Four OHL teams to regard
Okay, it is summer time and the living is easy. But for those with any sort of relationship with the Ontario Hockey League, we remind you that the restless hands of time are ticking towards the start of another season. So whether your OHL connect is up north in Sault Ste. Marie, into the southwestern Ontario region of Windsor, in the mid Michigan area of Flint, or where the Bulldogs bark in Brantford, we have words of (some) wisdom to write ahead of the ’25-26 season on four teams to watch.
Flint increases its net worth
Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League have added a pair of proven puck stoppers to their pool of goalies. The recent additions to the Flint net are OHL veteran Mason Vaccari and 2025 National Hockey League draft pick Evgeny Prokhorov.
Import draft: 3 OHL teams
The three round, 2025 Canadian Hockey League import draft is in the books. And following is a Hockey News Windsor focus on three Ontario Hockey League teams — alphabetically, the Brantford Bulldogs, Flint Firebirds and Windsor Spitfires — and what they were able to come away with from the recent CHL import draft.
Brantford Bulldogs have bite
Woof. Woof. There is fresh Ontario Hockey League ownership in Brantford led by Stuart Hyman and his sons Zach Hyman (of National Hockey League fame, in photo at left) and Spencer Hyman. All star head coach Jay McKee has a new three year contract. Not only that, the cast of players — old and young — has the Bulldogs set up rather well.
Summer breeze blows in Flint
Prevailing winds of seasonal change have been shifting through the Michigan based Ontario Hockey League town of Flint. In addition to multiple player signings of top 2025 draft picks and high end free agents and the acquisition of a veteran goalie, the Flint Firebirds have upgraded their coaching staff.
Windsor’s Makaric has Spirit
Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League has brought aboard the well prepared Kyle Makaric as a new assistant coach. A Windsor product, the 36-year old Makaric has an extensive coaching background.
NHL pick bolsters Brantford
First year general manager Spencer Hyman continues to build up the Brantford Bulldogs ahead of the ’25-26 Ontario Hockey League season. Already projected to be a contender, the Bulldogs have been further bolstered via multiple off season acquisitions by Hyman, the latest being the signing of free agent defenseman Edison Engle, who was picked by the Winnipeg Jets in the sixth round of the recent National Hockey League draft.
OHL stars in NHL first round
Wow! The Ontario Hockey League issued its own statement of strength in the opening round of the 2025 National Hockey League Draft. To be sure, it was a plum performance by the OHL as no less than nine players were snapped up, including the first and second overall selections.
Ryder Boulton to Brantford
He is one of the toughest players in the Ontario Hockey League. And he is on his way to the Brantford Bulldogs via the London Knights.
Essex juniors via BioSteel
Area products Ethan O’Neil and Tomas Kniaziew will be staying within Essex County to continue their hockey development paths — and again as teammates — come the ’25-26 season.
Reyth Smith goes to the Dogs
Windsor product Reyth Smith is on the move in an off season Ontario Hockey League trade. The 6 foot 2, 175 pound forward with a 2007 birth date has been dealt by the North Bay Battalion to the Niagara IceDogs for a pair of future draft picks.
Flint a firm fit for free agent
He has hockey bloodlines that flow deep through his father and grand father. And 2008 birth year defenseman George Komadoski can potentially play the next three or four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League for the Flint Firebirds.
Frank Evola is off to Niagara
Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League are losing their trusted director of scouting to the rival Niagara IceDogs. Hockey News Windsor has learned that Frank Evola, who has been with the Spitfires since 2017, is headed to Niagara as its new general manager.
Flint Firebirds are 3 for 3
One. Two. Three. Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League have now signed their top three picks from the 2025 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft — a forward, a defenseman, and a goalie.
Local options for Spits pick
Windsor product Luke St. John will most likely get to stay home — or close to it — for a ’25-26 season of development.
Net gain for OHL Firebirds
Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League have signed young goalie Mason Courville as a potential heir apparent to workhorse veteran Nathan Day.
Flint firms up first rounder
Flint Firebirds have signed 2009 birth forward Charlie Murata to an Ontario Hockey League standard player agreement. Murata was taken by Flint with the eighth pick in the first round of the 2025 OHL priority selections draft from the Don Mills Flyers of the Greater Toronto Hockey League.
Late round long shots
There is a premise among those who have a real feel for the game that it does not matter what round a player is picked in a particular Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft. Zeroing in on just two prime examples of late round OHL draft picks from the past few years who have advanced to regular duty and beyond are 2007 birth year defenseman Rylan Fellinger of the Flint Firebirds and 2004 birth year forward Noah Morneau of the Windsor Spitfires.
73’s off to league finals
What has been a 24 game spring playoff run for the Essex 73’s will continue into yet another round. The 73’s are off to the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League finals for the first time in 10 years.
Essex 73’s up 3-1 on NH
Karson Beuglet scored twice, Brogan Colquhoun made 27 saves and the Essex 73’s skated to a 3-2 win over the New Hamburg Firebirds in Game 4 of their Provincial Jr. C Hockey League semi final playoff series.
Essex takes series lead
A 3-1 road victory in Game 3 has given the Essex 73’s a 2-1 lead in their best of seven Provincial Jr. C Hockey League semi final series with the New Hamburg Firebirds.
Essex ties playoff series
Captain Gabriel Piccolo’s second period goal stood up as the game winner as the Essex 73’s evened their Provincial Jr. C Hockey League semi final series with the New Hamburg Firebirds at one game apiece.
Gibson gets game winner
Oshawa Generals have moved into the driver’s seat in their second round Ontario Hockey League playoff series with the Brantford Bulldogs. LaSalle product Andrew Gibson (in photo at left) scored the winning goal in Game 5 of the best of seven Eastern Conference semi final to give no. 4 seed Oshawa a 3-2 series lead over no. 1 seed Brantford.
Essex 73’s drop opener
New Hamburg Firebirds have taken a one game to none lead on the Essex 73’s in their Provincial Jr. C Hockey League semi final playoff set. …[read more]
Open camp in Espanola
Espanola is where defenseman Conor Walton, currently in his second season with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League, developed during the ’22-23 campaign. And those same Espanola Paper Kings of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League will be holding an open tryout camp on Saturday, April 26. …[read more]
Jr. Spits are OHL picks
Three players from the Windsor Jr. Spitfires of the Under 16 level Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario were picked at the 2025 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft. …[read more]
Jr. Spits to Ottawa 67’s
Local lad Reid Hayes has become an Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft pick of the Ottawa 67’s. The 6 foot, 160 pound, right hand shooting centre was Ottawa’s third round pick at the 2025 OHL priority selections process. …[read more]
Essex in a clean sweep
How sweep it is! Essex 73’s are the undisputed champions of the Western Conference of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League. …[read more]
Essex pounds Petrolia
An 11 goal explosion has the Essex 73’s within a game of winning the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League Western Conference playoff title. …[read more]
Essex 73’s are up two
A pair of clear cut victories have given the Essex 73’s a 2-0 series lead over the Petrolia Flyers in their best of seven playoff set. …[read more]
Essex ousts Lakeshore
The season is over for the reigning Provincial Jr. C Hockey League champion Lakeshore Canadiens. Arch rival Essex 73’s scored their third straight road win of the series on Tuesday to take the best of seven West Stobbs Division final over Lakeshore four games to two in front of more than 1,000 fans at the Atlas Tube Centre. …[read more]
OHL tops NHL rankings
To be sure, it an elite group of high end prospects from the Ontario Hockey League for the 2025 National Hockey League draft. The OHL leads the way with three skaters in the top five of The Sports Network’s latest NHL Draft rankings as compiled by TSN’s director of scouting Craig Button. …[read more]
Season is over in LaSalle
The pause and the subsequent planning for next season has started for the LaSalle Vipers of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League. …[read more]
LaSalle Vipers need a win
It is win or pack it in for the season. LaSalle Vipers are facing elimination in their opening round, Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series with the Stratford Warriors. …[read more]
LaSalle down two games
Back to back losses on the road and at home have the sixth seed LaSalle Vipers trailing the third ranked Stratford Warriors two games to none in the opening round of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoffs. …[read more]
End of run for Bulldogs
A thriller of a 12 game playoff push by the Mount Brydges Bulldogs ended on Tuesday with yet another one goal loss to the top seed Petrolia Flyers. …[read more]
Yeck of a playoff series
Petrolia Flyers and Mount Brydges Bulldogs are five games into a second round seesaw of a playoff series in the West Yeck Division of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League. …[read more]
Mount B packs ’em in
An overflow crowd of 369 fans packed Tri-Township Arena on Sunday night and watched as the Mount Brydges Bulldogs evened their hotly contested series with the Petrolia Flyers at a game apiece. …[read more]
Bulldogs still barking
Gone are the fifth seed North Middlesex Stars. Up next for the fourth seed Mount Brydges Bulldogs are the West Yeck Division winning Petrolia Flyers as the stage is set for Round Two of the Provincial Jr. Hockey League playoffs. …[read more]
Mount B on to Petrolia
Two teams that stood a mere four points apart in the final regular season standings will face off in the second round of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League playoffs. …[read more]
Say hey to Nathan Day
Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League have a new leader for most career wins by a goalie in a franchise history that dates back to 2015. …[read more]
Home ice for Mount B
They are locked in a third place tie with the Port Stanley Sailors in the West Yeck Division of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League. And home is where the Mount Brydges Bulldogs will be this weekend. …[read more]
CHL grads to D1 NCAA
Adrian Gedye of Pinnacle Hockey Management is one family advisor/certified player agent whose clients are taking full advantage of the new rule that makes Canadian Hockey League players eligible to play for Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association programs effective the ’25-26 season. …[read more]
Admirals in the median
Amhertsburg Admirals are betwixt and between in the West Stobbs Division of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League with just five games to play on the regular season slate.
…[read more]
Mount B on a good run
Four straight victories have the Mount Brydges Bulldogs within three points of first place in the hotly contested West Yeck Division of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League. …[read more]
Return of David Matsos
Good player. Good coach. Good guy. Add it all up and David Matsos is back in the Ontario Hockey League, this time as an assistant coach with the Sarnia Sting. The now 51-year old Matsos won a Memorial Cup as a hard working forward with the 1993 Soo Greyhounds. He later had OHL success as a championship associate coach with the 2018 Hamilton Bulldogs that followed winning ways as an assistant with the Windsor Spitfires. …[read more]
Essex, Lakeshore are 1-2
A mere four points separate the Essex 73’s and Lakeshore Canadiens atop the standings of the eight teams of the West Stobbs Division of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League. …[read more]
Bulldogs of West Yeck
Mount Brydges Bulldogs are one of six teams of the eight member West Yeck Division of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League who are well above the .500 mark at the Christmas holiday break.
Firebirds at mid season
Four successive wins — including two straight over their despised arch-rival Saginaw Spirit — have lifted the Flint Firebirds to the .500 level with the Ontario Hockey League at the Christmas holiday break.
Momentum in Mount B
There is little room for error within the eight member West Yeck Division of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League as just six points separate the top six teams.
Jake the Viper snake
Spitfires plum goalie prospect Jake Windbiel is standing tall and answering the call through his first 15 games with Windsor’s junior B affiliate team in nearby LaSalle.
Max on track in LaSalle
Signed Spitfires forward prospect Max Brocklehurst has shrugged off a sluggish start and is lighting it up with the LaSalle Vipers of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League. He now has seven goals, nine assists, 16 points in 15 games for Windsor’s affiliate team in nearby LaSalle.
London goon suspended
Enough is enough, it would seem. The Ontario Hockey League has given London Knights fringe forward Ryder Boulton an eight game suspension in the aftermath of a recent slashing major on Saginaw Spirit star defenceman Zayne Parekh.
Win, win for Windbiel
Spitfires goalie prospect Jake Windbiel is showing significant progress through his first 10 games with Windsor’s junior B affiliate team in nearby LaSalle.
Leamington to Sarnia
Brendan Cooke, a signed Ontario Hockey League prospect of the Flint Firebirds, is now continuing his development with the Sarnia Legionnaires of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
Flint on a crease Bender
Ahead of three games in as many days this weekend the Flint Firebirds have added another goalie by way of an Ontario Hockey League trade with the Oshawa Generals. Flint has parted with future fourth round and seventh round OHL priority selections draft picks to get 6 foot 4 puck stopper Noah Bender from Oshawa.
Mount Brydges is home
They have played six straight games on the road. And finally, the Mount Brydges Bulldogs of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League are set to return home to the friendly confines of Tri Town Ice Arena.
Lakeshore lighting it up
Reigning Provincial Jr. C Hockey League champion Lakeshore Canadiens seemingly have the makings of another powerhouse unit.
Mount Brydges: 3-2-3
With a balanced score sheet and good play in the net the Mount Brydges Bulldogs have nine points in eight games at this stage of the ’24-25 Provincial Jr. C Hockey League season.
It is Day time in Flint
Being a workhorse goalie is part of the routine for Nathan Day of the Flint Firebirds. Day has been in the net for every minute of Flint’s five games to begin the ’24-25 Ontario Hockey League season.
Firebird in Leamington
Brendan Cooke, a signed Ontario Hockey League prospect of the Flint Firebirds, is continuing his development with the Leamington Flyers and has his first goal as a member of the Ontario Jr. Hockey League team.
Windbiel on task in Jr. B
The Spitfires top goalie prospect from the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft is off to a nice start with Windsor’s Jr. B affiliate team in nearby LaSalle. …[read more]
Mount Brydges: 2-1-3
Seven points in six games equals a pretty good start to the ’24-25 season for the Mount Brydges Bulldogs of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey league.
Windsor lad in the Sault
Free agent pick up Erik Muxlow has the makings of being a noteworthy addition to the present and future of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. A 5 foot 11, 183 pound forward with a 2007 birth date who hails from the Windsor area, Muxlow more than earned an Ontario Hockey League roster spot with the Greyhounds for the ’24-25 season following an eye opening spring development camp and subsequent fall training camp and exhibition games performance.
Points for Mount Brydges
Two losses. But two points. Mount Brydges Bulldogs began their ’24-25 Provincial Jr. Hockey League regular season this weekend with respective 4-3 shootout losses to the Petrolia Flyers and North Middlesex Stars. …[read more]
Two straight for the Vipers
Wins at home and on the road have the LaSalle Vipers off to a 2-0 start to begin the ’24-25 Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League season.
4 OHL teams of intrigue
Opening face-off to the ’24-25 Ontario Hockey League regular season is set for September 25 when the reigning Memorial Cup champion Saginaw Spirit plays host to the Windsor Spitfires. …[read more]
Four from the OHL West
August is leaning towards September. Up first are training camps. Then exhibition games. Followed by a schedule of names, games, checkers and chess; not to mention all of the intrigue and anxiety that goes with debatably being the best development league on the hockey planet. …[read more]
LaSalle lad has goals
In talking about new opportunity, it is no secret that veteran Ontario Hockey League defenseman Andrew Gibson wants to make the most of it as early as this fall. …[read more]
LaSalle via Lakeshore
Anthony Iaquinta is moving up from head coach of the reigning champion Lakeshore Canadiens of the Provincial Jr. C Hockey League to the LaSalle Vipers of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League as their new bench boss. …[read more]
Flugins flies off to Flint
Canadian Hockey League import draft pick Karlis Flugins has been signed by the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League ahead of the looming ’24-25 season.
Leamington via NOJHL
Forward Brendan Cooke has been acquired by the Leamington Flyers of the Ontario Jr. Hockey League from the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League in a cash exchange.
Berry in Mt. Brydges
This is a plum of a goalie with considerable high level junior hockey experience. He is Aiden Berry, who has opted to sign with the Mount Brydges Bulldogs of the Provincial Jr. Hockey League ahead of the ’24-25 season. …[read more]
Sidebars & snippets
It was just a tad under two months ago that the host Saginaw Spirit scored a razor thin win over the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights in what was an all OHL showdown for the 2024 Memorial Cup crown. But the restless hands of time are already ticking towards a new season and the projections and prognosis that go with it.