The Sault Ste. Marie, ON., native also suited up for four playoff contests.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAll three trade acquisitions come with winning pedigrees from programs that have played deep in the playoffs (Rene winning the Memorial Cup). Both Max and Nik were top-rated prospects for the 2024 draft and join our strong group of players from that class.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Additional new faces include:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>PLAYER<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>POSITION<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>HOMETOWN<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DOB<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2025-26 TEAM<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>DRAFTED\/ACQUIRED<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/players\/9543\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cole Vreugdenhil<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">G<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hannon, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nov. 3, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Powassan VooDoos + North Bay (6 GP)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5th round, 87th overall (2025)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/players\/9665\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lincoln Edwards<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LW<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Don Mills, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sept. 12, 2009<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">King Rebellion\/Cobourg Cougars + North Bay (7 GP)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5th round, 89th overall (2025)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/players\/9626\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Devran Brown<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nepean, ON<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apr. 23, 2008<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Powassan VooDoos + North Bay (2 GP)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6th round, 121st overall (2024)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/players\/9542\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Easton Poe<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">White Lake, MI<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mar. 6, 2008<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Haliburton County Huskies + North Bay (1 GP)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"color: #3366ff\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff\" href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/battalion-inks-prospect-poe\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Free Agent (2025)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With a mix of promising young talent and experienced additions joining the organization, the Battalion will enter the 2026-27 season with several new faces looking to make an impact in North Bay. Following an offseason that saw the club add depth through the draft, internal development and the trade market, the Troops will look to blend their incoming talent with the returning core as they prepare for a new campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_____________________________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flohockey.tv\/signup\"><b>FloHockey<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> remains the exclusive streaming home of the Ontario Hockey League, delivering more than 680 regular-season games throughout the year, plus complete coverage of the OHL playoffs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Subscribers can stream games live or watch on demand from anywhere, ensuring they never miss a goal, save, or highlight during the 2026-27 season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether you\u2019re following your hometown team or tracking prospects across the league, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flohockey.tv\/signup\"><b>FloHockey<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> provides comprehensive coverage of every OHL club all season long.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>North Bay Battalion General Manager Adam Dennis breaks down the club\u2019s 2026 OHL Draft class and new faces ahead of the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":300079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3875,"name":"2026 Futures Watch","slug":"2026-futures-watch","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3875,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw","term_order":"36"},{"term_id":101,"name":"North Bay Battalion","slug":"north-bay-battalion","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":101,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1387,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2824"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4036,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2867"}],"class_list":["post-300075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-futures-watch","tag-north-bay-battalion","tag-ohl-news","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/17123535\/FuturesWatchWeb-4.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\/300075","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=300075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300077,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300075\/revisions\/300077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":300062,"date":"2026-08-16T14:15:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T18:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=300062"},"modified":"2026-08-16T15:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T19:00:23","slug":"summer-spotlight-dan-lebold-reflects-on-over-30-years-with-the-rangers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/summer-spotlight-dan-lebold-reflects-on-over-30-years-with-the-rangers","title":{"rendered":"Summer Spotlight: Dan Lebold Reflects on over 30 Years with the Rangers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you\u2019ve found yourself around the Kitchener Rangers organization at any point throughout the last three decades, there is one familiar face you\u2019re almost guaranteed to see \u2013 Equipment Manager Dan Lebold.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joining the Rangers in 1995, Lebold has spent more than 30 years with the organization, experiencing the highs and lows that come with junior hockey while building lasting relationships with players, staff and the community along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When he first arrived in Kitchener, his responsibilities looked very different from what they do today. At the time, trainers were responsible for both the medical and equipment sides of a team \u2013 two areas that have since developed into specialized roles across the Ontario Hockey League.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThere\u2019s been lots of technological change as far as equipment, on either side, whether it\u2019s the medical or the equipment side,\u201d said Lebold. \u201cBut probably one of the bigger changes was in the role itself. When I first started, the trainer took care of both the medical and the equipment side.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the majority of his career, Lebold balanced both responsibilities before the Rangers eventually separated the positions roughly five or six years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAs time has moved along, each side has specialized even more,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s more technology on each side and more effort being put into both the medical and equipment sides.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Looking back now, Lebold admits it&#8217;s difficult to imagine how he managed both jobs for as long as he did.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cNow, knowing all the stuff that goes into both, it\u2019s kind of surprising to me that a person could actually think they could do both \u2013 but we did,\u201d he said. \u201cLike I told my sons, you either get out ahead of change or you get run over by it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While the profession has changed considerably throughout his career, it&#8217;s the relationships formed along the way that have remained one of the most rewarding parts of the job. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That became especially evident during Kitchener&#8217;s championship run this past spring, when former Rangers returned to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium throughout the playoffs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI got to relive a lot of it this year because as the playoffs evolved, they were bringing back alumni,\u201d said Lebold. \u201cI told my wife I could have gone home before the game even started just from seeing all these guys that I\u2019d seen as 16-, 17-, 18- and 19-year-olds. Now they\u2019re coming back with their kids in their hands.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then there are relationships that have come full circle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIn my second year here in Kitchener, [Joe Birch] was a late-round draft pick of the Rangers, so I saw Joe come in as a young boy. Now he\u2019s my boss,\u201d Lebold laughed. \u201cThat\u2019s pretty cool to see. It also makes me realize that I\u2019m getting a little bit older.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After working with hundreds of players, Lebold often reminds himself that his role extends far beyond what happens on the ice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cEvery two weeks you collect a paycheque, but this is more than that. You\u2019re influencing them,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery once in a while, I get a little bit of a wake-up call that, hey, it\u2019s not just a job. They need you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It&#8217;s a responsibility Lebold has approached with a simple philosophy throughout his career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI try to treat these boys like I would want my sons treated if they went away to play,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m dealing with hockey players, but most importantly, I\u2019m dealing with people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The reminder is especially important in junior hockey, where players are balancing the pressures and expectations of playing at an elite level while still navigating their teenage years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And watching those players grow throughout their time in Kitchener makes the moments when everything comes together that much more rewarding \u2013 something Lebold experienced once again this past season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Rangers put together a dominant postseason run, losing just two games en route to an OHL Championship before ultimately capturing the Memorial Cup in Kelowna.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIt was such a special group of guys,\u201d said Lebold. \u201cThere was a steely resolve to these guys. We could be down, we could be not playing very well, and somehow, some way, they\u2019d be like, \u2018We\u2019ll get \u2019er done.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The championship carried additional meaning for the organization after Kitchener had been named one of the final two cities in contention to host the 2027 Memorial Cup, which was ultimately awarded to the Guelph Storm. After the disappointment, the Rangers turned their attention toward earning their way there instead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cTo Mike and Joe\u2019s credit, they said, \u2018Forget it. We\u2019ll just get \u2019er done this year,\u2019\u201d Lebold recalled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI remember when we won in Barrie, the team came back and I came partway back because I had all the gear,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I parked the truck and trailer, I was like, \u2018Wow, we just won the entire hockey league.\u2019 It all went almost so fast.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having now experienced championship runs across different generations of Rangers hockey, Lebold has learned not to take those moments for granted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI was thinking on the way in today \u2013 34 years I\u2019ve been doing this and I\u2019ve been there three times,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t happen regularly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This time around, he made a conscious effort to absorb everything happening around him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cJust looking around, it seemed like I took a little more time just to take it all in,\u201d he said. \u201cSeeing our scouts and front-office people and how they were enjoying it \u2013 winning is one thing, but I think sharing it makes it that much more exciting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every year, one team is going to win it, and that will be their year forever,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are a lot of things that can be taken away from you \u2013 your health, your age, whatever \u2013 but they can never take your name off the Cup. That\u2019s your year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After 34 years in the OHL, plenty has changed, but Lebold&#8217;s enthusiasm for coming to the rink remains the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThere\u2019s the excitement. It\u2019s such an adrenaline rush on Friday nights when you get to play at the Auditorium,\u201d he said. \u201cTo watch them evolve into whatever they do, I think that keeps it going.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While he knows there are more years of his career behind him than ahead, he isn&#8217;t putting a timeline on when his tenure with the Rangers will come to an end.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Until that day comes, he\u2019ll continue doing what he\u2019s done for more than three decades \u2013 showing up at the Aud, supporting the next generation of Rangers and adding to a career already filled with countless memories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI get asked more and more, \u2018How much longer? How much longer?\u2019\u201d said Lebold. \u201cI jokingly say I go to work every day, stick the key in the door, and if it works, I go to work. If not, I call my wife and say, \u2018Get the camper ready. We\u2019re going camping for a while.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joining the Rangers in 1995, Lebold has spent more than 30 years with the organization, experiencing the highs and lows that come with junior hockey while building lasting relationships with players, staff and the community along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":300063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":2715,"name":"Dan Lebold","slug":"dan-lebold","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2731,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1044"},{"term_id":82,"name":"Kitchener Rangers","slug":"kitchener-rangers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":82,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1730,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2088"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4036,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2867"},{"term_id":1431,"name":"Summer Spotlight","slug":"summer-spotlight","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1443,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":65,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3472"}],"class_list":["post-300062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-dan-lebold","tag-kitchener-rangers","tag-ohl-news","tag-summer-spotlight","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/15160507\/Lebold-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\/300062","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=300062"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300071,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300062\/revisions\/300071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":300065,"date":"2026-08-15T16:28:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T20:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=300065"},"modified":"2026-08-15T16:28:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T20:28:32","slug":"rangers-sign-forward-jacob-lukes-to-ontario-hockey-league-scholarship-and-development-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/rangers-sign-forward-jacob-lukes-to-ontario-hockey-league-scholarship-and-development-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Rangers sign forward Jacob Lukes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Kitchener, Ont. \u2013 <\/strong>The Kitchener Rangers announced today that the club has signed forward Jacob Lukes to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/p>\n<p>Lukes, a native of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, is a right-shot forward who most recently played with Team Illinois 16U AAA. The 2009-born forward is listed at 6-foot-0 and 174 pounds and is committed to Bowling Green State University for the 2027-28 season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJacob is a smart and skilled forward who put up great numbers with his team last year,\u201d said Kitchener Rangers General Manager Mike McKenzie. \u201cHe is a late bloomer who was passed over in the draft but has shown\u00a0big improvement\u00a0over the last year. He was recently among the final cuts for the Hlinka team as his game continues to grow. We are excited to welcome him and see him continue his development here in Kitchener.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During the 2025-26 season with Team Illinois 16U AAA, Lukes recorded 86 points, including 26 goals and 60 assists, over 58 games. He also spent the 2024-25 season with Team Illinois 15U AAA, where he posted 42 points in 43 games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe staff made a great impression on me, and I knew Kitchener was a place where I could grow as a player and person,\u201d said Jacob Lukes. \u201cI\u2019m excited to be part of this organization and help build on last season\u2019s success.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lukes was selected by the Chicago Steel in the eighth round, 124th overall, of the 2026 USHL Entry Draft and by the Idaho Falls Spud Kings in the third round, 47th overall, of the 2025 NCDC Futures Draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kitchener, Ont. \u2013 The Kitchener Rangers announced today that the club has signed forward Jacob Lukes to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. Lukes, a native of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, is a right-shot forward who most recently played with Team Illinois 16U AAA. The 2009-born forward is listed at 6-foot-0 and 174 pounds and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":300067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3908,"name":"Jacob Lukes","slug":"jacob-lukes","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3908,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2"},{"term_id":82,"name":"Kitchener Rangers","slug":"kitchener-rangers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":82,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1730,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2088"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4036,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2867"},{"term_id":890,"name":"Prospects","slug":"prospects","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":901,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1757,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3068"}],"class_list":["post-300065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-jacob-lukes","tag-kitchener-rangers","tag-ohl-news","tag-prospects","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/15162802\/Lukes-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\/300065","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=300065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300068,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300065\/revisions\/300068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":300054,"date":"2026-08-14T16:13:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T20:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=300054"},"modified":"2026-08-18T12:29:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T16:29:12","slug":"release-erie-otters-sign-first-round-import-selection-paul-schuster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/release-erie-otters-sign-first-round-import-selection-paul-schuster","title":{"rendered":"Erie Otters sign first round import selection Paul Schuster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Erie, Pennsylvania &#8211; <\/strong>With the summer months drawing ever-closer to their conclusion, the Otters continue to add to their club as they prepare to open training camp in just over a week.<\/p>\n<p>General Manager\u00a0<strong>Dave Brown\u00a0<\/strong>and Director of Hockey Operations\u00a0<strong>Scott Grieve\u00a0<\/strong>announced that Erie has signed their first-round pick in the CHL Import Draft\u00a0<strong>Paul Schuster\u00a0<\/strong>to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/p>\n<p>The Austrian-born forward was selected by Erie with the #19 overall pick in the import draft and becomes the second and final Otter taken in this draft to sign with the team.<\/p>\n<p>Schuster, a native of Wien, Austria was the first ever Austrian-born player to be selected by Erie in the CHL Import Draft.<\/p>\n<p>In his native country a season ago, Schuster would suit-up in 42 games between the EC Salzburg U20 program and the RB Hockey Juniors program in the Alps Hockey League. In those games, he would tally a total of 34 points (14G+20A).<\/p>\n<p>The 5&#8217;10, 2009-born right-shot winger was one of two regular 16-year-old players on his RB Juniors team last season and stood out in his time there.<\/p>\n<p>Schuster is also no-stranger to the Austria National Team program, having played 18 games wearing his country&#8217;s colors between both the U18 and U20 teams. During his stint with the U18 program, he wore an &#8216;A&#8217; as Alternate Captain.<\/p>\n<p>Grieve spoke about the addition of Schuster and what he will bring to the club this season and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are excited that Paul and his family have chosen to continue his development in Erie,&#8221;\u00a0<strong>Grieve\u00a0<\/strong>said. &#8220;We believe Paul fits in well with our group of forwards. We envision his professional and international experience being a valuable addition to our team as we head into next season and beyond. The organization looks forward to seeing Paul in an Otters uniform this upcoming season.&#8221; Schuster is expected to be seen in Otters colours for the first time during main camp in just over a week&#8217;s time.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Erie, Pennsylvania &#8211; With the summer months drawing ever-closer to their conclusion, the Otters continue to add to their club as they prepare to open training camp in just over a week. General Manager\u00a0Dave Brown\u00a0and Director of Hockey Operations\u00a0Scott Grieve\u00a0announced that Erie has signed their first-round pick in the CHL Import Draft\u00a0Paul Schuster\u00a0to an OHL&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":300058,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3909,"name":"Paul Schuster","slug":"paul-schuster","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3909,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"},{"term_id":104,"name":"Erie Otters","slug":"erie-otters","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":104,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1393,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1302"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4036,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2867"},{"term_id":890,"name":"Prospects","slug":"prospects","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":901,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1757,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3068"}],"class_list":["post-300054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-paul-schuster","tag-erie-otters","tag-ohl-news","tag-prospects","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/08\/14161318\/Schuster-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\/300054","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=300054"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300059,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300054\/revisions\/300059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]