Toronto, ON – Forty-two OHL players on the NHL scouting radar will hit the ice in Brantford on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 for an exciting, first of its kind event for the Ontario Hockey League. Of the 42 players, 15 are alumni of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). Both Vince Laise (Assistant Coach for the Eastern Conference) and Chris Lazary (Head Coach of the Western Conference) are also alumni of the League.
GTHL ALUMNI (17)
EASTERN CONFERENCE (9):
- Jack Ivankovic (Mississauga Senators)
- Xander Velliaris (Toronto Jr. Canadiens)
- Kashawn Aitcheson (North York Rangers)
- Ethan Czata (Mississauga Rebels)
- Shamar Moses (Don Mills Flyers)
- Lirim Amidovski (Toronto Jr. Canadiens)
- Jake O’Brien (Toronto Jr. Canadiens)
- Porter Martone (Toronto Jr. Canadiens)
- Assistant Coach – Vince Laise (Mississauga Senators)
WESTERN CONFERENCE (7):
- Aleksei Medvedev (Vaughan Kings)
- David Bedkowski (Toronto Young Nationals)
- Jimmy Lombardi (Don Mills Flyers)
- Adrian Misaljevic (Mississauga Rebels)
- Malcolm Spence (Mississauga Senators)
- Michael Misa (Mississauga Senators)
- Luca Romano (Toronto Jr. Canadiens)
- Head Coach – Chris Lazary (Mississauga Senators, Toronto Titans, Toronto Marlboros)
The inaugural Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game presented by Enbridge Gas pits the league’s top prospects from the Eastern Conference against those of the Western Conference as NHL scouts will be out in full force at the Brantford Civic Centre to witness this highly anticipated event.
Rosters were selected by a committee that included representatives from NHL Central Scouting with input from NHL General Managers along with OHL General Managers Matt Turek (Brantford Bulldogs/Eastern Conference) and Dave Drinkill (Saginaw Spirit/Western Conference). Each team features 19 skaters and two goaltenders, with a pair of roster spots on each team filled by unsigned overage players at the request of NHL Central Scouting.
The Eastern Conference will serve as the home team and is led by three ‘A’ rated prospects on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary players to watch list including forwards Porter Martone (Brampton Steelheads) and local star Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs) while Kashawn Aitcheson (Barrie Colts) brings physicality on the blueline. In goal, three-time Canadian gold medalist Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads) joins another local talent in David Egorov (Brantford Bulldogs). Sophomore forward Joshua Avery gives the host Brantford Bulldogs three players competing in the game.
The Eastern Conference will be staffed by representatives from the Brantford Bulldogs including Head Coach Jay McKee and assistants Vince Laise, Ryan Kuwabara and Laura Fortino. Support staff includes Athletic Therapist JP Laciak and Equipment Manager Chris Cook.
Across the ice, the Western Conference features A-rated talent in a quartet of former high-end OHL Priority Selection choices in forwards Michael Misa (Saginaw Spirit), Malcolm Spence (Erie Otters) and Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds) with Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters) on the back end.
The Western Conference is staffed by representatives from the reigning Memorial Cup champion Saginaw Spirit including Head Coach Chris Lazary along with assistants Jake Grimes and Garrett Rutledge. Support staff includes Athletic Trainer Andrew Plate and Equipment Manager Lester Tiu.
The Saginaw Spirit lead all clubs with four players selected to the game followed by the Barrie Colts, Brampton Steelheads, Brantford Bulldogs, Erie Otters, Kitchener Rangers and Owen Sound Attack with three each.
Tickets are now on sale for this brand new event, but don’t delay as they’ll move fast with the holidays right around the corner! To learn more, visit ontariohockeyleague.com.
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