2022-23 OHL season

This is the 2022-23 Ontario Hockey League season. This is the league's 52nd season dating back to its' founding as the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League.
There are currently 20 teams in the OHL; 17 are based in the Canadian province of Ontario, 2 teams in the American state of Michigan and 1 team in the American state of Pennsylvania. Out of the 17 teams based in Ontario, 14 teams are in Southern Ontario, and 3 teams are in Northern Ontario.
The 20 OHL clubs play a 68 game unbalanced schedule, which usually starts in the third full week of September, running until the third week of March. Ninety per cent (90%) of OHL games are scheduled between Thursday and Sunday to minimize the number of school days missed for its players. Ninety-five per cent (95%) of the players in the league are attending high school or college.
==Franchise changes==
none, for 2022-23 but due to upcoming renovations at the FirstOntario Centre, the Hamilton Bulldogs will be forced to find a place to play for the 2023-24, 2024-25, and posiibly 2025-26 seasons. Later reports indicated that the team would play out of the Brantford Civic Centre and be renamed the Brantford Bulldogs. This relocation would not affect the Junior A level Brantford 99ers who play out of the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre.https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/weekly-sports-league-and-franchise-report/n-5922019
==Current member teams==
Ontario Hockey League	Ontario Hockey League 	Ontario Hockey League 	Ontario Hockey League 	Ontario Hockey League
Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference
Division 	Team 	City 	Arena 	Capacity
East 	Hamilton Bulldogs 	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 	FirstOntario Centre 	17,383
East 	Kingston Frontenacs 	Kingston, Ontario, Canada 	Leon's Centre 	5,614
East 	Oshawa Generals 	Oshawa, Ontario, Canada 	Tribute Communities Centre 	6,125
East 	Ottawa 67's 	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 	TD Place Arena 	9,862
East 	Peterborough Petes 	Peterborough, Ontario, Canada 	Peterborough Memorial Centre 	4,329
Central 	Barrie Colts 	Barrie, Ontario, Canada 	Sadlon Arena 	4,195
Central 	Mississauga Steelheads 	Mississauga, Ontario, Canada 	Paramount Fine Foods Centre 	5,612
Central 	Niagara IceDogs 	St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada 	Meridian Centre 	5,300
Central 	North Bay Battalion 	North Bay, Ontario, Canada 	North Bay Memorial Gardens 	4,246
Central 	Sudbury Wolves 	Sudbury, Ontario, Canada 	Sudbury Community Arena 	4,640
Western Conference 	Western Conference 	Western Conference 	Western Conference 	Western Conference
Division 	Team 	City 	Arena 	Capacity
Midwest 	Erie Otters 	Erie, Pennsylvania, USA 	Erie Insurance Arena 	6,833
Midwest 	Guelph Storm 	Guelph, Ontario, Canada 	Sleeman Centre 	4,715
Midwest 	Kitchener Rangers 	Kitchener, Ontario, Canada 	Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex 	7,777
Midwest 	London Knights 	London, Ontario, Canada 	Budweiser Gardens 	9,046
Midwest 	Owen Sound Attack 	Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada 	Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre	3,500
West 	Flint Firebirds 	Flint, Michigan, USA 	Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center	4,021
West 	Saginaw Spirit 	Saginaw, Michigan, USA 	Dow Event Center 	5,527
West 	Sarnia Sting 	Sarnia, Ontario, Canada 	Progressive Auto Sales Arena 	5,500
West 	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada	GFL Memorial Gardens 	4,928
West 	Windsor Spitfires 	Windsor, Ontario, Canada 	WFCU Centre 	6,450
==Standings==
===Final standings===
Note: DIV = Division; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SL = Shootout losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title
Standings as of March 26, 2023
==== Eastern conference ====
Rank	Team 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
1 	z-Ottawa 67's 	East 	68	51	12	3	2	107	47	286	171
2 	y-North Bay Battalion 	Central	68	48	17	2	1	99 	46	285	183
3 	x-Barrie Colts 	Central	68	42	17	6	3	93 	41	284	239
4 	x-Peterborough Petes 	East 	68	35	29	2	2	74 	33	247	207
5 	x-Sudbury Wolves 	Central	68	31	28	6	3	71 	31	272	260
6 	x-Hamilton Bulldogs 	East 	68	33	30	5	0	71 	30	226	251
7 	x-Mississauga Steelheads	Central	68	31	31	6	0	68 	28	226	258
8 	x-Oshawa Generals 	East 	68	26	36	1	5	58 	24	235	290
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
9 	Kingston Frontenacs 	East 	68	27	38	1	2	57 	23	199	260
10 	Niagara IceDogs 	Central	68	12	47	8	1	33 	12	199	357
==== Western conference ====
Rank	Team 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
1 	z-Windsor Spitfires 	West 	68	44	18	4	2	94	44	320	265
2 	y-London Knights 	Midwest	68	45	21	2	0	92	38	269	214
3 	x-Sarnia Sting 	West 	68	41	18	5	4	91	39	298	224
4 	x-Saginaw Spirit 	West 	68	36	27	3	2	77	36	244	244
5 	x-Flint Firebirds 	West 	68	35	28	4	1	75	33	291	278
6 	x-Guelph Storm 	Midwest	68	35	28	4	1	75	29	253	280
7 	x-Owen Sound Attack 	Midwest	68	33	28	6	1	73	32	248	258
8 	x-Kitchener Rangers 	Midwest	68	33	29	6	0	72	33	257	240
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
9 	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	West 	68	20	33	9	6	55	17	223	310
10 	Erie Otters 	Midwest	68	21	40	2	5	49	20	207	287
===Scoring leaders===
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player 	Team 	 	 	 	 	
Matthew Maggio 	Windsor Spitfires 	66	54	57	111	32
Ty Voit 	Sarnia Sting 	67	24	81	105	22
Amadeus Lombardi	Flint Firebirds 	67	45	57	102	18
Sasha Pastujov 	Guelph/Sarnia 	60	41	57	98 	39
Evan Vierling 	Barrie Colts 	60	35	60	95 	12
Matthew Poitras 	Guelph Storm 	63	16	79	95 	40
Logan Morrison 	Hamilton/Ottawa 	56	40	54	94 	12
Matvey Petrov 	North Bay Battalion	65	27	66	93 	32
David Goyette 	Sudbury Wolves 	63	41	51	92 	43
Francesco Arcuri	Kingston/Kitchener 	71	48	43	91 	28
===Leading goaltenders===
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses: OTL = Overtime losses; SL = Shootout losses; GA = Goals Allowed; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
Player 	Team 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Dom Divincentiis	North Bay Battalion	48	2810	36	9 	2	0	109	5	0.919	2.33
Max Donoso 	Ottawa 67's 	47	2541	30	10	0	2	115	2	0.898	2.72
Michael Simpson 	Peterborough Petes 	51	2989	24	22	2	2	136	5	0.914	2.73
Brett Brochu 	London Knights 	47	2725	28	17	2	0	124	2	0.902	2.82
Joey Costanzo 	London Knights 	40	2158	26	6 	0	2	109	1	0.901	3.03
==Playoffs==
===Conference quarterfinals===
====Eastern conference quarterfinals====
=====(1) Ottawa 67's vs. (8) Oshawa Generals=====
Note: Ottawa played home games at Centre Slush Puppie in Gatineau, Quebec due to the 2023 World Men's Curling Championship being held at TD Place Arena.
 
=====(2) North Bay Battalion vs. (7) Mississauga Steelheads=====
 
=====(3) Barrie Colts vs. (6) Hamilton Bulldogs=====
 
=====(4) Peterborough Petes vs. (5) Sudbury Wolves=====
 
====Western conference quarterfinals====
=====(1) Windsor Spitfires vs. (8) Kitchener Rangers=====
 
=====(2) London Knights vs. (7) Owen Sound Attack=====
 
=====(3) Sarnia Sting vs. (6) Guelph Storm=====
 
=====(4) Saginaw Spirit vs. (5) Flint Firebirds=====
 
===Conference semifinals===
====Eastern conference semifinals====
=====(1) Ottawa 67's vs. (4) Peterborough Petes=====
 
=====(2) North Bay Battalion vs. (3) Barrie Colts=====
 
====Western conference semifinals====
=====(2) London Knights vs. (8) Kitchener Rangers=====
 
=====(3) Sarnia Sting vs. (4) Saginaw Spirit=====
 
===Conference finals===
====Eastern conference finals====
=====(2) North Bay Battalion vs. (4) Peterborough Petes=====
 
====Western conference finals====
=====(2) London Knights vs. (3) Sarnia Sting=====
 
===J. Ross Robertson Cup finals===
====(W2) London Knights vs. (E4) Peterborough Petes====
 
The Peterborough Petes advance to the 2023 Memorial Cup.
===Playoff scoring leaders===
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player 	Team 	 	 	 	 	
Ryan Winterton 	London Knights 	21	13	16	29	10
Sean McGurn 	London Knights 	21	10	16	26	18
Brennan Othmann 	Peterborough Petes 	23	8 	17	25	18
Ty Nelson 	North Bay Battalion	20	6 	19	25	15
Denver Barkey 	London Knights 	20	11	13	24	18
Logan Mailloux 	London Knights 	21	8 	16	24	45
Brandt Clarke 	Barrie Colts 	12	7 	16	23	13
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes 	23	9 	13	22	2
Matvey Petrov 	North Bay Battalion	20	4 	18	22	8
Kyle McDonald 	North Bay Battalion	20	14	7 	21	22
===Playoff leading goaltenders===
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses: OTL = Overtime losses; SL = Shootout losses; GA = Goals Allowed; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
Player 	Team 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Brett Brochu 	London Knights 	11	650 	9 	1	16	4	0.943	1.48
Dom Divincentiis 	North Bay Battalion	20	1220	11	9	49	1	0.926	2.41
Benjamin Gaudreau	Sarnia Sting 	16	953 	10	5	40	3	0.902	2.52
Max Donoso 	Ottawa 67's 	8 	441 	4 	3	19	1	0.919	2.59
Tristan Lennox 	Saginaw Spirit 	11	681 	4 	7	30	0	0.908	2.64
==Awards==
Playoffs trophies 	Playoffs trophies 	Playoffs trophies
Trophy name 	Recognition 	Recipient
J. Ross Robertson Cup 	OHL Finals champion 	Peterborough Petes
Bobby Orr Trophy 	Eastern Conference playoff champion 	Peterborough Petes
Wayne Gretzky Trophy 	Western Conference playoff champion 	London Knights
Wayne Gretzky 99 Award 	Playoffs MVP 	Michael Simpson
Regular season — Team trophies 	Regular season — Team trophies 	Regular season — Team trophies
Trophy name 	Recognition 	Recipient
Hamilton Spectator Trophy 	Team with best record 	Ottawa 67's
Leyden Trophy 	East division champion 	Ottawa 67's
Emms Trophy 	Central division champion 	North Bay Battalion
Bumbacco Trophy 	West division champion 	Windsor Spitfires
Holody Trophy 	Midwest division champion 	London Knights
Regular season — Executive awards	Regular season — Executive awards 	Regular season — Executive awards
Trophy name 	Recognition 	Recipient
Matt Leyden Trophy 	Coach of the year 	Dave Cameron, Ottawa 67's
Jim Gregory Award 	General manager of the year 	–
Bill Long Award 	Lifetime achievement 	–
OHL Executive of the Year 	Executive of the Year 	–
Regular season — Player awards 	Regular season — Player awards 	Regular season — Player awards
Trophy name 	Recognition 	Recipient
Red Tilson Trophy 	Most outstanding player 	Matthew Maggio, Windsor Spitfires
Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy 	Top scorer 	Matthew Maggio, Windsor Spitfires
Dave Pinkney Trophy 	Lowest team goals against 	Max Donoso & Collin MacKenzie, Ottawa 67's
Max Kaminsky Trophy 	Most outstanding defenceman 	Pavel Mintyukov, Saginaw Spirit & Ottawa 67's
Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy 	Top scoring right winger 	Matthew Maggio, Windsor Spitfires
Emms Family Award 	Rookie of the year 	Michael Misa, Saginaw Spirit
William Hanley Trophy 	Most sportsmanlike player 	Evan Vierling, Barrie Colts
F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy 	Best rookie GAA 	Zach Bowen, London Knights
Bobby Smith Trophy 	Scholastic player of the year 	Colby Barlow, Owen Sound Attack
Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy 	Overage player of the year 	Matthew Maggio, Windsor Spitfires
Jim Rutherford Trophy 	Goaltender of the year 	Dom DiVincentiis, North Bay Battalion
Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy 	Humanitarian of the year 	Dalyn Wakely, North Bay Battalion
Roger Neilson Memorial Award 	Top academic college/university player 	Ryder McIntyre, Oshawa Generals
Ivan Tennant Memorial Award 	Top academic high school player 	George Alboim, Erie Otters & Ethan Hay, Flint Firebirds
Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy 	Team captain that best exemplifies character and commitment	–
Prospect player awards 	Prospect player awards 	Prospect player awards
Trophy name 	Recognition 	Recipient
Jack Ferguson Award 	First overall pick in priority selection 	Matthew Schaefer, Erie Otters
Tim Adams Memorial Trophy 	OHL Cup MVP 	Jake O'Brien, Toronto Jr. Canadiens
==2023 OHL Priority Selection==
On March 29, 2023, the league announced the results of the Ontario Hockey League Priory Selection Lottery. Each of the four non-playoff participated in the lottery, as the 20th place Niagara IceDogs had a 40% chance of winning, the 19th place Erie Otters had a 30% chance of winning, the 18th place Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds had a 20% chance of winning, and the 17th place Kingston Frontenacs had a 10% chance of winning. The Erie Otters won the lottery and selected first overall. On April 20, the Otters announced that Matthew Schaefer from the Huron Hurricanes of the SCTA would be the first selection in the draft. The entirety of the OHL Priority Selection Draft will take place over two days, as rounds 1-3 take place on April 21, while rounds 4-15 will be on April 22.
These are the results for the first round of the draft:
# 	Player 	Nationality 	OHL Team 	Hometown 	Minor Team
1 	Matthew Schaefer (RD) 	Canada 	Erie Otters 	Stoney Creek, Ontario 	Huron Hurricanes (OMHA-SCTA)
2 	Ryan Roobroeck (C) 	Canada 	Niagara IceDogs 	London, Ontario 	London Jr. Knights (MHAO-ALI)
3 	Brady Martin (C) 	Canada 	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	Elmira, Ontario 	Waterloo Wolves (MHAO-ALI)
4 	Tyler Hopkins (C) 	Canada 	Kingston Frontenacs 	Campbellville, Ontario 	Huron Hurricanes (OMHA-SCTA)
5 	Ethan Czata (C) 	Canada 	Niagara IceDogs 	Brampton, Ontario 	Mississauga Rebels (GTHL)
6 	Owen Griffin (C) 	Canada 	Oshawa Generals 	Markham, Ontario 	York-Simcoe Express (OMHA-ETA)
7 	Jack Ivankovic (G) 	Canada 	Mississauga Steelheads 	Mississauga, Ontario 	Mississauga Senators (GTHL)
8 	Jake O'Brien (C) 	Canada 	Brantford Bulldogs 	Toronto, Ontario 	Toronto Jr. Canadiens (GTHL)
9 	Caden Taylor (C) 	Canada 	Sudbury Wolves 	Kleinburg, Ontario 	Mississauga Senators (GTHL)
10	Cameron Reid (LD) 	Canada 	Kitchener Rangers 	Aylmer, Ontario 	Bishop Kearney Selects 15's (Youth-USA)
11	Luca Romano (C) 	Canada 	Kitchener Rangers 	Toronto, Ontario 	Toronto Jr. Canadiens (GTHL)
12	Nico Addy (RW) 	Canada 	Owen Sound Attack 	Casselman, Ontario 	Toronto Jr. Canadiens (GTHL)
13	Carson Cameron (RD) 	Canada 	Peterborough Petes 	Bobcaygeon, Ontario 	Central Ontario Wolves (OMHA-ETA)
14	Quinn Beauchesne (RD) 	Canada 	Guelph Storm 	Ottawa, Ontario 	Nepean Raiders (HEO-Midget)
15	Jeremy Martin (LW) 	Canada 	Flint Firebirds 	Ajax, Ontario 	Toronto Marlboros (GTHL)
16	Aiden Young (LW) 	Canada 	Saginaw Spirit 	London, Ontario 	London Jr. Knights (MHAO-ALI)
17	Ryan Brown (LW) 	Canada 	Sarnia Sting 	Newmarket, Ontario 	York-Simcoe Express (OMHA-ETA)
18	William Moore (C) 	Canada 	London Knights 	Mississauga, Ontario 	Toronto Marlboros (GTHL)
19	Shamar Moses (RW) 	Canada 	Barrie Colts 	Scarborough, Ontario 	Don Mills Flyers (GTHL)
20	Jack Nesbitt (C) 	Canada 	Windsor Spitfires 	Sarnia, Ontario 	Lambton Jr. Sting (MHAO-ALI)
21	Carter Kostuch (LW) 	Canada 	North Bay Battalion 	Richmond Hill, Ontario 	Vaughan Kings (GTHL)
22	Henry Brzustewicz (RD)	United States	Ottawa 67's 	Washington Township, Michigan	North Jersey Avalanche (Youth-USA)
==2023 IIHF World Junior Championship==
The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship was held at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia and at Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick which began on December 26, 2022 ended on January 5, 2023.
Eighteen current and former OHL players were on eight rosters in this tournament, including six on Canada, three on Switzerland, two on Czechia, Slovakia and the United States, and one on Austria, Germany and Latvia.
===Austria===
Team Austria had one OHL player on their roster, as Vinzenz Rohrer of the Ottawa 67's was named to the team.
In five games, Rohrer finished in third in team scoring, as he recorded a goal and two assists for three points.
Austria finished the preliminary round of the tournament in last place in Group A with a 0-0-0-4 record. In the best-of-three relegation round, Austria lost to Latvia in two games to finish in tenth place in the tournament.
===Canada===
The Canadian team had six current and former OHL players on their original roster. The players on the Canadian team who currently played in the OHL are: Ethan Del Mastro, Mississauga Steelheads; Ben Gaudreau, Sarnia Sting; Jack Matier, Ottawa 67's and Brennan Othmann, Peterborough Petes. Two former OHL players were also on the team: former Barrie Colts player Brandt Clarke, who played on the Los Angeles Kings and former Kingston Frontenacs player Shane Wright of the Seattle Kraken.Wright and Clarke both where sent down to the OHL after the tournament. Wright was named captain of the team. Later in the tournament, Canada added Owen Beck from the Mississauga Steelheads as an injury replacement.
In seven games, Clarke led the Canadian defense with two goals and eight points. Wright scored four goals and seven points in seven games. Othmann scored two goals and six points in seven games, while Del Mastro earned three assists in seven games. Beck earned an assist in three games and Matier had an assist in seven games. Gaudreau earned a record of 1-1-0 in two games with a 3.38 GAA and a 0.828 save percentage.
Canada finished second in Group A during the preliminary round with a record of 3-0-0-1, earning nine points. In the quarter-finals, Canada defeated Slovakia 4-3 in overtime. In the semi-finals, the Canadians defeated the United States 6-2, advancing to the championship game. In the Gold Medal game, Canada defeated Czechia 3-2 in overtime to win the tournament.
===Czechia===
Team Czechia had two OHL players on their roster. The players named to the team were Tomas Hamara of the Kitchener Rangers and Matyas Sapovaliv of the Saginaw Spirit.
Sapovaliv earned seven assists in seven games to finish tied for fifth in team scoring. Hamara earned an assist in seven games.
Czechia finished in first place in Group A during the preliminary round, earning a record of 3-0-1-0 for ten points. In the quarter-finals, Czechia defeated Switzerland 9-1 to advance to the semi-finals. In the semi-final game, Czechia defeated Sweden 2-1 to earn a berth in the Gold Medal game. In the final game of the tournament, Czechia lost to Canada 3-2 in overtime to win the silver medal.
===Germany===
Team Germany had one OHL player on their roster. Ryan Del Monte of the London Knights was the lone OHL player that made the team.
Del Monte was held to no points in two games during the tournament.
Germany finished in fourth place in Group A during the preliminary round with a 1-0-0-3 record, earning three points. In the quarter-finals, Germany lost to the United States 11-1 to be eliminated from the tournament. Germany finished in eighth place in the tournament.
===Latvia===
Latvia had one OHL player on their roster. Sandis Vilmanis of the Sarnia Sting was named to the team.
Vilmanis scored a goal and added an assist for two points in six games.
Latvia finished the prelimiary round of the tournament in last place in Group B with a record of 0-0-1-3, earning one point. In the best-of-three relegation series against Austria, Latvia swept the series in two games. Latvia finished the tournament in ninth place.
===Slovakia===
Team Slovakia had two OHL players on their roster, as Filip Mesar of the Kitchener Rangers and Servac Petrovsky of the Owen Sound Attack were named to the team.
Mesar finished tied for the team lead in points, as he recorded two goals and four assists for six points in five games. Petrovsky scored two goals and three points in five games to finish tied for fifth in team scoring.
Slovakia finished the preliminary round of the tournament with a 2-0-1-1 record, finishing in third place with seven points. In the quarter-finals, Slovakia lost to Canada 4-3 in overtime. Slovakia finished the tournament in sixth place.
===Switzerland===
Team Switzerland named three OHL players to their team. Alessio Beglieri of the Mississauga Steelheads, Rodwin Dionicio of the Niagara IceDogs and Brian Zanetti of the Peterborough Petes represented their country at the tournament.
In five games, Dionico scored a goal, while Zanetti earned an assist in five games. Beglieri earned a record of 0-2-0 with a 6.07 GAA and a 0.831 save percentage in two games.
Switzerland had a record of 0-3-0-1 in four games during the preliminary round, earning six points and fourth place in Group B. In the quarter-finals, Switzerland lost to Czechia 9-1. Switzerland finished the tournament in seventh place.
===United States===
The United States had two players of the OHL on their roster. The players were Tyler Boucher of the Ottawa 67's and Andrew Oke of the Saginaw Spirit.
Boucher finished the tournament with three goals and four points in six games. Oke earned a record of 1-0-0 with a 3.00 GAA and a 0.875 save percentage in one game.
The United States finished in first place in Group B with a 3-0-0-1 record, earning nine points, during the preliminary round. In the quarter-finals, the United States defeated Germany 9-1 to advance to the semi-finals. In the semi-final game, the United States lost to Canada 6-2 to advance to the Bronze Medal game. The United States captured the bronze medal with a 8-7 overtime win over Sweden.
==References==
==External links==
* www.ontariohockeyleague.com
Category:2023 in ice hockey
Category:Ontario Hockey League seasons