A total of 15 Greater Toronto Hockey League alumni are set to compete in the 2026 Ontario Hockey League Championship Series, with the Kitchener Rangers and Barrie Colts battling for the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
The Rangers lead the way with nine GTHL alumni on their roster, while the Colts feature six former GTHL players.
Kitchener enters as Western Conference champions after capturing the Wayne Gretzky Trophy for the first time since 2008, advancing past the Saginaw Spirit, the Soo Greyhounds, and the Windsor Spitfires with a 12-2 playoff record. The Barrie Colts, meanwhile, punched their ticket as Eastern Conference champions after a dramatic comeback from a 3-1 series deficit against the Brantford Bulldogs, capped by a 5-0 Game 7 win to secure the Bobby Orr Trophy.
Among the GTHL alumni playing key roles is Vaughan Kings graduate Sam O’Reilly, who has led the way for Kitchener offensively throughout the postseason. O’Reilly scored his OHL playoff-leading 14th goal in the Rangers’ Western Conference-clinching win over Windsor, continuing a standout season that also saw him named the 2026 Red Tilson Trophy winner as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player. On the Barrie side, North York Rangers alumnus Kashawn Aitcheson has been a major presence from the blue line, opening the scoring in the Colts’ Game 7 win over Brantford after recently being named the OHL Defenceman of the Year.
The OHL Championship Series will determine the league’s representative at the 2026 Memorial Cup, with several former GTHL players playing key roles on both sides of the matchup.
Kitchener Rangers — 9 GTHL Alumni
- Dylan Edwards — U18 Toronto Young Nationals, U16 Toronto Titans
- Weston Cameron — Toronto Marlboros
- Luke Ellinas — North York Rangers
- Sam O’Reilly — Vaughan Kings
- Jack Pridham — U15 Toronto Young Nationals
- Matthew Hlacar — U14 Toronto Marlboros
- Luca Romano — Toronto Jr. Canadiens
- Matthew Andonovski — Reps Hockey Club
- Alexander Bilecki — Mississauga Rebels
Barrie Colts — 6 GTHL Alumni
- Carter Lowe — Toronto Marlboro
- Parker von Richter — Toronto Marlboro
- Ethan Armstrong — Toronto Jr. Canadiens
- Cole Emerson — Vaughan Kings
- Kashawn Aitcheson — North York Rangers
- Arvin Jaswal — U18 Toronto Red Wings
