Here we are already, the final week of the 2022-23 OHL season. There’s lots to catch up on, so here we go!
2023 OHL Playoff Tracker:
The OHL Playoff Tracker provides an updated look at the standings as matchups for the first round of the 2023 OHL Playoffs continue to take shape. Read more
2023 OHL Priority Selection Draft Lottery to take place Wednesday, March 29:
The results of the OHL Priority Selection Draft Lottery will be formally announced next Wednesday, March 29th at 6:00pm, streaming live for free on CHL TV. The Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for the first four picks of the first round of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection as well as the 2023 OHL U-18 Priority Selection and the 2023 CHL Import Draft. Read more
Watch the 2023 OHL Cup Selection Show live on Monday, March 27
The Greater Toronto Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League will host a live Selection Show on Monday, March 27th at 6:00pm to determine the match-ups and home/away seeding for 2023 OHL Cup Wild Card play-in games. The Selection Show will feature a random draw conducted by GTHL General Manager Peter Kourtis and Brodie Barrick, the OHL’s Director of Recruitment and Player Services. Read more
2023 U14 OHL Cup presented by Dairy Farmers of Ontario set for April 14-16:
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association, in partnership with the Ontario Hockey League, is proud to announce the return of the Under-14 OHL Cup presented by Dairy Farmers of Ontario. The event will comprise of the top 12 U14 AAA teams from across the province. The U14 OHL Cup will take place at Joshua’s Creek Arena in Oakville on April 14-16, 2023 and provide the players and parents with an introduction to the OHL, along with showing them an exciting experience to end their season. Read more
Ottawa 67’s claim Hamilton Spectator Trophy as Regular Season Champions:
The Ottawa 67’s eclipsed the 100-point mark for the sixth time in their history on Friday night in Oshawa, securing their third OHL regular season title in the past four seasons with a 4-3 win over the Generals. Read more
67’s, Sting and Battalion make Week 24 edition of Kia CHL Top 10:
The Ottawa 67’s, Sarnia Sting and North Bay Battalion are included in the Week 24 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings while the Barrie Colts and Saginaw Spirit received honourable mentions. Watch
Colts’ Clarke named Cogeco OHL Player of the Week:
Los Angeles Kings prospect Brandt Clarke of the Barrie Colts is the OHL Player of the Week, recording five goals, six assists and 11 points in three games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-9. Read More
Petes’ Sztuska named OHL Goaltender of the Week:
Liam Sztuska of the Peterborough Petes is the OHL Goaltender of the Week, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.86 goals-against average and .947 save percentage. Read more
OHL Weekend Notebook:
The OHL Weekend Notebook recaps the weekend that was with news, information and interesting facts from both on and off the ice. Read more
Steelheads Veccia dazzles in OHL Plays of the Week:
A new Goal of the Year contender emerges in this week’s edition of OHL Plays of the Week! See contributions from Barrie’s Brandt Clarke, Flint’s Gavin Hayes, Sudbury’s Matthew Mania and Mississauga’s Zander Veccia. Watch
Frontenacs’ Vaccari headlines OHL Saves of the Week:
Positional precision and a few sprawling efforts too! Here’s the latest OHL Saves of the Week, featuring Mississauga’s Ryerson Leenders, Oshawa’s Jacob Oster, London’s Brett Brochu, Kitchener’s Marcus Vandenberg, Barrie’s Ben West, Peterborough’s Michael Simpson and Kingston’s Mason Vaccari. Watch
Otters General Manager Dave Brown to oversee Canada’s National U17 Program:
Erie Otters General Manager Dave Brown will guide Canada’s men’s under-17 program through the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Brown is in his eighth season (2015-23) as general manager of the Erie Otters after serving four seasons (2011-15) as director of hockey operations with the team. Read more
Greyhounds’ McConnell-Barker signs with Rangers:
Soo Greyhounds captain Bryce McConnell-Barker has signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract with the New York Rangers, who selected him in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft. Read more
J.J. Salajko commits to Frontenacs:
The Kingston Frontenacs have received a commitment from eighth-round 2022 OHL Priority Selection choice J.J. Salajko, a second-generation OHL talent from Worthington, Ohio. Read more
Lirim Amidovski commits to Battalion:
The North Bay Battalion has received a commitment from ninth round 2022 OHL Priority Selection choice Lirim Amidovski, who spent the 2022-23 season with the GTHL U18 AAA champion Toronto Jr. Canadiens. Read more
OHL This Week Podcast: Episode 24
The latest OHL This Week Podcast brings a Midwest Division playoff preview, with special guests in Owen Sound Attack TV play-by-play voice Mark McKelvie, Kitchener Rangers radio colour voice Chris Pope and London Knights radio play-by-play voice Mike Stubbs providing their insights. Listen
Watch the 2023 OHL Playoffs on OHL Live:
OHL Live playoff streaming passes are now on sale. Don’t miss a second of the action! Watch
COMMUNITY CORNER:
Petes announce final total of $64,870 raised during 2023 Pink in the Rink campaign:
The Peterborough Petes have announced that a final total of $64,870 has been raised by the 2023 Pink in the Rink Campaign in support of expert, compassionate cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). The 15th Pink in the Rink campaign, set for the 2023-24 season, will see the OHL’s biggest fundraiser surpass the $1 million mark. Read more
Storm’s first-ever Captain’s Cause Game raises over $5,000 for Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Wellington:
On Friday, March 17th the Guelph Storm hosted the first-ever Captain’s Cause Night, presented by Sonnet in support of Cooper’s choice cause, Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Wellington. The Storm and Sonnet are happy to announce that the inaugural game raised over $5,000 through t-shirt and puck sales, as well as the silent auction of a game-worn Cooper Walker jersey. Read more
Troops hold Canadore College Appreciation Night on Thursday:
The North Bay Battalion shares their appreciation for Canadore College on Thursday night at the Gardens. A lucky student will have the opportunity to participate in a second intermission airplane throwing contest to win a $2,000 Canadore Tuition credit. More details at battalionhockey.com
Fan Appreciation Night across the League:
Teams across the League are celebrating their fans as the regular OHL season comes to an end! Join the Peterborough Petes on Thursday, Kitchener and Guelph on Friday, Flint, Windsor and Ottawa on Saturday, and Niagara and North Bay on Sunday as they thank you for all of your support this season. Visit team websites for more information!
Teams to celebrate their overage players:
Teams across the League are celebrating their overage players as the regular OHL season comes to an end! Acknowledging all of their hard work and dedication over the years, the Sudbury Wolves and Kingston Frontenacs are set to give their final send-offs on Friday, while the London Knights will celebrate their OAs on Sunday. Visit team websites for more information.
ALUMNI NOTES:
OHL mourns the loss of Dave Gardner:
The Ontario Hockey League is saddened by news of the loss of former Red Tilson Trophy and Eddie Powers Trophy recipient Dave Gardner, who passed away on Monday at the age of 70. Gardner spent the 1970-71 and 1971-72 seasons with the OHA’s Toronto Marlboros, going on to be a first round (8th overall) pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1972 NHL Draft before spending 350 games in the National Hockey League between 1972 and 1980. Read more
McDavid scores 60th goal:
Edmonton Oilers captain and Erie Otters graduate Connor McDavid scored his 60th goal of the season in fine style Wednesday night, netting the OT winner as the Oilers defeated the Arizona Coyotes. McDavid is enjoying a career-year, pacing the NHL with 138 points (60-78–138) over 72 games. The 26-year-old from Newmarket, Ont. joins Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri as the third player in Oilers franchise history to score 60 goals in a season. A former OHL and CHL Player of the Year, McDavid played in Erie from 2012-15 before being selected first overall by the Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Johnston on five-game goal-scoring streak for Stars:
Reigning OHL MVP Wyatt Johnston has scored in five consecutive games for the Dallas Stars, the third-longest streak by a rookie in club history. Johnston’s 21 goals make him the third teenager in franchise history to score more than 20 in a season, joining Brian Bellows (41, 1983-84) and Mike Modano (29, 1989-90) in that category. Johnston steered the Windsor Spitfires to a Western Conference title last spring as they reached Game 7 of the OHL Championship Series before falling to the Hamilton Bulldogs. Johnston was Dallas’ first round (23rd overall) pick in 2021.
Evangelista off to a hot start for Predators:
Reigning OHL goal-scoring champion Luke Evangelista is off to a great start in the NHL. In 11 games with the Nashville Predators, Evangelista has nine points (5-4–9), recently tying the Predators franchise mark for points in a single period on Tuesday. He joined the late Dale Hawerchuk on Tuesday, becoming just the second rookie in NHL history to record two goals, two assists, seven shots on goal and a plus-4 rating or higher in a single game. Evangelista scored 55 goals and added 56 assists for 111 points in 62 games with the London Knights last season. He’s recorded 41 points (9-32–41) in 49 games with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals this season.
Rangers alumnus Ville Ottavainen signs with Kraken:
The Seattle Kraken announced Monday that they’ve signed Kitchener Rangers graduate Ville Ottavainen to a three-year entry-level NHL contract. Ottavainen played for the Rangers during the 2019-20 season, recording four goals, 11 assists and 15 points in 53 games. The 6-foot-5, 218Ib. defenceman was selected by Seattle in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. Read more
Rossi named AHL Player of the Week:
Former Red Tilson Trophy recipient and Ottawa 67’s standout Marco Rossi is the AHL Player of the Week, producing five points (3-2–5) in three games for the Iowa Wild. The 21-year-old from Feldkirch, Austria has 46 points (16-30–46) in 45 games with Iowa in this, his second professional season. Formerly chosen ninth overall by Minnesota in the 2020 NHL Draft, Rossi put up 185 points over two seasons in Ottawa from 2018-20.
Agozzino a natural leader for Barracuda:
Former Niagara IceDogs star Andrew Agozzino continues to be an impact player in the game. The former 306-point scorer remains the all-time leading point producer in IceDogs franchise history, and currently serves as captain of the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Agozzino had an assist in his first NHL game of the season earlier this week after getting a call-up from the San Jose Sharks. TheAHL.com’s Lizz Child has an update on Agozzino’s career and discusses his traits as a natural leader. Read more at theahl.com
U SPORTS Report – 16 OHL grads capture 2023 University Cup championship with UNB:
The University of New Brunswick REDS men’s hockey program were crowned University Cup champions in Charlottetown, PEI on Sunday night, with 16 OHL graduates contributing to the effort. Read more
OHL grads Lajeunesse and Torchia earn U SPORTS men’s hockey national recognition:
OHL alumni Troy Lajeunesse and Nathan Torchia have both been recognized as national award winners in U SPORTS men’s hockey. Both players helped their respective teams reach the U SPORTS University Cup. An additional three OHL grads in Liam Hawel, Matt Brassard and Jacob Roach joined Lajeunesse and Torchia as U SPORTS All-Canadians in 2022-23. Read more
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
– All games streaming on OHL Live
– Radio and TV broadcast information
Thursday March 23rd
Hamilton at North Bay – 7:00pm
Ottawa at Peterborough – 7:05pm
Sudbury at Barrie – 7:30pm
Friday March 24th
Barrie at Kingston – 7:00pm
Peterborough at Ottawa – 7:00pm
Oshawa at Mississauga – 7:00pm
Windsor at London – 7:00pm
Hamilton at Sudbury – 7:05pm
Owen Sound at Sarnia – 7:05pm
Saginaw at Sault Ste. Marie – 7:07pm
Erie at Guelph – 7:30pm
Flint at Kitchener – 7:30pm
Saturday March 25th
Barrie at Ottawa – 2:00pm
Peterborough at Mississauga – 4:00pm
North Bay at Niagara – 7:00pm
Owen Sound at Flint – 7:00pm
Sarnia at Erie – 7:00pm
London at Windsor – 7:05pm
Guelph at Saginaw – 7:05pm
Sunday March 26th
Mississauga at North Bay – 2:00pm
Sarnia at Niagara – 2:00pm
Sudbury at Sault Ste. Marie – 2:07pm (CHL TV Game of the Week Freeview)
Owen Sound at Saginaw – 5:30pm
Kitchener at London – 6:00pm
Kingston at Oshawa – 6:05pm
