The Steelheads will look to build back up to the playoffs after a disaster 2025-26 campaign
After a season to forget for the Brampton Steelheads, there's some hope the team can turn the corner and get back to the playoffs in 2026-27.
It felt like last year was a wash from before the season even started. Both Porter Martone and Jack Ivankovic chose to leave the team early to head to play collegiately, which took away the two best players on the team by a good mile.
Martone very well could've been an MVP candidate if he stayed in the OHL, and Ivankovic up for one of the top goaltenders.
After a tough season, Brampton will be determined to improve in 2026-27. (Photo: Terry Wilson/OHL Images)But, that's not how it played out in the end. It did lead to a poor season in Brampton, a non-playoff year and something that has approached a full rebuild to the team.
With that, the new season looks to bring plenty of new, young faces to the team up and down the roster. The Steelheads have signed both of their top import draft choices from this year in Finnish goalie Oskari Ahmajarvi as well as Russian forward Stepan Kuryachenkov.
There will also be fresh faces from the OHL entry draft, though third-overall pick Tanner Adams will not be one of them, as he seems set on only playing for the Sudbury Wolves as of now.
Arjun Nanubhai, who surprisingly slipped to the second-round of the draft, has signed. He should bring some real offensive flair to this roster that badly needs it, and could be a pillar to build around if he reaches his potential.
Some other interesting offseason moves include the signing of Nashville-born twins Ben and Peyton Collins, a pair of 17-year-old forwards that should help round out the forward core. Those two also recently announced their commitments to Cornell University, expected to be for the 2028-29 season.
So, while the rebuild is definitely still a work in progress, and there's work to be done with the Adams situation, there's much more to look forward to this year in Brampton compared to last year's doom and gloom.
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