Espanola’s link to the OHL
Espanola Paper Kings of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League have a good history of player development with the Ontario Hockey League. It was during the ’22-23 campaign that defenseman Conor Walton — now in his fourth OHL season with the Windsor Spitfires — skated in 51 NOJHL games for Espanola. Fast forward to the ’26-27 season and the Paper Kings have two picks from the 2026 OHL priority selections draft — defenseman Tayden Smith and forward Carter Trudell — with them as NOJHL rookies.
Conor Walton. Originally a fourth round OHL draft pick by the Sudbury Wolves in 2022, the 6 foot 5, 207 pound Walton has since developed into a premiere defensive defenseman with Windsor since playing in the NOJHL for Espanola. Regular season and playoffs included, Walton — who has a 2006 birth date — has appeared in 227 OHL games for the Spitfires to date and is one of their assistant captains. He had a lengthy stay with the Vegans Golden Knights of the National Hockey League at their main camp before returning to the Spitfires for his overage season.
Tayden Smith. The 6 foot 3 , 177 pound Smith was taken by the North Bay Battalion from the Under 16 level Sudbury Jr. Wolves of the Great North Hockey League in the 11th round of this year’s OHL priority selections draft. Smith had eight goals, 21 assists, 29 points in 34 Great North games with the Jr. Wolves in ’25-26 en route to being named the Northern Ontario Hockey Association player of the year for his 2010 age group. In 12 NOJHL games for Espanola thus far this season, Smith has two goals, two assists, four points from his blue line post.
Carter Trudell. The 6 foot, 180 pound forward with a 2010 birth date was picked by North Bay from the Under 16 level Windsor Jr. Spitfires of the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario in the 12th round of this year’s OHL draft. Trudell stood out for the Jr. Spitfires in ’25-26 with 32 goals, 23 assists, 55 points in 54 games. Thus far this season in Espanola, Trudell has three goals, two assists, five points in 11 games.
