The 2026 OHL playoffs have arrived. High-level draft prospects and youngsters in organizations across the NHL will pursue the J. Ross Robertson Cup and a place in the Memorial Cup.
With the regular season in the books, it's time for 16 OHL Teams to battle for the J. Ross Robertson Cup and a chance to play for the Memorial Cup in Kelowna.
The playoffs begin Thursday, with four series getting underway. The next four start on Friday.
The London Knights have won the past two OHL playoffs, and they captured the Memorial Cup last year. And the Saginaw Spirit, which won the 2024 Memorial Cup as hosts, are back in the playoffs as well.
Let's preview all eight series happening in the first round and highlight NHL prospects and draft-eligible players hockey fans should keep their eyes on.
Eastern Conference
Brantford Bulldogs (1) vs. Sudbury Wolves (8)
With a whopping 12 NHL prospects, the Brantford Bulldogs will be a must-watch in their series against the Sudbury Wolves.
Chicago Blackhawks prospect Marek Vanacker leads the OHL in goals with 47 in 60 games.
Bulldogs captain Jake O'Brien (SEA) leads the league in assists with 65 in 53 games.
It's not just the forwards that can score either, as Adam Jiricek (STL) has the fourth-most points overall (59) and most power-play points (31) among defensemen, being done in 55 games.
Sudbury shouldn't be overlooked, though.
They have offensive power of their own in Jan Chovan (LA), who leads the team with 28 goals and 55 points in 60 games.
Artem Gonchar (NYR) leads the team in assists with 36, along with 51 points in 65 games.
Rookie Caleb Malhotra is a top-three goal and point scorer on Brantford this season, with 29 goals and 84 points in 67 games. He's projected to be selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL draft, and his exact placement could depend on whether he can continue to score goals at his current rate in the playoffs.
The same can be said about Wolves player Adam Nemec, who is projected to be picked by the end of the second round of the draft. He has 14 goals and 35 points despite playing only 31 games this season, averaging 1.13 points per game. If he can keep this pace going, he may even be picked late first round.
Barrie Colts (2) vs Niagara IceDogs (7)
The Barrie Colts will be heading into their series against the Niagara IceDogs shorthanded.
Co-captain Kashawn Aitcheson will be suspended for the first two games of the series after fighting IceDogs player Hayden Reid during the Colts' final game of the regular season.
The New York Islanders prospect will be missed as he finished the season with 28 goals and 70 points, leading all defenseman in the league while playing fewer games than most of his competition.
His absence will put eyes on co-captain Cole Beaudoin (UTA), who had a team-leading 33 goals and 89 points in 54 games.
Beaudoin won't be alone, though, as Emil Hemming (DAL) can score as well, being fifth on the team with 26 goals and 63 points.
The IceDogs have some elite scorers to keep an eye on, too, including former Colt and Vancouver Canucks prospect Riley Patterson. He leads Niagara with 40 goals and 84 points in 60 games, putting him tied for third in league goal-scoring. Just behind him is Ethan Czata (TBL), who is third on the IceDogs with 25 goals and 53 points in 63 games.
The Colts' goalie tandem is one of the best in the league. Starter Ben Hrebik has a 2.81 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage in 43 games. He's ranked 19th among North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting.
Meanwhile, rookie backup Arvin Jaswal has a 2.45 GAA and a .922 SP in 24 games. He's ranked 23rd.
Among goalies that have played more than one game, the pair have the fourth- and second-best save percentage, respectively, in the league.
IceDogs center Ryan Roobroeck is another strong force of the team's offense, being second in goals (30) and points (58) in 49 games. He's projected to be picked no later than the mid-second round.
Ottawa 67's (3) vs. Kingston Frontenacs (6)
It's a rivalry matchup, and physicality will be a key aspect of this series.
That's where David Bedkowski (BUF), former captain of the Owen Sound Attack, comes in for the 67's. The defenseman is not afraid to rough up his opponents, highlighted in his seven fights and team-leading 118 penalty minutes.
That's not all he can do, though, as he has 29 points in 68 games.
Scoring also comes from Filip Ekberg (CAR), whose 24 goals rank fifth on the team and 46 points rank sixth.
The Frontenacs' only NHL prospect is Kieren Dervin (VAN). He scored 17 goals, second-most on the team, and 42 points, third-most on the team, in 53 games.
Ottawa rookie Ryder Fetterolf is arguably the best goaltender in the OHL, leading all qualified goalies with a 2.07 GAA, a .923 SP and six shutouts in 41 games.
The craziest part of this is that Ottawa's backup goalie, Jaeden Nelson, is just as good. He has a 2.33 GAA, a .915 SP and one shutout in 29 games.
Fetterolf is ranked 16th by NHL Central Scouting, and Nelson is ranked 35th.
Center Jasper Kuhta leads Ottawa in goals with 32 and has the second-most points with 63. He's ranked 93rd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
The Frontenacs have two good goalies of their own. First is rookie Gavin Betts, who has a 2.81 GAA and a .905 SP in 43 games. Second is Matthew Minchak, who has a 2.91 GAA and a .910 SP in 30 games. They are ranked 26th and 11th, respectively, by NHL Central Scouting.
Peterborough Petes (4) vs. North Bay Battalion (5)
The Peterborough Petes are back in the playoffs for the first time since winning it in 2023.
Kieron Walton (WPG) is tied for the third-most goals in the OHL with 40, along with 88 points in 62 games, although he played 33 games with Sudbury before being traded.
North Bay has some scoring power of its own in Ethan Procyszyn and Lirim Amidovski.
Adam Novotny will have many eyes on him during this series, as he is projected to be a first-round draft pick. He scored 34 goals and 65 points in 58 games.
Third on Peterborough is Aiden Young, who scored 23 goals and 58 points in 62 games. He's ranked 193rd by NHL Central Scouting.
The Battalion's draft-eligible player with some eyes on him is Ryder Cali, who scored 16 goals and 36 points in only 47 games. He's projected to be a late first-rounder or mid-second-rounder.
Western Conference
Kitchener Rangers (1) vs. Saginaw Spirit (8)
The Kitchener Rangers have a stacked roster with 12 NHL prospects, four of which are among the top five scorers on the team.
First in goals and points is Jack Pridham (CHI) with 46 goals and 90 points in 65 games. He has the second-most goals and fifth-most points in the OHL.
Christian Humphreys (COL) has 27 goals and 85 points in 63 games. Sam O'Reilly (TBL) scored 29 goals and 71 points in 56 games.
And Cameron Reid (NSH) has 15 goals and 56 points in 57 games. However, he's first in those metrics among defensemen on the Rangers and sixth in the league.
The Saginaw Spirit, meanwhile, have only one NHL prospect on their roster: Jacob Cloutier. The Jets prospect ranks fourth in goals (22) and fifth in points (47) on the Spirit in 64 games.
Alexander Bilecki is the only first-year draft-eligible skater on the Rangers. He has nine goals and 29 points in 66 games. He's ranked 38th by NHL Central Scouting.
Over in Saginaw, rookie Nikita Klepov has an OHL-leading 97 points in 67 games. Meanwhile, Egor Barabanov has 63 assists and 91 points in 68 games.
Klepov is projected to be a mid- to late first-round pick and is ranked 17th by NHL Central Scouting. Barabanov is ranked 39th.
Windsor Spitfires (2) vs. Guelph Storm (7)
The Windsor Spitfires' top scorer is Liam Greentree (NYR) with 38 goals and 74 points in 52 games.
Nathan Villeneuve (SEA) has 51 assists and 63 points in 51 games between the Wolves and Spitfires.
Over on the Guelph Storm, Tyler Hopkins (TOR), has 25 goals and 50 points in 56 games, including 25 points in 27 games since being acquired from Kingston.
Quinn Beauchesne (PIT) is the leading scorer among Guelph defensemen with seven goals and 35 points in 56 games.
Ethan Belchetz of the Spitfires is one of the highest-draft-eligible players in these playoffs, projected as a top-15 pick. He has 34 goals and 59 points in 57 games.
Not only is Carson Woodall tied for the second-most points on Windsor with 63 in 68 games, but he has the second-most points among all defensemen in the OHL. NHL Central Scouting has him 217th among North American skaters.
Carter Stevens has the third-most goals on the Storm with 20, along with 36 points in 53 games. He's ranked 54th by NHL Central Scouting.
Illia Shybinskyi has 19 goals and 44 points in 60 games. He's ranked 185th by NHL Central Scouting.
Flint Firebirds (3) vs. Owen Sound Attack (6)
Flint's scoring leader, Nathan Aspinall (NYR), has the third-most assists (61) and second-most points (94) in the OHL.
Jets prospect Kevin He has 39 goals and 77 points in 60 games between Niagara and Flint.
Jimmy Lombardi rounds out Flint's triple-headed monster. The Kings prospect put up 36 goals and 72 points in 65 games.
Over on the Attack, Harry Nansi (TOR) recorded 43 assists and 56 points in 67 games. He's tied for first on Owen Sound in helpers and sits second in points.
Firebirds alternate captain Alex Kostov scored 24 goals and 55 points in 47 games. NHL Central Scouting ranked him 117th.
Pierce Mbuyi is Owen Sound's leading goal and point scorer with 32 and 75 in 68 games. He's projected to be picked by the end of the second round.
London Knights (4) vs. Soo Greyhounds (5)
Despite being the defending Memorial Cup and J. Ross Robertson Cup champions, the Knights don't have many NHL prospects, with five.
One notable one is Henry Brzustewicz. The Kings prospect has the second-most assists (35) and points (54) on the team in 59 games.
On the Soo Greyhounds, backup goaltender Carter George (LA) played 46 games with the Attack and Greyhounds, posting a 2.73 GAA and a .907 SP.
From there, Marco Mignosa (TBL) leads the Greyhounds with 35 goals and 89 points in 65 games, ranking sixth in the OHL in scoring.
Draft-eligible left winger Ryan Brown, who came over to London from the Sarnia Sting, scored 22 goals and 63 points in 67 games.
Rookie Jaxon Cover, who has 20 goals and 52 points in 67 games, is projected to be picked late in the first round or by the middle of the second round.
Greyhounds defenseman Chase Reid has 18 goals and 48 points in only 45 games. He's arguably the most notable draft-eligible player participating in these playoffs, projected as a top-10 pick, with some even ranking him among the top five.
Roderick Bawcutt is an intern with The Hockey News.
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