Five coaches begin new OHL tenures at Training Camp this weekWith a new season comes a handful of new OHL head coaches getting acclimated as training camps get underway this week. Here’s a look at who’s new behind the bench in the OHL to start another season.
Cory Stillman (Guelph Storm)A two-time Stanley Cup champion with history in the OHL as both a player and coach, Cory Stillman returns as head coach of the Guelph Storm after three seasons as assistant coach of the Arizona Coyotes. Having produced sons (Riley and Chase) who both won OHL titles during their time in the league, the oldest Stillman happens to have one of his own from his playing days as a member of the 1993 Peterborough Petes. Now Cory Stillman pursues an OHL title as a coach, and he picked a good organization to try and pull it off with as the Storm are winners of recent championships in both 2019 and 2014. Stillman was head coach of the Sudbury Wolves from 2017-20 and returns, bringing some NHL coaching experience with him. He’ll look to kickstart a Guelph offence that had its struggles in 2023-24.
Steve O’Rourke (Oshawa Generals)Steve O’Rourke takes the reins for his first head coaching job in the major junior ranks, having learned from, objectively, the best in 2023-24 OHL Coach of the Year Derek Laxdal, who took the lead job with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. O’Rourke will have returning assistant Mike Farrugia on the bench along with new hire Patrick Sexton as the trio looks to guide what is shaping up to be a very promising Oshawa squad that reached last year’s OHL Championship Final. While questions remain around the fate of big names in Calum Ritchie (Colorado Avalanche) and Dylan Roobroeck (New York Rangers), O’Rourke will have lots to work with in a pair of 2024 first round NHL picks in Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks) and Ben Danford (Toronto Maple Leafs). A WHL graduate who was a seventh round pick of the New York Islanders in 1992, O’Rourke’s playing career took him to the University of Lethbridge before stops in both Europe and the U.S. minor pro circuit. Prior to his time with the Generals, O’Rourke served in a capacity with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
Scott Wray (Owen Sound Attack)The Owen Sound Attack are hopeful that Scott Wray can bring a winning pedigree over from North Bay, where he helped steer the Battalion to three straight Central Division titles and three consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Final. Wray served the past six seasons as an assistant with the Battalion and now takes over in Owen Sound after Darren Rumble served in an interim capacity during 2023-24 – the first season since 2009-10 that the Bears failed to reach the 30-win mark. Wray, from Ottawa, Ont., would be somewhat familiar with Owen Sound having played for the Platers back in 1996-97 to begin his OHL career, one that saw other stops in North Bay and Plymouth. He went on to play a long time in the minor pro ranks, most notably for the CHL’s Rapid City Rush who he spent five seasons with in the twilight of his career. Owen Sound boasts prolific scorer Colby Barlow and promising netminder Carter George, but the Attack will also have their share of younger players in the lineup, signalling an opportunity for Wray and his new staff to influence some very important development.
Scott Barney (Sudbury Wolves)A former OHL champion during his playing days with the Peterborough Petes, Scott Barney returns to the OHL in a head coaching role with the Sudbury Wolves. From Oshawa, Ont., Barney played four seasons in Peterborough from 1995-99 before a lengthy pro career. Barney comes to the OHL having served as the head coach of the Humboldt Broncos in Saskatchewan’s Jr. A loop the past six seasons. Barney’s tenure in Humboldt began just following the horrific bus crash that claimed the lives of 16. A former second round pick of the LA Kings in 1997, Barney, who was a big player at 6-foot-4, saw 27 games of NHL action. He inherits a Wolves club with a reliable core of veterans to help him make the adjustment to the OHL.
Greg Walters (Windsor Spitfires)Walters returns to the OHL after missing most of the 2023-24 season serving a suspension he received in December 2023 as a result of actions during his time with the Owen Sound Attack. Reinstated, Walters brings his brand of physical, competitive hockey to Windsor and guides a Spitfires franchise that has been known to play that hard-nosed style in the past. Walters’ time in the OHL has included a lengthy tenure as an assistant in Sarnia while also serving as head coach in both Oshawa and Owen Sound. He’s a former Ottawa 67’s forward who went on to play several years of pro hockey. He had notable success in the Tier II Jr. A ranks, guiding the Georgetown Raiders to a championship in 2017. He was also the OJHL’s Coach of the Year in both 2012 and 2017.
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