Tanner Adams will play for the NOJHL's Timmins Rock instead of joining the Brampton Steelheads.
Tanner Adams, the third overall pick in the 2026 OHL draft by the Brampton Steelheads, has signed with the Timmins Rock of the NOJHL ahead of the 2026-27 season, the team announced on Thursday.
It's long been thought Adams would only play for his hometown Sudbury Wolves in the OHL, in order to stay closer to home and his family, but this move is much more of a definite statement towards that line of thinking.
The 16-year-old centre was seen as potentially the top available talent in this year's draft, coming off some high-scoring seasons at The Hill Academy, including 88 (34+54) points in 52 games last season.
But, team preference scared both Oshawa and Erie towards other talents that will play for them. The Steelheads, however, chose to take the risk at third overall.
Clearly, they couldn't convince Adams to come over and play in Brampton, and will now have to explore their options moving forward on what to do in this precarious position.
Firstly, and perhaps the most likely, there's a window open from Sept. 1 to 15 for a "defected player" trade, where they can move Adams via trade (likely to Sudbury) and regain a compensatory first-round pick in next year's draft.
This would be the path of least resistance for all parties, where Brampton could collect a big haul of draft picks for a player who won't play for them, as well as getting their first-rounder they used on the player back.
Tanner Adams will not report to the Brampton Steelheads, who now have a decision to make regarding their third-overall pick. (Photo: Dan Hickling/OHL Images)But, if they are unable to come to terms on a deal, or choose to play the long game with Adams, the Steelheads could hold onto the player's rights for the year, and try again next year to get him to play for their team.
Adams would therefore play in Timmins for the year, close to home as he and his family clearly desire, and everyone would re-evaluate their priors in the summer of 2027.
That option comes with a ton of risk, though. With the openness in transfers of junior hockey players nowadays, there's always a chance Adams could leave for another route, bypassing the OHL altogether.
In the end, this is a file that will remain open, at least for another month or so. When we get to mid-September, we'll see where the OHL's third-overall pick ends up playing next season.
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