Early season impressions
Three or so weeks into the ’25-26 Ontario Hockey League regular season have led to a writer’s collection of noteworthy scribbles.
ALL IN ON WINDSOR: We have liked the look of the Spitfires since well before the start of the ’24-25 OHL season — and we like them even more in ’25-26.
In fact, we were all alone in calling for Windsor to finish atop the West Division of the OHL in ’24-25 and the Spitfires did just that, putting up an amazing 96 points after missing the OHL playoffs entirely in ’23-24 with just 44 points.
And after a fine two round playoff run last spring that was only halted by a barrage of injuries to key players, the Spitfires began this ’25-26 season with seven straight victories, including a dandy 4-3 overtime decision on the road in Brantford over their fellow OHL title contender Bulldogs.
There is no apparent weakness on this ’25-26 edition of the Spitfires that has been exceptionally well put together by general manager Billy Bowler. Windsor features National Hockey League first round forwards Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings) and Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia Flyers) and a few others who should be high NHL picks in 2026, namely forwards Ethan Belchetz, J.C. Lemieux and Caden Harvey and defenseman Carter Hicks. Notably, the hulking Belchetz, a youngster in a man’s body, is an OHL superstar in the making.
And in the net, Windsor has overage mainstay Joey Costanzo, who right now is one of the best two or three goalies in the entire league after beginning his OHL career in what was then a disaster of a situation in Niagara. Fast forward and Costanzo — who patterns himself after legendary ironman NHL goalie Glenn Hall of Chicago Blackhawks fame — is tried, tested and true and earned himself a look at this year’s NHL training camp of the Philadelphia Flyers.
HOUNDS ON REBOUND: An eight game sample to begin the ’25-26 season says a lot about the Soo Greyhounds, who finished a distant seventh in the Western Conference in ’24-25 before losing to Windsor in the first round.
After beginning this season with a loss and a win on home ice, the Greyhounds played the next six games on the road. And that is where the hope and the hype comes into play as the Red and White of Sault Ste. Marie won four of those six away games.
Besides a really good group of holdover forwards led by goal a game producer — and Pittsburgh Penguins NHL draft pick — Jordan Charron, the Greyhounds also feature second year defenseman Chase Reid, who projects to be a rather high pick at the 2026 NHL Draft.
For one, Mike Dawson, the highly regarded cross over scout for the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, is very high on Reid. Originally from Sault Ste. Marie and now based in Kingston, Dawson tells us that “I really like Reid. He can play in all situations. He has good size, great skating and skill and he runs the power play.”
YOUNG GOALIE IN FLINT: Goalies are typically known to develop and mature later than any other position player. Then there is 15 year old goalie Mason Courville of the Flint Firebirds, who doesn’t turn 16 until the 27th of this month.
At 6 foot 1, 180 pounds, Courville was Flint’s third round pick at the 2025 OHL priority selections draft from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights AAA program that is based out of Pennsylvania. Courville is seen as the eventual heir apparent to the graduated Nathan Day — an Edmonton Oilers prospect — as Flint’s workhorse goalie of the future.
At any rate, in just his second career OHL start after a rough opening game baptism, Courville rebounded to turn in an eye popping performance for Flint in a narrow defeat to the Sarnia Sting. In that game, Courville blocked 35 of 38 shots and was Flint’s clear cut game star.
With his late birth date, Courville will not be eligible for the NHL Draft until 2028.
Of further note, Courville has OHL bloodlines through his dad, Larry Courville, a Timmins, Ontario native who was a world class winger in the league from 1991 to 1995 while suiting up for the Cornwall Royals, Sarnia Sting and Oshawa Generals.
BIG ON THE BULLDOGS: Brantford was part of a hotly contested Eastern Conference in ’24-25 and while the Bulldogs came up just short during a determined playoff run, they look every bit like a unit that can compete for OHL glory in ’25-26.
For starters, Brantford boasts seven players who are already National Hockey League draft picks — forwards Marek Vanacker (first round, Chicago Blackhawks, 2024), Jake O’Brien (first round, Seattle Kraken, 2025), Adam Benak (fourth round, Minnesota Wild, 2025) and Sam McCue (seventh round, Toronto Maple Leafs, 2024), defensemen Owen Protz (fourth round, Montreal Canadiens, 2024) and Edison Engle (sixth round, Winnipeg Jets, 2025) and goalie Ryerson Leenders (seventh round, Buffalo Sabres, 2024.)
And the Bulldogs have two forwards who have looked good in the early going of the ’25-26 OHL seasons and who loom as attractive picks for the 2026 NHL Draft — team scoring leader Caleb Malhotra and fellow 2008 birth year skater Aiden O’Donnell.
Both are clearly on the radar of aforementioned Seattle Kraken scout Mike Dawson ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Dawson relayed to us that he just saw Malhotra play for the first time, noting that “he looks like a first rounder all day to me. It is only one view so I am trying not to get too excited but I really liked what I saw.”
As for O’Donnell, Dawson noted that “he finished (the ’24-25 season) well and is of high interest this year.”
OTHERS TO LIKE: A trio of 2008 birth year players have particularly stood out in the early going of this season. They are goalie Gavin Betts of the Kingston Frontenacs, import forward Nikita Klepov of the Saginaw Spirit and import forward Beksultan Makysh of the Windsor Spitfires … Also making our early season list of impression is homegrown 2006 birth year defenseman Carson Woodall of Windsor, who had 10 assists in the Spitfires’ first eight games.