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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 SEPTEMBER 26TH
BRANTFORD BULLDOGS
EAST DIVISION
A very successful team in recent memory with OHL Championship success in 2018 and 2022, the Bulldogs look to continue more of the same in 2025/26 and avenge last year’s second-round defeat at the hands of the Generals after finishing as the number one seed in the East.
Brantford is in a good spot to make some noise again in the Eastern Conference with returning players including defenders Lucas Moore and Owen Protz, top goaltender Ryerson Leenders, Marek Vanacker, and the Seattle Kraken’s first-round draft choice last June, Jake O’Brien. Maple Leafs’ prospect Sam McCue was also acquired from Flint to add forward depth.
The Bulldogs did lose two of their biggest weapons from last year with 100-point man, Patrick Thomas graduating and Nick Lardis, the 2024/25 league-leading goal scorer, not returning this year. However, the club will look to fill their voids and hope for growth out of younger players like Joshua Avery, Aiden O’Donnell and Nikolas Rossetto.
With a combination of intriguing rookies, snotty veterans and returnees who will only get better, Brantford should still be a top-tier threat to watch out for in the East. Both the Bulldogs and Generals will meet for the first time this season in a home-and-home series October 25th and 26th.
CENTRAL DIVISION
BARRIE COLTS
Barrie has been a competitive and hard-noised team the last several years, making the playoffs in every season since the pandemic. In fact, their last two playoff defeats came at the hands of the Generals: the 2023 first-round series in six games and last year’s Eastern Conference Finals in a four-game sweep.
The Colts saw a lot of their long-time players graduate last season, including captain Beau Jelsma. Riley Patterson was moved to the Niagara Ice Dogs for draft picks, Anthony Romani and goaltender Sam Hillebrandt committed to playing NCAA hockey, and a good chunk of defenders like Beau Akey, Grayson Tiller and Tristan Bertucci also will not be back with the team.
Despite losing a lot of top-heavy talent this offseason, Barrie will see familiar faces such as Kashawn Aitcheson, Cole Beaudoin, Emil Hemming and goalie Ben Hrebik returning this season. The club will also look for their younger players to make an impact, such as rookies Joe Salandra, William Schneid, Eamon Edgar and Cole Emerton.
Still icing one of the older teams in the Ontario Hockey League, the Colts look to remain competitive this season in what might be their final year with veterans like Aitcheson and Beaudoin. The Generals’ first meeting with Barrie is a short time away; October 4th at Sadlon Arena.
ERIE OTTERS
MIDWEST DIVISION
After winning their first playoff series since their 2017 J. Ross Robertson Championship run, the Otters look to take their momentum from last season and excel to the next level. However, with a lot of player departments in the offseason, that will be easier said than done.
Erie’s top four scorers from last season are gone after Pano Fimis, Sam Alfano and Martin Misiak graduated, and Malcolm Spence committed to the University of Michigan. Top defenseman Matthew Schaefer was selected first overall by the New York Islanders and will more than likely make their roster. Carey Terrance and Alexis Daviault are also no longer with the team.
Some notable returning forwards that can contribute some offense include Dylan Edwards, Gabriel Frasca and Wesley Royston, but the Otters will also look for growth from their 2025 first round selection, Jake Murray and first rounder from 2024, Tyler Challenger. The team’s main advantage is expected to be in the net with both goaltenders from last season in Noah Erliden and Charlie Burns also returning.
Erie will also hope their free-agent signings like Ritter Coombs, Luc Plante and McLean Agrette can help play key roles. The same applies with their CHL Import Draft selections this past summer in Finnish defender Julius Saari and Slovakian winger, Martin’s younger brother Alex Misiak.
With a lot of talent out the door, the Otters will have their work cut out for them if they want to get back to the playoffs in a tough Western Conference. They will see if their eventful offseason pays off and if they get any growth from the players they are counting on.
WEST DIVISION
FLINT FIREBIRDS
The Firebirds have made the playoffs five times since moving to Flint ten seasons ago but have not won a playoff series since their run to the Western Conference Finals in 2022. This offseason, the team did a lot of shuffling with players on the move, particularly in the net and on the blue line.
The defensive core saw veterans like Matthew Mania and Blake Smith graduate, but younger defenders like Rylan Fellinger, James Paul and Dryden Allen to be given more opportunity to prove themselves. Also brought in to bolster the back end were Darels Uljanskis, the CHL Import Draft’s fifth overall selection out of Latvia, and free-agent signings in Zack Bleick and George Komodowski from the U.S.
With all three Firebird goaltenders not back with the team this year, a trade was made with Kingston to get goaltender Mason Vaccari, who will solidify the starting position between the pipes for Flint beside 2025 third round choice, Mason Courville.
Each of the Firebirds’ top five scorers from last year, Kaiden Pitre, Christopher Thibodeau, Jimmy Lombardi, Nathan Aspinall and Alex Kostov are all back, but not a lot of the depth that was behind them will not be. While Josh Colomiso and Matthew Wang should still help the forward group for Flint, expect youngsters like Jeremy Martin, Bryson Morgan and Chase Hull to also chip in.
Thibodeau is in his final season of OHL eligibility and the year after will be the final go-around for Pitre, Kostov and Aspinall. If the Firebirds want to do some damage in the West, this seems like the year to do it, but they will also look for tremendous team growth to make the magic happen.
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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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TERRY O’REILLY JERSEY RETIREMENT NIGHT
OSHAWA GENERALS vs WINDSOR SPITFORES
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 | 6:05PM
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
GAME DAY PREVIEW
The Oshawa Generals are back on home ice, hosting the Windsor Spitfires for the first and only time this season.
Before the action begins, the Generals will honor Terry O’Reilly in his Jersey Retirement Ceremony. O’Reilly played three seasons for Oshawa before becoming one of the greatest Boston Bruins to hit the ice. Tonight, Terry’s #17 takes its rightful spot in the rafters as he becomes the ninth General to have their number retired.
O’Reilly’s ceremony aside, there will be an intriguing matchup to follow. The Gens are coming off their first win of the season in Guelph Friday night, where they got the offense rolling in a 7-1 rout of the Storm.
Owen Griffin and Zack Sandhu each recorded two points in their returns to the lineup, including two goals for Griffin. Luke Posthumus is also coming off a two-goal performance and Jalen Lobo registered three points, including his first OHL goal.
Oshawa will be in for a test, however, as the Spitfires come in undefeated in their first four contests. Windsor’s success has come from their offensive firepower, with 19 goals in their first four games of the season. Wingers Cole Davis and Beksultan Makysh, as well as fourth-year defender, Carson Woodall each have six points in their first four games.
With a high-end talent aplenty, Windsor looks to be another dominant force in the Western Conference this season. They look to avenge a heartbreaking second-round defeat at the hands of the Kitchener Rangers in last year’s playoffs.
The teams split their two-game season series last year. The Spitfires took the first matchup on Thanksgiving Day last year 5-2, but Oshawa got their revenge at the TTC 4-1 in their second meeting. The Gens have won their past three home games against Windsor dating back to 2023.
Up to three goals in his first three games, look for Posthumus to make another impact offensively for the Gens. He has quickly shown off his wicked release, especially in Friday’s game in Guelph, and has proven to be a pure threat when he finds open ice.
On the other side, watch out for Ethan Belchetz, the former first overall pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection. Eligible for this year’s NHL Draft, the Spitfires’ big power-forward, who skates well, has slick hands and is always a threat in front of the net, is poised for a break-out season.
Terry O’Reilly’s Jersey Retirement Ceremony will start at 6:05 pm, with puck drop following immediately after.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
LUKE POSTHUMUS ETHAN BELCHETZ
OSHAWA GENERALS
GAMES PLAYED: 3 GOALS: 3 ASSISTS: 0
POINTS: 3 PIMS: 2
WINDSOR SPITFIRES
GAMES PLAYED: 4 GOALS: 1 ASSISTS: 2
POINTS: 3 PIMS: 4
SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2025
LAST GAME RECAP
The Oshawa Generals went to Guelph and picked up their first win of the season in convincing fashion, dominating the Storm on the scoreboard 7-1.
The first five minutes were not too eventful, but the Gens would get the game’s first goal with Vadim Smirnov following up on a Ben Cormier point shot, stuffing the bouncing rebound home wide open on the doorstep. It was Smirnov’s third point in his first three games.
Moments after killing off a penalty, Oshawa would add another. After Brady Murnane cleared a puck that bounced all the way into the Guelph end, Jalen Lobo won a foot race and fed a streaking Luke Posthumus, who ripped it past the glove of Colin Ellsworth for his second goal in as many contests.
Piling up the shot totals, however, the Storm would capitalize late in the period just before another penalty expired as Hunter McKenzie got lost in coverage and tipped home a rebound off an initial shot from Owen Topp. It was McKenzie’s fourth goal in his first three games to cut the Generals’ lead to one.
Just six seconds after their lead got cut in half, the Gens went right back to work, taking possession off the neutral zone faceoff and Lobo would hook up with Posthumus again. After firing his first goal in from his off-wing, Posthumus wired home his second of the period from his one-time side post and in to restore Oshawa’s two-goal lead.
Despite being heavily outshot in the opening period, the Generals would take a 3-1 lead into the intermission. Oshawa scored three on as many shots in the period, chasing the young goaltender, Ellsworth.
With a new netminder in Zachary Jovanovski getting the crease for Guelph to start the second, the Gens would not make life easy for him. Leading a two-on-one rush up the ice just 53 seconds into the period, Owen Griffin snapped it past Jovanovski’s glove for his first goal of the season in his return to the lineup back from Blue Jackets’ training camp.
Up by three, Oshawa would get another one on the man-advantage thanks to the Lobo’s first OHL tally. Just 25 seconds into the power play, Lobo, parked just outside the crease, tipped home Zack Sandhu’s point shot off the shaft of his stick for this third point of the night.
Up 5-1 going into the third period, Griffin would add to a sixth on the board with his second on the night, taking the puck from end-to-end on another two-on-one and ripping it blocker side on Jovanovski.
Late in the third, already up by five, Sam Roberts would knock in a rebound shot from Onni Kalto on his way down to the ice, putting an exclamation point on an explosive offensive performance for Oshawa.
Despite scoring so many on just 19 shots, the Generals’ speed and work ethic certainly helped them achieve the offensive performance they were looking for tonight with many odd-man rushes and great shot executions.
There were many great performances all around, including two-goal nights from both Griffin and Posthumus and three points for Lobo. Give credit to goaltender Jalen Cholette as well, who picked up his first OHL win, stopping 43 of 44 Guelph shots, including 16 of 17 in the first period. Head Coach Mario Pouliot also gets his first win behind an Ontario Hockey League bench.
Up next for the Generals is a matchup against the Windsor Spitfires back home this Sunday at 6:05 pm in Terry O’Reilly’s jersey retirement night.
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Journeys Hope of
An experiential event designed around authentic moments of hope. Guests will journey through a variety of sensory and emotional activations, musical interludes, and culinary stations intended to foster connection and impact.
Oc tober 2, 2025
5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Ontario Shores Centre for M ental Health S ciences
700 Gordon Street, Whitby, ON, L1N 5S9
Interlocking
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P h y s i o t h e r a p y
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M a s s a g e T h e r a p y
P e d i a t r i c P h y s i o P e l v i c H e a l t h
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Canadian Tire, Rodman’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Desjardins Insurance, Planet Fitness, Dodd and Soutor, Pizza Pizza, Bluebird Self Storage, and Professional Dry Cleaners have teamed up for the Adopt-A-School program!
This program gives local businesses the chance to give back to the community by purchasing Generals season tickets and donating them to elementary schools throughout Durham Region. The tickets are intended to reward students that excel in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities.
MATT BEACHIN
Call 905-433-0900 Ext. 2233 or Email mbeachin@oshawagenerals.com
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