OHL shines at NHL Draft
So much for the critics saying that the talent pool in the Ontario Hockey League is getting shallow. Rather, 47 OHL players were selected through the seven rounds of the recent 2026 National Hockey League Draft. To be sure, the 47 OHL players picked is just one less than the league’s modern-era record of 48, which was established in 2012 and equalled in 2016.
Really Good Numbers. The 47 OHL players taken at the 2026 NHL Draft represents 20.9 per cent of all players taken, which is the league’s highest share in 10 years. Notably, a draft-leading seven players from the OHL were chosen in the first round. The OHL’s 47 draft picks were part of a Canadian Hockey League total of 106 players chosen. Impressively, the 106 players is the most the CHL has produced at a single NHL Draft since way back in 2010.
OHL In The First Round. Forward Caleb Malhotra of the Brantford Bulldogs led the way for the OHL by going third overall to the Vancouver Canucks. He was followed in the first round by (in photo above) Soo Greyhounds defenseman Chase Reid (Seattle Kraken), Saginaw Spirit forward Nikita Klepov (Anaheim Ducks), Windsor Spitfires forward Ethan Belchetz (Utah Mammoth), Peterborough Petes forward Adam Novotny (Vancouver Canucks), London Knights defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii (Philadelphia Flyers) and London Knights forward Jaxon Cover (Ottawa Senators.)
Five OHL Newcomers Drafted. Five players who played elsewhere in ’25-26 but who have signed with OHL teams for the ’26-27 season were picked at the NHL Draft. They are Saginaw Spirit goalie Brady Knowling (San Jose Sharks), Sarnia Sting forward Simon Katolicky (Calgary Flames) Owen Sound Attack forward Lucian Bernat (Vancouver Canucks), Kitchener Rangers forward Charlie Puglisi (Nashville Predators) and Brantford Bulldogs defenseman Jean-Samuel Daigneault (Montreal Canadiens.)
Not Drafted But. London Knights goalie Sebastian Gatto was bypassed through the seven rounds of the NHL Draft, which is understandable given that he is 20 years old and played just a single season in the OHL. But Gatto’s agent Eddie Mio was quick to get an invitation to the upcoming NHL development camp of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 6 foot 4 goalie. How good was Gatto for London in ’25-26? Good enough that he supplanted highly touted holdover Aleksei Medvedev — who was a second round pick by the Vancouver Canucks a year ago — as the Knights no. 1 goalie. Besides getting an invitation to the Maple Leafs upcoming NHL development camp, Gatto has a Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association commitment to play for the Dartmouth College Big Green in ’26-27. Dartmouth is a perennial Ivy League powerhouse.
