Five OHL rookies I am watching
With a good number of established veterans having moved on to Division 1 programs within the National Collegiate Athletic Association, there appear to be more younger players in the Ontario Hockey League than usual. Having said that, following are five OHL rookies who are of particular intrigue to this time honoured scribe.
Tanner Adams, Sudbury Wolves. The size and pure talent are there for the big 2010 birth year forward from the northeastern Ontario mining town of Timmins. But I am just not a fan of how Adams — who moved 400 miles from home to play at The Hill Academy in Caledon two years ago — snubbed the 2026 OHL priority selections draft that was held in Kingston. First off, he didn’t show up at the OHL’s first in-person draft in 25 years. Then, after being taken with the third overall pick by the Brampton Steelheads, Adams again made it known that he preferred to play for the Sudbury Wolves, who are closer to his Timmins area home. And just recently, Sudbury parted with 15 draft picks — yes, 15 — to acquire Adams from Brampton. Is any player worth 15 draft picks? At some point we will find out.
Colin Kennedy, Erie Otters. Another northern boy, hailing from Sault Ste. Marie, the smaller size forward with a 2010 birth date moved to Detroit two years ago to develop with the vaunted AAA Little Caesars program. Ahead of the 2026 OHL draft, there was gossip that certain teams were approaching Kennedy’s agent to ask the lad if he would consider saying that he would report to them only. True or not, Kennedy and his family made it quite clear that they would respect the OHL draft process and report to whichever team selected him. As it turned out, the Erie Otters stepped up and took the heart and soul kid with the relentless work ethic with the second overall pick at this year’s OHL draft. To be sure, Kennedy’s bloodlines and family values are notable — his dad Craig Kennedy is a former workhorse forward and captain of the Windsor Spitfires and his maternal grandfather Craig Hartsburg was once a star defenseman and captain for the Soo Greyhounds before going on to be a world class National Hockey League blue liner and captain for the old Minnesota North Stars. Young Kennedy’s OHL career got off to a sizzling start as he scored twice and was named the game’s first star in an Erie win over the Guelph Storm.
Ty Bergeron, Windsor Spitfires. Bergeron, who Windsor nabbed in the third round of the 2025 OHL priority selections draft from the Detroit HoneyBaked AAA program, spent the ’25-26 season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the Tier 1 level United States Hockey League as one of the youngest players in the loop. A 2009 birth year skater with size at 6 foot 2, 195 pounds, Bergeron (in photo at left) opted to play in the OHL for the Spitfires this season. And something just tells me that the Metro Detroit product is going to develop into a prime time OHL player once he adapts to the league and begins to put it all together.
Bogdan Yakushevsky, Windsor Spitfires. A roll of the Russian roulette dice paid off for the Spitfires with the unpredictable signing of the 2009 birth year forward ahead of this season. To be sure, there was no high degree of certainty about whether the 6 foot, 180 pound Russian born skater would commit to Windsor after the Spitfires took him in the first round of the 2026 Canadian Hockey League import draft. But Yakushevsky did — and he has looked really good in the early going of the ’26-27 OHL season for the Spitfires.
Vilmer Salen Forsberg, Brantford Bulldogs. It spoke volumes of what Brantford general manager Spencer Hyman thought of the 6 foot 6, 230 pound goalie when he dealt high end, overage net minders Ryerson Leenders and David Egorov during the off season to make room for the big Swedish puck stopper. A product of his hometown Södertälje SK program in Sweden, Salén, Forsberg has been playing against much older players since he was 14 years old. With a 2009 birth date, he gives Brantford huge potential at the most important position. And he was more than sharp in his recent OHL debut with the Bulldogs by stopping 27 of 28 shots in a win over the Niagara IceDogs.
