Starting tomorrow night, the Barrie Colts and Kitchener Rangers will start their best of seven series to decide who wins the OHL's J. Ross Robertson Cup and gets to play for the Memorial Cup. Here is a preview of the series.
After just over a month of intense playoff hockey, two teams remain in the 2026 OHL Playoffs.
Representing the Western Conference is the Kitchener Rangers. They have a near perfect 12-2 record this post-season and have been resting since May 1st when they eliminated the Windsor Spitfires in five games.
Representing the Eastern Conference is the Barrie Colts. They will have a quick turnaround as it took seven games to eliminate the Brantford Bulldogs and only have one day off in between series.
This brings up the question of which team is in a better spot. Do the Rangers have the advantage since they’ve been able to rest for the past few days? Or do the Colts have the advantage with their momentum after coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the East?
Terry Wilson/OHL ImagesThat’s difficult to determine, just like the state of Barrie’s captain and Utah Mammoth prospect Cole Beaudoin. After sustaining an injury in Game 5 of round three, Beaudoin wasn’t in the lineup for Game 6 and 7 and his availability for the Championship Series is unknown.
Assuming Cole is unavailable, his teammates will have to score goals in his place. Eyes will especially be on Ben Wilmott and Dallas Stars prospect Emil Hemming who are the top three goal scorers on Barrie alongside Beaudoin with nine and 12 goals respectively.
Regardless of how many goals the Colts score, the players will be confident knowing that Ben Hrebik is behind them. Barrie’s starting goaltender has been great in net this post-season, owning a 2.50 goals against average and a .925 save percentage, including a 40 save shutout in Game 7 against the Bulldogs.
Their “no one cares, work harder” slogan will be tested though as Kitchener won’t go down easily.
Natalie Shaver/OHL ImagesTheir team is headlined by Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Sam O’Reilly, who is this season’s recipient of the Red Tilson Trophy, which is awarded for being the most outstanding player of the regular season. O’Reilly has scored 14 goals and 22 points in these playoffs, which is the most on the team.
The two Kitchener players behind O’Reilly in goals and points are Dylan Edwards and Colorado Avalanche prospect Christian Humphreys. Humphreys is third with 7 goals and 19 points while Edwards is second with 11 goals and 19 points, one of those being the overtime winner that won the West for Kitchener.
The Rangers will be boosted with the return of Ottawa Senators prospect and alternate captain Luke Ellinas. He hadn’t played a game since late November due to injury before returning to the lineup in Game 5 against the Spitfires, scoring a goal in the process.
If Kitchener goes down a man in a game, there will be nothing to worry about as the team has killed off 90.2% of their penalties this post-season.
The Rangers haven’t been to the finals since 2008 when they won the OHL championship. Meanwhile, the Colts haven’t won the championship since 2000 despite making the finals in 2002, 2010 and 2013.
Only one team can win the J. Ross Robertson Cup and earn a ticket to the Memorial Cup. The series starts tomorrow night in Kitchener.