[{"id":299693,"date":"2026-07-31T21:55:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T01:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=299693"},"modified":"2026-07-31T21:55:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T01:55:28","slug":"rangers-sign-import-forward-roman-andreev","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/rangers-sign-import-forward-roman-andreev","title":{"rendered":"Rangers sign import forward Roman Andreev"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kitchener, Ont. \u2013<\/strong> The Kitchener Rangers announced today that the club has signed 2026 first-round CHL Import Draft selection (55th overall), Roman Andreev, to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoman is a big scoring forward that is extremely skilled and has a high-end shot,\u201d said General Manager, Mike McKenzie. \u201cHe is a threat anytime he has the puck. We look forward to seeing him in a Ranger uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andreev (2010) is a six-foot-one, 201-pound forward from Moscow, Russia who has a knack for finding the back of the net. In 18 games at the Russia U16 level, Andreev produced 21 points, scoring 16 goals and adding five assists. He also impressed at the U18 level in a small sample size recording just under three points-per-game with 11 points (5G, 6A) in four games. Andreev represented Russia on the international stage with the U16 program featuring in four games while scoring six goals and one assist. At the Russia Cup (U16), Andreyev continued to produce scoring 16 times in 24 games, while adding 11 assists.<\/p>\n

New this season, CHL teams were permitted to draft 16-year old skaters in the Import Draft (Round 1 only). Andreev brings size and scoring ability to the Rangers\u2019 forward group. He developed in the Dynamo Moskva program and is eligible for the 2028 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Andreev becomes just the seventh Russian-born skater to play for the Kitchener Rangers joining Alexei Lipanov (2018-19), Dimitrii Sergeev (2013-2016) who was selected in the first round (23rd overall) in the 2013 CHL Import Draft, Alexei Dostoinov (2007-2009), Maxim Sharifijanov (1999-00), Ruslan Akhmadulin (1999-00) who was selected in the first round (10th overall) in the 1999 CHL Import Draft, and Sergei Olympiev (1993-1995). Danny Zhilkin was born in Moscow, Russia, but plays international competitions under the nation of Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kitchener, Ont. \u2013 The Kitchener Rangers announced today that the club has signed 2026 first-round CHL Import Draft selection (55th overall), Roman Andreev, to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. \u201cRoman is a big scoring forward that is extremely skilled and has a high-end shot,\u201d said General Manager, Mike McKenzie. \u201cHe is a threat anytime…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":299695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3873,"name":"Roman Andreev","slug":"roman-andreev","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3873,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"},{"term_id":82,"name":"Kitchener Rangers","slug":"kitchener-rangers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":82,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1726,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2051"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3976,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2830"},{"term_id":890,"name":"Prospects","slug":"prospects","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":901,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1736,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3031"}],"class_list":["post-299693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-roman-andreev","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\/07\/31215418\/Andreev-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\/299693","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=299693"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299693\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":299696,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299693\/revisions\/299696"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":299688,"date":"2026-07-31T20:55:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T00:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=299688"},"modified":"2026-07-31T21:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T01:14:10","slug":"otters-sign-import-forward-luka-arkko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/otters-sign-import-forward-luka-arkko","title":{"rendered":"Otters sign Red Wings prospect Luka Arkko"},"content":{"rendered":"

Erie, Pennsylvania – <\/strong>The Otters forward core just got a little bit bigger as they’ve inked the first of their two selections from the 2026 CHL Import Draft.<\/p>\n

General Manager\u00a0Dave Brown\u00a0<\/strong>and Director of Hockey Operations\u00a0Scott Grieve\u00a0<\/strong>announced today that the #65 overall pick in the 2026 CHL Import Draft\u00a0Luka Arkko\u00a0<\/strong>has been signed to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/p>\n

Arkko comes to the Otters with both professional and junior experience in his home country of Finland and was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the sixth round, #175 overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, making him the second Otter alongside\u00a0Lucas Ambrosio\u00a0<\/strong>to represent an NHL organization heading into the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

The native of Lahti, Finland spent last season split between the Pelicans U18 and U20 program, the bulk of his time coming with the latter. In a combined 46 games between the two programs, Arkko collected 33 points (17G+16A).<\/span><\/p>\n

The 6’3 2008-born forward also spent time with the Finnish National Team, where with their U18 program in 14 games he picked up 11 points (6G+5A).<\/p>\n

Otters’ Director of Hockey Operations\u00a0Scott Grieve\u00a0<\/strong>spoke on the addition of Arkko and what he will bring to the table in 2026-27.<\/p>\n

“We are very excited to officially sign Luka to a Standard Player Agreement,”\u00a0Grieve\u00a0<\/strong>said. “We believe Luka will fit very well into our forward group with his size and ability to make others around him better. The Otters look forward to working with Luka on his development both on and off the ice.”<\/p>\n

Arkko is expected to join the Otters for Main Camp in late August. The Erie Otters are thrilled to officially welcome Luka Arkko to the Flagship City and look forward to seeing what he can bring to the organization in the fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Erie, Pennsylvania – The Otters forward core just got a little bit bigger as they’ve inked the first of their two selections from the 2026 CHL Import Draft. General Manager\u00a0Dave Brown\u00a0and Director of Hockey Operations\u00a0Scott Grieve\u00a0announced today that the #65 overall pick in the 2026 CHL Import Draft\u00a0Luka Arkko\u00a0has been signed to an OHL Scholarship…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":299690,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":3872,"name":"Luka Arkko","slug":"luka-arkko","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3872,"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":1390,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1265"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL 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Spotlight: Building something different in Owen Sound"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than two decades, the Owen Sound Attack have been one of the Ontario Hockey League\u2019s model community franchises, developing NHL talent while continuing to forge a deep connection with the Grey Bruce community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And this spring, the organization entered a new chapter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the <\/span>sale of the franchise to Ecological Dynamics Sports Partners (EDSP)<\/span><\/a> in May 2026, President and Governor Tyler Nother began leading a new era for the Attack \u2013 one centred on innovation, player development and long-term success.<\/span><\/p>\n

That vision took another significant step forward with the hiring of Keenan Reynolds as the franchise’s new head coach. Less than a month later, Nother also assumed the role of General Manager, further aligning the organization’s leadership under a shared vision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Together, the pair aren’t simply looking to build a winning hockey team \u2013 they’re building an organizational identity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although both are among the younger leadership duos in the OHL, Nother and Reynolds don’t see age as defining them. Instead, they point to a relationship built through hockey, education and a shared desire to challenge conventional thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two were OHL players at the same time, with Nother skating for the London Knights before winning a Memorial Cup with the Windsor Spitfires in 2017 and Reynolds developing with the Attack and the Flint Firebirds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While neither believes they reached the heights they envisioned as players, both took advantage of the OHL\u2019s education package and pursued business degrees. Nother completed his MBA at Queen\u2019s University’s Smith School of Business before Reynolds enrolled in the same program two years later. Professors and staff encouraged Reynolds to connect with Nother, believing the two shared similar passions for hockey, leadership and innovation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWithin my first week there, professors and staff kept telling me, \u2018You have to meet this Tyler guy,\u201d\u2019 Reynolds recalled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What began as a networking conversation quickly evolved into a professional relationship and friendship, and now, years later, has become the foundation of a new direction in Owen Sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Nother, finding the right head coach wasn’t simply about identifying the best bench boss. It was about finding someone whose philosophy aligned with the identity he envisioned for the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’ve always believed the relationship between the general manager and the head coach has to be completely aligned,” Nother said. “You have to work hand in hand, communicate openly and be connected. That’s the same way we want our team to play \u2013 we want to play connected hockey.”<\/span><\/p>\n

At the heart of their vision is a player development philosophy known as <\/span>ecological dynamics<\/span><\/i>. While the term may sound complex, Reynolds insists the concept itself is simple.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Our goal is to put players in game-like situations every day,” he explained. “We’ll use five-on-five drills, small-area games and competitive environments where they have to solve problems on their own. That way, when they encounter those situations during a game, they’re not asking themselves what to do \u2013 they’ve already experienced it hundreds of times.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of isolating skating, shooting or stickhandling in repetitive drills, Reynolds wants players learning in the same chaotic environments they’ll face during games.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We want our players to flow like water,” Reynolds said. “Water finds the easiest path and adapts to whatever is in front of it. We want our team to play the same way \u2013 without rigid, predetermined solutions, but by constantly reading and reacting.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Reynolds believes it\u2019s an approach that’s already reshaping player development internationally.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Ecological dynamics has really been embraced overseas,” he said. “European countries have made huge strides because they’ve focused on developing players in game environments. Meanwhile, I think North America has leaned heavily into the glitz and glamour of skill development. We’re producing incredibly talented players, but I’m not sure hockey IQ and problem-solving have kept pace.”<\/span><\/p>\n

For Reynolds, that’s exactly where the Attack have an opportunity to be different.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We want to do things a little differently,” he said. “If you simply copy everyone else, you can get lost in the mix. We’d rather take a calculated risk, follow what we believe in and try to be innovators.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ecological dynamics had long shaped the way Nother evaluated players throughout his time in scouting and player representation as well. It became a defining principle of his approach to player development and ultimately inspired the name of Ecological Dynamics Sports Partners (EDSP), the ownership group he co-founded.<\/span><\/p>\n

With this philosophy, Nother consistently gravitated toward players who embraced unpredictability rather than freezing when a play broke down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We want connected players because we’re a connected organization,” Nother said. “Our staff has to make sure we’re bringing in players our coaches are excited to work with \u2013 players who fit our system and the identity of how we want to play.”<\/span><\/p>\n

To name a few from the Attack’s 2026 Draft Class, he pointed to first-round pick <\/span>Max Fransen<\/span><\/a>\u2019s ability to process the game under pressure, <\/span>Matthew Zilinski<\/span><\/a>\u2019s pace and spatial awareness, and Jace Voortman\u2019s dependable two-way game as examples of players who naturally fit the model the organization is building.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ll be a very process-driven organization,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cWe don’t pretend to have everything figured out, but we do know we’re going to work extremely hard and do everything we can to give these players the best possible opportunity to develop \u2013 not just as hockey players, but as students and leaders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, both leaders believe success will be measured by much more than on-ice accolades.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nother hopes players leave the rink every day knowing they\u2019re supported in every aspect of their development.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf, at the end of the season, our players come back and say, \u2018That was the most fun I’ve ever had playing junior hockey. It was the best season I’ve ever had, and I loved coming to the rink every day,\u2019 then I’ll consider that a success,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reynolds shares that vision while believing it can lead to something even bigger.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want us to be a team that genuinely cares about one another,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to play a style of hockey that inspires the people of Grey Bruce and brings the Owen Sound community together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, I believe we have the team to win an OHL championship. It\u2019s going to be incredibly difficult, and it\u2019s going to take everyone, but that’s the standard we’ve set for ourselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For the Owen Sound Attack, this isn\u2019t simply just about introducing a new coach or implementing a new philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s about establishing a shared identity from the top down. One where ownership, management, coaches and players are united by the same vision. As the organization embarks on its next chapter, Nother and Reynolds believe that by creating the right environment and embracing a different way of thinking, success on the ice will have no choice but to follow.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New President, Governor and General Manager Tyler Nother and head coach Keenan Reynolds are ushering in a new era in Owen Sound, built on innovation, connection and player development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":575,"featured_media":299637,"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":3976,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2830"},{"term_id":86,"name":"Owen Sound Attack","slug":"owen-sound-attack","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":86,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1374,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2922"},{"term_id":1431,"name":"Summer Spotlight","slug":"summer-spotlight","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1443,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":64,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3435"}],"class_list":["post-299636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-ohl-news","tag-owen-sound-attack","tag-summer-spotlight","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/30223534\/Summer-Spotlight-OS.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\/299636","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=299636"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":299652,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299636\/revisions\/299652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":299677,"date":"2026-07-31T17:29:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T21:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=299677"},"modified":"2026-07-31T18:14:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T22:14:59","slug":"icedogs-name-coaching-staff-ahead-of-2026-2027-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/icedogs-name-coaching-staff-ahead-of-2026-2027-season","title":{"rendered":"IceDogs name new coaching staff led by Jake Grimes ahead of 2026-27 season"},"content":{"rendered":"

NIAGARA, ONT.<\/b> \u2013 Niagara IceDogs General Manager Dale DeGray announced Wednesday the club’s coaching staff for the 2026-27 Ontario Hockey League season, led by newly appointed head coach Jake Grimes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you to Dale DeGray for the opportunity, cannot wait to meet the players, staff and all of our fans across Dog Country this upcoming season,\u201d states Grimes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joining Grimes behind the bench are associate coach Dennis Martindale, assistant coach Jeff Wagner and returning goaltending coach Ryan Ludzik.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Jake Grimes is a coach who has had tremendous success throughout the years at various levels, including helping Saginaw win the Memorial Cup just two years ago,” said DeGray. “He’s a coach who knows what it takes to win while creating an environment where players want to come to the rink every day and commit to playing defence and winning hockey games. We feel very fortunate to bring a coach like Jake on board and look forward to watching him and the rest of the staff build this group. Welcome to the region.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Grimes brings more than 30 years of coaching experience to Niagara.<\/span><\/p>\n

His coaching career began with the Dalhousie University Tigers in 1996 and has included stops with the Strathroy Rockets, London Nationals, Belleville Bulls, Peterborough Petes, Guelph Storm, Cape Breton Eagles, University of Waterloo Warriors, Saginaw Spirit and University of Guelph Gryphons.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to thank every team that has welcomed me onto their bench\u2026 each one has played a pivotal role in my development and my coaching journey. I\u2019m eternally grateful to every team, their staff, players and fans that helped get me to this point,\u201d says Grimes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Internationally, Grimes represented Team Ontario at the Hockey Canada Under-17 World Hockey Challenge, winning three gold medals and one silver. His OHL r\u00e9sum\u00e9 includes a J. Ross Robertson Cup championship with the Guelph Storm in 2019 and a Memorial Cup championship with the Saginaw Spirit in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before entering coaching, Grimes played three seasons in the OHL with the Belleville Bulls, recording 44 goals and 69 assists for 113 points in his final season with the club, while serving as an alternate captain during the 1992 season. Over his three year career with the Bulls, Grimes amassed a total of 206 points in 198 career games. He was twice voted the Eastern Conference’s Best Defensive Forward and Best Checker in the OHL Coaches Poll.<\/span><\/p>\n

Originally drafted and signed by the Ottawa Senators, Grimes went on to play professionally in the American Hockey League, collecting 63 points in 118 games with the New Haven Senators and Prince Edward Island Senators before his playing career was cut short by injury.<\/span><\/p>\n

“This is a special day for me to be announced as head coach of the Niagara IceDogs,” said Grimes. “I’ve been fortunate to spend 17 years coaching and three years playing in this great league. I’ve coached in seven conference finals and three Memorial Cup tournaments, and I’m grateful to have been part of the Guelph Storm’s 2019 OHL championship team and the Saginaw Spirit’s 2024 Memorial Cup championship. I’ve reached the conference finals with every OHL team I’ve coached, and I’m excited for the opportunity to begin this next chapter in Niagara.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Grimes has also played a key role in player development throughout his coaching career, helping countless players advance to the National Hockey League, including P.K. Subban, Nick Suzuki and Michael Misa among many others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“A lot has gone into this opportunity. I love to coach, and I’m very excited to get started,” Grimes said. “My wife and I will be relocating to the area in short order. We are ecstatic for this opportunity to be part of Dog Country.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Martindale joins the IceDogs after four seasons with the Barrie Colts. Before that, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and also gained coaching experience in Germany following a seven-year professional playing career in Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m really excited about this group,” said Martindale. “I’m going to bring my experience as best I can to help us have success. I’ve been fortunate to work with some outstanding players and coaches over the years, and I’m looking forward to getting started in Niagara.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Wagner arrives after spending five seasons with the Coquitlam Express organization, where he held several coaching and management roles.<\/span><\/p>\n

He began his coaching career in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League before joining the Express in 2021 as associate coach. In 2022, he was also named the club’s director of scouting while continuing his coaching responsibilities. Wagner became interim head coach on April 1, 2024, before taking over the role full time for the 2025-26 season, while also serving as assistant general manager. He has earned a reputation for player development, strategic leadership and strong hockey acumen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ludzik returns for his second consecutive season as Niagara’s goaltending coach after serving in the role during the 2025-26 campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

He previously held the same position with the IceDogs from 2015-19 and has worked with the Brock Badgers men’s and women’s hockey programs, as well as the St. Catharines Falcons of the GOHL.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to return to the IceDogs and be part of this new chapter. We have a great group in place, and I\u2019m looking forward to continuing my work with the goalies,\u201d says Ludzik.<\/span><\/p>\n

A former OHL goaltender with the Erie Otters, Windsor Spitfires and Niagara Falls Canucks, Ludzik also played professionally with the Bloomington PrairieThunder and Tulsa Oilers before transitioning into coaching.<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout his coaching career, Ludzik has helped develop several professional goaltenders, including Connor Ungar, Alex Nedeljkovic and Dylan Wells.<\/span><\/p>\n

With an experienced coaching staff featuring a championship pedigree, player development expertise and more than 40 combined years of junior coaching experience, the IceDogs will begin preparations for the 2026-27 Ontario Hockey League season later this summer.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NIAGARA, ONT. \u2013 Niagara IceDogs General Manager Dale DeGray announced Wednesday the club’s coaching staff for the 2026-27 Ontario Hockey League season, led by newly appointed head coach Jake Grimes.\u00a0 \u201cThank you to Dale DeGray for the opportunity, cannot wait to meet the players, staff and all of our fans across Dog Country this upcoming…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":606,"featured_media":299683,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[{"term_id":324,"name":"jake grimes","slug":"jake-grimes","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":327,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1663"},{"term_id":85,"name":"Niagara IceDogs","slug":"niagara-icedogs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":85,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1402,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2677"},{"term_id":2673,"name":"OHL News","slug":"ohl-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2689,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3976,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2830"}],"class_list":["post-299677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-jake-grimes","tag-niagara-icedogs","tag-ohl-news","category-186","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/31172851\/Grimes-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\/299677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/606"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299677"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":299687,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299677\/revisions\/299687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":299650,"date":"2026-07-31T13:01:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T17:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/?p=299650"},"modified":"2026-07-31T13:18:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T17:18:07","slug":"eight-ohl-players-highlight-canadas-roster-for-2026-hlinka-gretzky-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl\/article\/eight-ohl-players-highlight-canadas-roster-for-2026-hlinka-gretzky-cup","title":{"rendered":"Eight OHL players highlight Canada’s roster for 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014<\/strong> Eight Ontario Hockey League players have been named to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team for the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Hockey Canada announced Friday. The annual tournament takes place from August 3-8 in Edmonton, Alberta.<\/p>\n

The 22-player roster<\/a>, trimmed from a 27-player training camp group, includes two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards. The OHL contingent spans seven member clubs:<\/p>\n

Defencemen<\/strong><\/p>\n