The Ultimate 2025 OHL Cup Preview: The Teams + The Stars + The Storylines
The 2025 OHL Cup brings together the top 20 U16 AAA teams from Ontario and the U.S. for an intense showdown from March 24-28 at Scotiabank Pond in Toronto. The Championship Final will hit the ice at Mattamy Athletic Centre on March 28. Featuring elite squads from the GTHL, ALLIANCE, OMHA, HEO, NOHA, and two U.S. entries, this premier tournament showcases the best young talent in the game.
Don Mills Flyers
Goals (GF-GA): 337-64
U16 Canada Rank: 1st (63-7-2)
GTHL Regular Season Rank: 1st (30-2-1)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 31-6-1
Path to OHL Cup: GTHL Round 1 vs. Mississauga Reps (Won Series 3-0, Clinched OHL Cup Berth), Semi-Finals vs. Vaughan Kings (Won Series 3-0), GTHL Finals vs Toronto Titans (Won Series 3-2, GTHL Champions)
Keep An Eye On: #86 Charlie Murata, #71 Lincoln Edwards, #91 Tyler Lee, #8 Evan Nicholson, #27 Charlie Sullivan, #88 Caden Bell, #31 Noah La Gambina (G)
The #1 ranked U16 club for the majority of the season will look to continue their dominant season into the OHL Cup after recently winning the GTHL Championship. With likely the highest opening tournament odds to raise the Cup, and all the momentum in their favour, the Flyers are the team to beat.
Toronto Titans
Goals (GF-GA): 303-99
U16 Canada Rank: 2nd (55-11-2)
GTHL Regular Season Rank: 2nd (27-5-1)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 21-11-1
Path to OHL Cup: GTHL Round 1 vs. North York Rangers (Won Series 3-0, Clinched OHL Cup Berth), Semi-Finals vs. Toronto Red Wings (Won Series 3-0), GTHL Finals vs. Don Mills Flyers (Lost Series, 2-3)
Keep An Eye On: #90 Maxime Delisle, #8 Jeremy Freeman, #10 Michael Tang, #72 Matthew Perreault, #9 Brayden Bennett, #93 Owen Leonard (G)
The Titans have been a top 3 Ontario AAA team all season, however, they came up short in the GTHL Championship to their bitter rival Don Mills in 5 games. The Titans will be on a warpath, motivated to avenge their playoff demons at the OHL Cup and go on a deep run.
Vaughan Kings
Goals (GF-GA): 179-120
U16 Canada Rank: 8th (32-20-2)
GTHL Regular Season Rank: 4th (22-10-1)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 10-15-2
Path to OHL Cup: GTHL Round 1 vs. Toronto Marlboros (Won Series 3-0, Clinched OHL Cup Berth), Semi-Finals vs. Don Mills Flyers (Lost Series 0-3)
Keep An Eye On: #95 Gensen Geldart, #91 Quinn Norman, #19 Carter Lewandowski, #65 AJ Gladman, #15 Cayne Goulet, #22 Dylan Nobili, #59 David Healy (G)
Vaughan’s impressive GTHL quarter-final matchup sweep against a strong Marlboros club awarded the competitive Kings a guaranteed spot at the big dance. Look for them to create a lot of noise this final week of March.
Toronto Red Wings
Goals (GF-GA): 217-141
U16 Canada Rank: 9th (40-21-5)
GTHL Regular Season Rank: 6th (16-12-5)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 11-20-3
Path to OHL Cup: GTHL Round 1 vs. Toronto Jr. Canadiens (Won Series 3-2, Clinched OHL Cup Berth), Semi-Finals vs. Toronto Titans (Lost Series 0-3)
Keep An Eye On: #93 Brenner Lammens, #8 Caiden Clair, #10 Markus Harper, #2 Cade Campbell, #3 Jack Young, #78 Cruz Reznik (G)
Most people counted the Red Wings out as they dug themselves a 2-0 deficit in their quarter-final matchup against the powerhouse Jr. Canadiens. Much to the surprise of many, the resilient Red Wings rallied back to complete the reverse sweep—which inevitably punched their well-deserved ticket to the OHL Cup.
Huron-Perth Lakers
Goals (GF-GA): 271-102
U16 Canada Rank: 6th (51-12-7)
ALLIANCE Regular Season Rank: 1st (24-4-2)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 17-10-4
Path to OHL Cup: Round 1 vs. Cambridge Jr. RedHawks (Won Series 3-1-0, Clinched OHL Cup Berth), Semi-Finals vs. Elgin-Middlesex Canucks (Won Series 2-1-0), ALLIANCE Finals vs. Sun County Panthers (Lost Series 1-2-1)
Keep An Eye On: #91 Kane Barch, #19 Jake Murray, #77 Matthew Henderson, #92 Dante D’Andrea, #7 Jesse DeBruyn, #31 Vaughn Barr (G)
The Lakers fought hard, but ultimately ended up with a silver medal as they lost their “must-win” game 4 against a strong Sun County squad. While Huron-Perth has nothing to be ashamed of in their defeat, they will be a dangerous team at the OHL Cup and have the talent and depth to redeem themselves with a tournament victory this week in Toronto.
Sun County Panthers
Goals (GF-GA): 285-132
U16 Canada Rank: 7th (54-10-5)
ALLIANCE Regular Season Rank: 2nd (23-5-2)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 14-10-1
Path to OHL Cup: Round 1 vs. Kitchener (Won Series 3-0-1, Clinched OHL Cup Berth), Semi-Finals vs. Waterloo (Won Series 2-1-0), ALLIANCE Finals vs. Huron-Perth (Won Series 2-1-1, ALLIANCE Champions)
Keep An Eye On: #77 Jaakko Wycisk, #10 Brayden Lappalainen, #22 Eamon Edgar, #4 Eric Wood, #88 Alexander Lisi
The recently crowned ALLIANCE Champions got the best of their league rival, Huron-Perth, in a hard-fought 4-game series that saw the Panthers defeat the Lakers 4-2 in the series-clinching game to earn the league title. Sun County will take their winning momentum into the OHL Cup and use that confidence to their advantage as the stakes grow higher and higher.
Elgin-Middlesex Canucks
Goals (GF-GA): 200-146
U16 Canada Rank: 17th (33-18-9)
ALLIANCE Regular Season Rank: 5th (17-9-4)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 5-14-2
Path to OHL Cup: Round 1 vs. Windsor (Won Series 3-1-1, Clinched OHL Cup Berth), Semi-Finals vs. Huron-Perth (Lost Series 1-2-0)
Keep An Eye On: #97 Lucas Nutting, #7 Owen Miniotas, #16 Myles Dunn, #35 Andrew Menlove (G)
The Canucks claimed their OHL Cup ticket with a commanding Round 1 series win against the 4th seed Jr. Spitfires. They outscored the Spitfires 17-10 in their 5-game series. Additionally, Elgin stole a win in the semi-finals with an impressive 2-1 win over the #1 team in the ALLIANCE in Huron-Perth—proving they can stir the pot in terms of upsets.
Waterloo Wolves
Goals (GF-GA): 208-120
U16 Canada Rank: 12th (36-14-5)
ALLIANCE Regular Season Rank: 3rd (20-6-4)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 8-8-2
Path to OHL Cup: Round 1 vs. London (Won Series 3-0-1, Clinched OHL Cup Berth), Semi-Finals vs. Sun County (Lost Series 0-2-0)
Keep An Eye On: #91 Parker Smith, #66 Zach Forwell, #22 Wyatt Marks, #21 Max Wildfong, #55 Liam Straus
Waterloo has had a strong season thus far and that narrative did not change in their first-round matchup against London. The Wolves dominated the Jr. Knights in their 4 game series as they scored 22 goals and only allowed 6 against—which locked them into an OHL Cup spot representing the ALLIANCE.
Halton Hurricanes
Goals (GF-GA): 274-153
U16 Canada Rank: 13th (51-15-1)
OMHA Regular Season Rank: 1st WEST (29-3-1-1)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 13-12-0
Path to OHL Cup: 1st WEST Group A (4-1-0-1), 2nd in Group 2 at OMHA Championship (1-1-0-1), Semi-Finals vs. Ajax (6-2 W, Clinched OHL Cup Berth), OMHA Championship vs. York Simcoe (6-4 W)
Keep An Eye On: #17 Aleksandr Sementsov, #12 Alex Taylor, #14 Jacob Scarpelli, #79 Colton D’Amico, #22 Justin Pinchak, #29 Cole Vreugdenhil (G)
Halton has been one of the best teams from the OMHA all season long and they were recently rewarded for their efforts with #RedHats from their OMHA Championship win over York Simcoe. The boys in blue will look to continue their success amongst the best of the best at the OHL Cup.
York Simcoe Express
Goals (GF-GA): 288-151
U16 Canada Rank: 11th (50-18-1)
OMHA Regular Season Rank: 3rd EAST (24-6-0-2)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 9-11-1
Path to OHL Cup: 1st EAST Group B (9-1-0-0), 2nd in Group 1 at OMHA Championship (2-1-0-0), Semi-Finals vs. Barrie (6-2 W, Clinched OHL Cup Berth), OMHA Championship vs. Halton (6-4 L)
Keep An Eye On: #10 Ben Veitch, #17 Ryerson Edgar, #8 Evan Pahanich, #11 Logan McAulay, #9 Brayden Blyth
York Simcoe was on the short end of the stick in their intense back and forth OMHA Championship battle against the Hurricanes. Though they get a chance at redemption, the Express will be fueled by the pain of their recent defeat and they should not be taken lightly during the tournament.
Barrie Colts
Goals (GF-GA): 262-156
U16 Canada Rank: 15th (46-18-1)
OMHA Regular Season Rank: 2nd EAST (25-4-1-2)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 8-15-0
Path to OHL Cup: 1st EAST Group A (6-1-1-0), 1st in Group 2 at OMHA Championship (3-0-0-0), Semi-Finals vs. York Simcoe (6-2 L, Clinched OHL Cup Berth)
Keep An Eye On: #51 Brock Chitaroni, #17 Lachlan Larmand, #6 Hayden Martin, #35 Sebastian Morden (G)
Barrie’s OMHA semi-final matchup against their East division rival York Simcoe did not go as they planned. However, the Colts claimed a spot at the OHL Cup as an OMHA finalist in their defeat. Barrie can use that loss as a learning experience and motivation to prepare themselves for their next big test at the OHL Cup
Ajax-Pickering Raiders
Goals (GF-GA): 229-161
U16 Canada Rank: 18th (45-17-4)
OMHA Regular Season Rank: 1st EAST (26-5-1-0)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 12-11-0
Path to OHL Cup: 2nd EAST Group A (6-1-1-0), 1st in Group 1 at OMHA Championship (2-1-0-0), Semi-Finals vs. Halton (6-2 L, Clinched OHL Cup Berth)
Keep An Eye On: #66 Luke Bouchard, #8 Cooper McAslan, #93 Gavin Whiston
Ajax has been a stingy and sneaky good club in the U16 Ontario circles all season. Highlighted by their first-place regular season finish within the East division in the OMHA. The Raiders will look to create a big splash at the end of March as they’ve earned their right to fight for the OHL Cup.
Ottawa Valley Titans
Goals (GF-GA): 284-138
U16 Canada Rank: 4th (46-10-1)
HEO Regular Season Rank: 1st (29-2-1)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 18-6-1
Path to OHL Cup: HEO Semi-Finals vs. Eastern Ontario Wild (Won Series 4-0-0), HEO Championship vs. Upper Canada Cyclones (Won Series 3-1-1, Clinched OHL Cup Berth)
Keep An Eye On: #16 Kaden McGregor, #83 James Roy, #34 Logan Wilson, #11 Carter Kunopaski, #71 David Buchman
Ottawa Valley is a powerhouse reigning from the HEO and to say they’ve run that league this season is an understatement. Their playoff run was nothing short of pure dominance as they scored 41 goals and went 8-1 en route to an HEO Championship. At the OHL Cup, the Titans will be a genuine threat and they have the talent to match up against the best of the best.
Upper Canada Cyclones
Goals (GF-GA): 187-212
U16 Canada Rank: 19th (21-30-10)
HEO Regular Season Rank: 3rd (9-17-6)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 8-22-2
Path to OHL Cup: HEO Semi-Finals vs. Myers Automotive (Won Series 3-1-1), HEO Championship vs. Ottawa Valley (Lost Series 1-1-3, Clinched OHL Cup Berth)
Keep An Eye On: #13 Carter Beauchesne, #88 Carter Cuglietta, #29 Evan Graham, #61 Reid Harper, #73 Connor Haffner (G)
To clinch their OHL Cup berth, the underdog Cyclones completed an impressive semi-final HEO playoff upset of the 2nd-seeded Myers Automotive. Though their momentum was eventually thwarted by the likes of Ottawa Valley, Upper Canada earned their guaranteed spot to play against the best of the best this March in Toronto. UCC will need to find that magic that they had against Myers Auto for them to have any shot at going deep in this tournament.
Team NOHA
Path to OHL Cup: OHL Cup NOHA Representative Team
Keep An Eye On: #18 Adam Pzeniczny, #9 Sam Piette, #5 Frankie Reda, #17 Nico Bossio
The best players from Northern Ontario have joined forces to form “Team NOHA” as they search for OHL Cup glory. The roster is primarily comprised of SOO Greyhounds (10 players), North Bay Trappers (6 players) and Sudbury Wolves (3 players) which will limit the friction in terms of unfamiliarity and lack of chemistry. This final roster was determined as the season progressed through several scouting and recruitment avenues such as split squad games against AAA clubs.
Detroit Little Caesars
Goals (GF-GA): 415-111
15U Tier 1 USA Rank: 3rd (65-5-2)
Regular Season Rank: 1st Tier 1 MAHA (21-0-0)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 8-4-1
Path to OHL Cup: OHL Cup USA Representative Team
Keep An Eye On: #9 Vincent Arnone, #18 Landon Jackman, #8 Massimo Santa Maria, #86 Gunner Gullstrand, #12 Anthony Timmerman
Making their first appearance at the OHL Cup since their semi-final defeat back in 2019, this rendition of the Little Caesars is a force to be reckoned with within the USA minor hockey circles. Detroit will look to take home the hardware this week—a feat that has never been accomplished at the OHL Cup for an American-based team.
Total Package Hockey
Path to OHL Cup: OHL Cup USA Representative Team
Keep An Eye On: #23 Mitchell Mars, #7 Paxton Couture, #9 Colton Colby, #11 Miles Jinman, #3 Zachary Shirkey
Much like Team NOHA, which brings together top talent, TPH serves as the U.S. equivalent, building a roster from hockey hotbeds like Michigan, New York, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. With a diverse mix of players and plenty of skill, TPH has the potential to pull off some upsets in this fiercely competitive tournament.
Wildcard Entries
Thunder Bay Kings
Goals (GF-GA): 100-85
U16 Canada Rank: 52nd (19-15-2)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 0-1-0
Path to OHL Cup: HNO Automatic Wildcard Entry
Keep An Eye On: #18 Levi Fogolin, #20 Michael Figliomeni, #6 Reece Pires, #8 Ben Paddington
The OHL Cup’s HNO representative club the Thunder Bay Kings have played only one recorded game against OHL Cup teams. In fact, most of their games this season have been played against local ‘AA’ clubs—30 games of their 36 to be exact. Additionally, in the 6 games they did play against ‘AAA’ teams, the highest-ranked team they played was Waterloo (12th in Ontario) and the rest were ranked between 38th-51st. Their wildcard matchup against the Marlboros will likely be an uphill battle for the Kings, but if they can limit their mistakes and play an advantageous game of hockey, they could have a shot of winning.
Toronto Jr. Canadiens
Goals (GF-GA): 300-125
U16 Canada Rank: 3rd (50-14-7)
GTHL Regular Season Rank: 3rd (21-5-7)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 20-11-4
Path to OHL Cup: GTHL Round 1 vs. Toronto Red Wings (Lost Series 2-3), OHL Cup Wildcard Selection
Keep An Eye On: #95 Camryn Warren, #11 Noah Laus, #96 Tyler Bruce, #8 Keaton Ardagh, #9 Fisher Ishwaran, #33 Hudson Cicchelli (G)
Perhaps the most obvious wildcard selection, there might not be a more motivated squad in this tournament than the Jr. Canadiens. Being one of the most dominant U16 AAA teams all season and coming up short in the GTHL playoffs, JRC is chomping at the bit to get back on the ice and play some meaningful hockey. JRC will take on an unfamiliar opponent in Ottawa Myers Automotive as they have not faced off this season. Do not be surprised if the Jr. Canadiens go on a deep run.
Toronto Marlboros
Goals (GF-GA): 267-148
U16 Canada Rank: 5th (38-21-4)
GTHL Regular Season Rank: 5th (20-10-3)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 10-16-3
Path to OHL Cup: GTHL Round 1 vs. Vaughan Kings (Lost Series 0-3), OHL Cup Wildcard Selection
Keep An Eye On: #10 Cannon Thibodeau, #51 Kingston Harris, #96 Maxwell Branton, #11 Jack Johnson
Much like their GTHL wildcard counterpart, the Jr. Canadiens, the Marlboros rejoin the fight with a chip on their shoulder. With an opportunity to recalibrate and get some practice in, the Marlboros will not take their wildcard selection for granted and should come out of the gates with high energy on wildcard Monday. They will face an unfamiliar opponent in the Thunder Bay Kings for their “win and you’re in” matchup.
Niagara North Stars
Goals (GF-GA): 284-145
U16 Canada Rank: 14th (44-23-4)
OMHA Regular Season Rank: 3rd WEST (22-8-1-3)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 7-13-1
Path to OHL Cup: 1st WEST Group B (7-1-0-0), 4th Group 2 at OMHA Championship, OHL Cup Wildcard Selection
Keep An Eye On: #5 Kieran Raynor, #19 Cooper Oikawa, #37 Zaiden Hraiche, #13 Gavin Christie, #88 Nicholas Soliman (G)
Niagara was one of the eight teams that advanced to the OMHA Championship earlier this month as they had a dominant playoff run leading West Group B. While at the Championship, the North Stars failed to make the semi-finals and as a result, they lost all their momentum in the process. However, Niagara’s wildcard selection is well deserved and not without merit—they’ve had a largely successful season as a whole. Niagara will face off against their OMHA divisional rival, the Oakville Rangers.
Oakville Rangers
Goals (GF-GA): 267-137
U16 Canada Rank: 10th (43-21-3)
OMHA Regular Season Rank: 2nd WEST (29-4-0-1)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 9-14-1
Path to OHL Cup: 1st WEST Group A (4-1-0-1), 3rd in Group 2 at OMHA Championship (1-2-0), OHL Cup Wildcard Selection
Keep An Eye On: #93 Alex Forrest, #17 Giacomo Del Priore, #86 Jatan Sandhar, #88 Maddyx Chaput, #32 Charlie Weiss (G)
Oakville’s postseason fate has followed a similar path to their divisional rival Niagara—the similarities are almost uncanny. The Rangers led their respective playoff group and came up short at the OMHA Championship as they shared an identical record as Niagara going 1-2 in the round-robin. Both clubs have split the season series 2-2 throughout the season proving that this wildcard game will likely be a close contest.
Ottawa Myers Automotive
Goals (GF-GA): 225-208
U16 Canada Rank: 21st (36-23-6)
HEO Regular Season Rank: 2nd (17-12-3)
Record vs. OHL Cup Teams: 11-18-1
Path to OHL Cup: HEO Semi-Finals vs. Upper Canada Cyclones (Lost Series, 1-3-1), OHL Cup Wildcard Selection
Keep An Eye On: #88 Will Mullins, #20 Jack Malandra, #7 Liam Hayes, #89 Alex Tangalin, #93 Karsten Barbeau
Despite their HEO playoff upset at the hands of the Upper Canada Cyclones, HEO’s 2nd ranked team has proved to the masses that they’re legit and deserve a second chance to chase the OHL Cup. With strong tournament play throughout the season going 18-8-2, Myers Auto is a team that can be a disruptor and find a way to keep games close for some potential upsets. Myers Auto will have to play a flawless game as they will be pitted against a hungry Jr. Canadiens team on wildcard Monday.
