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A MESSAGE TO YOU
VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER
I want to take this opportunity to welcome all of you to the 2025-26 Oshawa Generals OHL season. As always not only a welcome to the legions of returning fans, but for all of the new fans as well. Welcome to Gens Nation!!!
The large number of players that you will be seeing on the ice this season will be coming off back to back OHL championship finals appearances. A great accomplishment but we all know we fell short of our ultimate goal of winning the Robertson trophy and going to the Memorial Cup. The real success of this years team is to return to that level. Three years ago we finished in eighth place followed by a first place and fourth place regular season finishes respectively. The first-place finish and back-to-back finals appearances were the result of the building blocks being put in place seasons before and the team growing up together. Winning doesn’t happen by accident, and it must be done by doing things the right way.
The men in charge of that will be led by Mario Pouliot and his winning pedigree in junior hockey. Mario will push these players to places they may not have been before but trusting a coach that has won two Memorial Cups the reboot should move quickly. Mike Farrugia will be in his third season behind the bench, and they will be joined by newcomer Derrick Walser who most recently coached in the WHL with the Red Deer Rebels. Derrick was part of the Peterborough Pete’s coaching staff that won the OHL championship and competed in the Memorial Cup in 2023.
The hockey landscape as we know it, is changing and the people to benefit the most will be you the fans and the players. Fans will get to see young players live that they may never have been able to see before. Players with NCAA commits that may have played in other leagues to preserve their eligibility are free to explore the OHL now before going to school. Players will have the opportunity to extend their playing careers and get the best of both worlds. I suspect by the end of this upcoming season we may have half of our players with NCAA commits. However, make no mistake the OHL/CHL will remain the industry leader in producing NHL draft picks. Look no further then our own Simon Wang and Owen Griffin who had their names called for the San Jose Sharks and the Columbus Blue Jackets respectively this past June in LA.
Now you must play your part and fill this building every night. Give these guys true home ice advantage and push them to be there best night in and night out. Go Gens Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As we prepare to embark on our 88th year, we’re energized by what the future holds. While much has changed over the years, our expectations remain the same: to ice a competitive team with our sights set on returning to the finals. This year’s roster will feature an exciting blend of new talent and veteran leadership—a dynamic mix of size, skill, and relentless compete.
We can’t wait to welcome our loyal fans back to the rink and feel your support in the stands.
Starting in the new year, fans will begin to see major renovations take shape at the arena—a place the Generals have proudly called home for decades, and will continue to for years to come. These enhancements will honor our deep-rooted history while ushering in a new era of excellence, elevating the game-day experience for players and fans alike. From improved facilities to refreshed fan spaces, the upgrades will reflect the pride and spirit of the Oshawa community. This investment not only reinforces our commitment to the organization but celebrates the city we represent—with full completion slated for late 2027.
ROGER HUNT
ROCCO TULLIO
PRESIDENT & GOVERNOR
AROUND THE OHL
AS OF OCTOBER 3RD
EAST DIVISION
KINGSTON FRONTENACS
Kingston is coming off a terrific 2024/25 campaign, finishing third in a tough Eastern Conference, and will look for more of the same success this season after falling just short to the Barrie Colts in the second round in last year’s playoffs.
Despite losing depth like Gage Heyes and Cedrick Gruindon to graduation and trading the likes of forwards Matthew Soto, Ethan Miedema and goalie Mason Vaccari for ten draft picks, the Frontenacs are still lined up to be another strong team in the East.
Jacob Battaglia and Tyler Hopkins lead the charge up front, along with Vann Williamson and Maleek McGowan, in his final OHL year, on the back end. With some holes needing to be filled, the Frontenacs will look for growth from Kieran Dervin in his second season, as well as rookies such as Nolan Snyder, Aleks Kulemin and the Kuzma brothers, Andrew and Robin.
As well, Kingston looks to have a promising goalie tandem with newly signed Matthew Minchak from the U.S., and second year netminder Gavin Betts, who won Gold with team Canada White at last year’s World U17 Hockey Challenge.
With the likes of McGowan and Andrew Kuzma set to graduate this year, and Battaglia and Williamson’s final seasons coming in 2026, the Frontenacs’ window to compete is winding down, but the team is in a good spot after a promising first few games of the new season.
CENTRAL DIVISION
BRAMPTON STEELHEADS
Entering their second year in Brampton, the Steelheads had hopes of another competitive campaign after three consecutive first-round losses, including one to Oshawa last season in six games. However, an eventful offseason would change the team’s direction.
Some of Brampton’s core players from previous years like Luke Misa, top goaltender Jack Ivankovic, and Philadelphia Flyers first rounder, Porter Martone, all committed to playing NCAA hockey starting this season. Other players not returning to the team were Carson Rehkopf, Angus MacDonell and Finn Harding as they look to begin their pro-hockey careers.
With a lot of talent departing in the offseason, the Steelheads decided to sell off more pieces in Jack Van Volson and Lucas Karmiris for either future draft picks or younger players. However, Gabriel Chiarot, Jakub Fibigr, Parker Von Richter and Mason Zebeski among other parts of the team’s depth are back on board.
Zebeski and goalie Zach Bowen, who was acquired from Peterborough in the Karmiris trade, are both in their graduating seasons and next season will be the last for the likes of Chiarot, Fibigr and Von Richter. Key contributors to any team without question, but Brampton will need to figure out whether to hold onto their veterans or not.
Along with a mix of experience, the Steelheads will look for growth and development from their youth this season, including the likes of their first-round picks last April, winger Keaton Ardagh and defender Peter Green, as well as Matej Stankoven out of Bratislava in the CHL Import Draft.
MIDWEST DIVISION
GUELPH STORM
Guelph continues to undergo a youth movement after finishing last in the Western Conference the previous season. Drafting Jaakko Wycisk second overall in last April’s Priority Selection adds more skill and playmaking ability to a young forward core along with the likes of Carter Stevens, Mark Pape and Alex McLean.
Forwards like Max Namestnikov and Jake Karabela have graduated, and top centre Jett Luchanko aims to make the Philadelphia Flyers roster this year, but veterans such as Charlie Paquette and Hunter McKenzie are back. As well, winger Ethan Miedema was brought in from Kingston to help with scoring depth.
Defensively, Penguins’ prospect Quinn Beauchesne, Rylan Singh and Rowan Topp are expected to play key roles on the blue line with rookies behind them like Hayden Martin and Zack Naish to watch for as well. Both goalies in Zachary Jovanovski and Colin Ellsworth are each back for their second seasons between the pipes for Guelph as well.
The Storm have not won a playoff series since their 2019 OHL Championship title but are poised for improvement this season with a combination of promising youth and graduating veterans. In the early going, however, Guelph’s defensive structure is a concern to watch for as they have given up six or more goals in two of their first four games of the young season.
SAGINAW SPIRIT
Winners of the 2024 Memorial Cup, the Spirit are coming off a disappointing first-round exit at the hands of the Erie Otters as well as significant core losses. Michael Misa and Zayne Parekh look to be making their respective NHL rosters in San Jose and Calgary while other top scorers from last year like Calum Mangone and Kristian Epperson have gone on to play NCAA hockey.
Saginaw does, however, have key contributors on the forward front back in Carson Harmer, Jacob Cloutier and Dima Zhilkin, as well as veterans from their Memorial Cup-winning team still with them, forwards Sebastian Gervais, Nick Sima, and defender James Guo.
To accompany the blend of experience and depth, the Spirit also signed two talented playmaking forwards in Egor Barabanov and Brody Pepoy and are also giving chances for wingers Ryan Hanrahan and Nikita Klepov, their draft selections this past April, to take strids.
Defensively, rookie Levi Harper and second-year blue liner Graydon Jones will also be given big opportunities. As well, Kaleb Papineau is expected to take over the starting position between the pipes after 23 starts the previous year, with CHL Import Draft second rounder, Stepan Shurygin right behind him.
They might not be the offensive powerhouse that the OHL was used to seeing these past few years, but thanks to bolstering team depth, the Spirit are still projected to have another strong season of contention before Gervais, Sima and Guo graduate at the end of the year.
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GENERALS SEASON PREVIEW
NEW ADDITIONS, RETURNING
WRITTEN BY: RYAN VIEIRA
FACES, TEAM OVERVIEW
A new OHL season is here, and the Oshawa Generals gear up for another year of competitive, tough-nosed, memorable and fun hockey.
Oshawa enters the 2025/26 campaign as the back-to-back defending Eastern Conference champions and look to avenge consecutive OHL Finals losses to the London Knights. However, with such a top-heavy conference, the goal is much easier said than done.
As well, with Jacob Oster, Luca D’Amato and Luke Torrance graduating last year, there will be some holes to fill throughout the roster from either new or returning players.
With that, here is an overview of what your Oshawa Generals will look like this season:
New Acquisitions
Despite a quiet off-season on the trade front, the Generals focused on improving the roster through the OHL Priority Selection, the CHL Import Draft and free agent signings.
In the OHL Priority Selection, Oshawa drafted 14 new players, three of which stood out in preseason and made the roster: winger Sam Roberts and defencemen Anthony Timmerman and Leo Laschon. Finnish winger Onni Kalto and Russian winger Vadim Smirnov have also made the roster after being selected in the CHL Import Draft.
Roberts, the 16th overall selection from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in April, brings a similar, hard-nosed style game as his father, Gary. Timmerman, out of Rochester, MI, and Laschon from Pittsburgh, PA, also bring valuable depth to the Generals’ blue line. Kalto’s size and Smirnov’s skill should contribute nicely to Oshawa’s scoring depth as well.
Along with their recent draft selections, Oshawa also signed a wide variety of players to accompany team depth. Rowan Sang out of Kimball Union Academy and Porter Byrd-Leitner out of the Alberta Junior Hockey League were both signed just before preseason. Byrd-Leitner’s skill and talent along with Sang’s strong skating abilities make both left wingers well suited for the Generals’ forward core.
Also signed as FAs include Generals’ draft picks from years past in wingers Luke Posthumus and Jalen Lobo, as well as centreman Ben Cormier, who brings three seasons of OHL experience from Owen Sound. Other signings to bolster the roster include forwards Lucas Teixeira and Brennan Huyck, as well as defenders Brady Murnane and Colin Feeley.
The only trades the Generals did make this off-season were for goaltenders Reid Thomas, acquired from Sault Ste Marie, and Jaden Cholette from London. Oshawa will look to Cholette to share the net throughout the season.
Returning Players
The Generals have many players eligible to return: Beckett Sennecke, Ben Danford, Owen Griffin, Simon Wang and Zack Sandhu to name a few. However, all five are expected to be out of action to start the season as they attend NHL training camps.
That is not to say Oshawa will be without experience as team veterans Ethan Toms and Harrison Franssen are back. Right wingers Brooks Rogowski and Tyler O’Toole are also entering their second seasons with the team. Each return with their tenacious and determined style of play that fans are familiar with.
After spending some time with the Generals last season, winger Anthony Figliomeni and defender Brady Blaseg will see more playing time this year. Figliomeni dressed for 15 games in 2024/25, tallying four points (2G, 2A) while Blaseg put up 2 points in his 9 games played.
Netminder Isaac Gravelle also returns for his second season. After 14 starts and a 9-3-1-1 record last year, the Fenwick, ON native will be put to the test in goal for 2025/26, sharing the crease with newcomer Cholette for the time being.
Team Overview
Despite missing some of their high-end players to start the season, the Generals should have no problem filling their voids with the amount of depth throughout the lineup from old and new faces.
There will also be a new bench boss to guide them in Mario Pouliot, who brings valuable experience to the table with back-to-back Memorial Cups with the Acadie-Bathrust Titan and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL as their head coach. This is, however, the last eligible year for Sandhu and Posthumus to play in the league, and team veterans like Sennecke, Danford, Franssen and Toms each have one more year before their overage seasons.
On top of that, the Eastern Conference is expected to be very competitive once again with teams like Brantford and Kingston looking to make statements. Odds aside, Oshawa went 20-7-3-2 against divisional opponents last season and 26-17-3-2 against their conference entirely.
Even with a slight retool featuring a hard-working and determined group, the Generals will play hard and fight for another playoff appearance this year. Oshawa has made the OHL Playoffs in the last 13 seasons.
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GAMEDAY
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OSHAWA GENERALS vs SAGINAW SPIRIT
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 | 6:05PM
GAME DAY PREVIEW
The Oshawa Generals return to Tribute Communities Centre to host the Saginaw Spirit, wrapping up three straight nights of hockey this weekend.
The first two contests in Kingston and Barrie saw a couple of tough defeats: a 5-2 loss to the Frontenacs Friday night and a 5-3 loss last night to the Colts. Brooks Rogowski did record a goal in each game, his first two of the campaign.
After consecutive slow starts and two eerily similar games, the Gens look to change the narratives on both sides of the puck, especially on the defensive front.
With an offensive threat in Saginaw coming to town, that task is easier said than done as the Spirit enter Sunday with 26 goals in their first six games, second only to the Windsor Spitfires, whom the Generals saw last weekend.
Saginaw is also in the final game of their own triple-header this weekend, losing 3-2 in overtime to Guelph Friday and taking an offensive showdown in Owen Sound yesterday 7-5. Newcomers and team-leading scorers Egor Barabanov and Nikita Klepov each recorded two goals in the win.
The Generals and Spirit each have three wins head-to-head in their limited matchups in recent memory, including a split in their season series last year with both teams winning in front of their home crowds.
Recording two assists in the past two games, his first couple of OHL points, look for rookie defenseman Anthony Timmerman to create more offense for Oshawa with his smooth-skating and puck-moving abilities, especially on the power play.
Someone to watch on Saginaw’s blue line is another rookie in Levi Harper. The Spirit’s third rounder is off to an impressive start, tallying six points in six games to start the year. Along with his skill set, his strong skating abilities have him poised for a big rookie campaign.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
ANTHONY TIMMERMAN
OSHAWA GENERALS
GAMES PLAYED: 6 GOALS: 0 ASSISTS: 2
POINTS: 2
PIMS: 2
LEVI HARPER
SAGINAW SPIRIT
GAMES PLAYED: 6 GOALS: 2 ASSISTS: 4
POINTS: 6 PIMS: 6
LAST GAME RECAP
OCTOBER 4TH, 2025
An Eastern Conference Finals rematch would see the Oshawa Generals drop 5-3 to the Barrie Colts in a Saturday night showdown.
The Gens once again got out to an early lead just after an early power play. Moving the puck in the Barrie zone, Anthony Timmerman spotted Sam Roberts locked and loaded across the ice and he fired the one-timer past Arvin Jaswal from the far-side for his fourth of the campaign.
Later in the first, Kashawn Aitcheson would get the equalizer for Barrie as he hammered a loose puck from the point blocker side past Isaac Gravelle, who started tonight after a solid performance in relief of Jaden Cholette last night in Kingston. After the game-tying goal from the Islanders’ prospect defenseman, the Colts would generate much more opportunities to close out the period and got a last-minute goal from Calvin Crombie. Getting around a couple of Oshawa defenders and entering their zone from centre, Crombie surprised Gravelle with a shot up over his glove from just outside the near circle.
Barrie was not finished, however, as they would get another with just under seven seconds remaining in the first from their captain, Cole Beaudoin. In his first game back from Utah Mammoth training camp, Beaudoin found himself open in front of the Oshawa goal and tucked home the pass from Aitcheson upstairs past Gravelle’s blocker.
For the second night in a row, the Generals would find themselves down 3-1 after the opening period on the back of three straight goals from the opposition, including two in 41 seconds to end the first.
Towards the mid-way point of the second, Oshawa, much like last night, cut the lead in half. With pressure in the Barrie zone, Brooks Rogowski, attempting to find Harrison Franssen at the side of the goal, put the puck off a Barrie skate and into an open net. Rogowski would get credit for his second goal in as many nights to make it 3-2.
Later, Oshawa would get another power play and get the game tied thanks to Simon Wang, who took a set-up pass, dragged it around the Barrie defender and snapped it from the blue line over Jaswal’s glove with seven seconds remaining on the man-advantage. Wang’s first OHL tied the game at threes.
Just when momentum was swinging back in the Generals’ favor, Barrie took the lead right back 39 seconds later thanks to Aitcheson’s second of the night. This time, the Colts’ defender snuck in back door and put home a goal line pass from Alex Assadourian. Despite a better effort from Oshawa in the middle period, they entered the third still trailing by a goal. Once again, attempting to get the game tied, the Generals could not muster much offense in the third, recording just six shots on goal in the final 20.
With under seven minutes left, the Colts would capitalize on an Oshawa turnover and put the game away. Their captain, Beaudoin added his second tally of the night, taking a quick goal line pass from Assadourian and quickly putting it up and over Gravelle.
In hopes of a bounce back from last night’s result in Kingston, the Generals saw a near identical result from 24 hours ago, getting behind in the first half of the contest and not being able to catch up.
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MATT BEACHIN
Call 905-433-0900 Ext. 2233 or Email mbeachin@oshawagenerals.com
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