NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
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The inaugural Connor McDavid Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Top Prospects Game presented by Enbridge Gas is fast approaching, with the puck dropping next Wednesday, Jan. 15 at the Civic Centre in Brantford at 7 p.m.
The OHL today announced captains for the highly anticipated event, with top draft-eligible players on either side of the ice ready to represent their respective conferences.
For the host Eastern Conference top prospects, a familiar face will don the ‘C’ next week as Jake O’Brien of the host Brantford Bulldogs has been appointed captain, being joined by a pair of Brampton Steelheads teammates in Porter Martone and Brantford native Lucas Karmiris as assistants while hard-hitting Barrie Colts defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson will also wear an ‘A.’
Across the ice, the Western Conference will be led by newly minted Saginaw Spirit captain Michael Misa wearing the ‘C,’ accompanied by assistants Brady Martin of the Soo Greyhounds, Cameron Reid of the Kitchener Rangers and Malcolm Spence of the Erie Otters. Injured blue-liner Matthew Schaefer, also of the Erie Otters, will not compete in the showcase, but would also have been included in the Western Conference’s leadership group.
Here’s a quick look at each of the players named to leadership groups for the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game presented by Enbridge Gas:
The OHL’s reigning Rookie of the Year, O’Brien, who was an OHL Cup champion and tournament MVP in 2023, has 50 points (21-29--50) through 39 games with Brantford this season. The Toronto product was assigned an ‘A’ rating on NHL Central Scouting’s players to watch list released in October, indicating a potential first-round NHL Draft pick.
Martone is also an ‘A’-rated skater by NHL Central Scouting and recently represented Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. The Brampton Steelheads captain from Peterborough, Ont. sits seventh in OHL scoring with 56 points (21-35--56) over 28 games. His 2.00 points per game lead the Ontario Hockey League.
Karmiris hails from Brantford, Ont. and is a product of the Brantford 99ers AAA program. The former 13th-overall pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection is a late-2006-born talent currently in his third season with the Steelheads. Though limited by injuries this season, the five-foot-11 centreman has registered 16 points (4-12--16) over 18 games with a plus-10 rating. He is a ‘C’-rated prospect by NHL Central Scouting.
Aitcheson is a six-foot-one, 198-pound left-shot defender assigned an ‘A’ rating by NHL Central Scouting. Now in his third season with the Barrie Colts, the Toronto product has 25 points (10-15--25) over 34 games and is one of just five OHL blue-liners with double-digit goal totals in 2024-25.
A former exceptional status first-overall pick in 2022 and a Memorial Cup champion with the Saginaw Spirit last spring, Misa is among the OHL’s goal-scoring leaders with 32 through 34 games so far in his third OHL season. The former OHL Rookie of the Year from Oakville, Ont. was the league’s Player of the Month for October and is an ‘A’-rated prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft.
Martin is a former third-overall OHL Priority Selection choice from Elmira, Ont. who has 29 points (15-14--29) through 28 games in his sophomore season with the Soo Greyhounds. Martin is an ‘A’-rated prospect by NHL Central Scouting.
Reid patrols the blueline for the Kitchener Rangers, producing 30 points (6-24--30) over 38 games in his second season with the Blueshirts. The Aylmer, Ont. product was selected by Kitchener with the 10th-overall pick of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. The six-foot, 175-pound left shot is a ‘B’-rated prospect by NHL Central Scouting.
Like Martone, Karmiris and Aitcheson above, Spence is a late-2006-born player and was chosen by Erie with the second-overall pick of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection after winning an OHL Cup title with Michael Misa and the Mississauga Senators. The six-foot-two, 201-pound left-wing has 42 points (17-25--42) through 34 games in his third OHL season and was an ‘A’ rating by NHL Central Scouting.
Though tickets for the event are sold out, there’s lots of places to watch or listen to the game including streaming live for free on OHL Live, the OHL’s YouTube channel or live across OHL social media platforms X and Facebook. The game will also air on local Rogers TV, YourTV and Eastlink Community TV channels in OHL markets (check listings for details) as well as across the province on the OHL Action Pak. For those wanting to listen, the Kitchener Rangers broadcast team of Mike Farwell and Paul Fixter will provide the call on CityNews 570 AM in the Grand River region or live online at kitchener.citynews.ca.
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