The OHL Podcast

Kane Cloutier is your first overall pick in the 2026 OHL draft. Eight defensemen get taken in the first round, and the North Bay Battalion grab a goalie at #11. And Tanner Adams is a no-show, so now what? Some of the high level reviews from the OHL draft this past weekend, but let's be clear about this: the live draft was an absolute spectacle. So well done, and something that needs to remain as part of a league that wants to be ta...

Dozens of draft picks and more than a dozen players changed hands as the OHL trade window opened. Among the interesting stories are Brantford's attempts at a quick turnaround and the curse of being a captain in Niagara. Dan and Farwell break it down while trying to answer a modern OHL team's question -- how do you make up for players lost to the NCAA? Maybe it's time for compensatory OHL draft picks to make up for those losses. Or ...

Lots to cover this week including, of course, a wrap from the Memorial Cup in Kelowna where the OHL won its third straight tournament title. And could anyone really touch the Kitchener Rangers this year? Plus, next year's tournament hosts -- the Guelph Storm -- get some bad news as defenseman Quinn Beauchesne bolts for the NCAA. If a guy is turning down a guaranteed opportunity to play in the Memorial Cup, what does this tell us ab...

We're enjoying some time this week at the Memorial Cup and even as the tournament begins, we're hearing questions. The two most interesting stories involve where the tournament is being played and whether or not it needs a new format. Farwell and Dan dive into both discussions, along with a look at a new coach in Owen Sound and some chatter about how OHL teams will rebuild in the future. Is it really going to be a rebuild, or will ...

The mere mention of the name Don Cherry is sure to conjure an image in your mind. While that image may be different from one person to the next, there's no disputing Cherry's stature and status in the game of hockey. Before she passed, Don's daughter, Cindy, wrote a book about her dad. There was so much material, though, that it had to be released in two parts. The second part has just been released (you can buy The Don Cherry Stor...

A lot of people thought the Kitchener Rangers had the team to win the Ontario Hockey League this season, but did anyone really expect a Finals sweep? The Rangers brought their brooms to Barrie and finished the playoffs with a tidy record of 16-2. Dan and Farwell have thoughts on the series itself and the playoffs that were, before moving into other issues including the defection of Ethan Belchetz to the NCAA and the arrival of priv...

The most bizarre postgame press conference in OHL history was followed up by one of the most sincere apologies we've ever heard. Not buying it? Farwell and Dan are all in on Barrie Colts head coach Dylan Smoskowitz and the ice water in the veins of Kashawn Aitcheson. The question is, can it possibly be enough for a battered Barrie team who may have won their championship in a comeback win over Brantford. Let's talk emotional capita...

For the fourth time in five years, the Kitchener Rangers and Windsor Spitfires renewed their playoff rivalry. And for the third straight year, the ending was the same. The guys break down a West final that was as close as five games could get, but one in which Windsor just couldn't get over the top. Again. Meantime, over in the East, we finally got a Game 7! But nobody expected that when Brantford was up 3-1 in the series, did they...

The Brantford Bulldogs have been the darlings of OHL pundits since the season began, so it would be sacrilege to suggest they're lucky to be leading their Eastern Conference Final with Barrie, right? Well, leave it to the dummies on this podcast to commit heresy. Meantime, in the West, a couple of one-goal games started the series between Kitchener and Windsor, but it was the overtime winner in Game One that got people buzzing. Far...

If you were hoping that the best part of the OHL season would drag out for a little bit, you're out of luck. These playoffs are running at barely above the minimum number of games so far, but there's hope for the first Game 7s of 2026 in the Conference Finals. Farwell and Dan pick their winners to advance to the OHL final. Plus, the Nightmare in Niagara continues (and his initials are DD) as the IceDogs meddle with management again...

The OHL's second round is sure to deliver more drama than the first round, right? Right?? Farwell and Dan have some analysis of Round Two so far, as well as a conversation about this season's OHL Coach of the Year. The guys think they know who will win, but was there also a snub? Plus, the draft lottery is complete, so what players from the U16 crop really stand out this year? Also, what do the Sarnia Sting and Sudbury Wolves have ...

We don't want to take anything away from the Flint Firebirds, but their first round dominance has to be measured against Owen Sound's disinterest. It was a playoff failure for the ages for the Attack and we're left with a lot of questions in the Scenic City. Plus, play(off) time is over for the Guelph Storm. Nobody expected them to get past Windsor, but suffering a sweep and struggling to score indicates a big job ahead to retool a...

It looks like Owen Sound will make a meek -- but mercifully quick -- exit from the OHL playoffs, but what's gone wrong with an Attack team that was setting the pace for the first month of the season? Plus, was it Kieron Walton or Carter George that was the best trade deadline acquisition? You decide. 

Farwell and Dan also update a conversation from a few weeks ago when they talked about ticket price increases in the Soo. Our I...

Is it possible for a coach to say too much and for a suspension to be too little? These are the questions Farwell and Dan are wrestling with this week as the league office makes news for a hefty fine and a not-so-hefty suspension. We're sure you have thoughts, so don't forget to email us at ohlpodcast(at)rogers.com. Then there's that new Collective Bargaining Agreement in the NHL and its potential impact on the OHL and its top-end ...

When you get the chance to pry some stories out of Terry Doyle, you take it. The play-by-play voice of the Sarnia Sting on Your TV has been around this league since he volunteered as a camera operator as a teenager in Peterborough. Today, he's been to more than 20 Memorial Cups in a row and he's got a whole podcast full of stories to share. With Dan away on assignment, Farwell and Terry talk about the evolving media coverage in the...

Farwell's full-time refs idea may have fallen flat, but maybe not as flat as the ticket price increase in the Soo. Plus, the OHL is seriously considering allowing GMs to trade first round picks, and league officials pay a visit to Chatham. Dan and Farwell also have your weekly Wraparound with a look at every market, and they're answering your email questions. Another week in the Ontario Hockey League brings us another week closer t...

Have we got news for you! No, really, we do. Including the discussions that are underway to bring more inter-league play between the OHL and QMJHL back for next season, and the league's curious visit to a former market in Cornwall. Is an expansion or re-location afoot? And how far is the OHL willing to go (literally) to bring new match-ups to energize a fanbase?

The guys also have a discussion about Farwell's idea for full-time ref...

A quick note from Farwell to start this episode: "I don't think I'm alone in saying that the 'Eastern Swing' through Kingston, Ottawa, and Peterborough for a Western Conference team is one of the most enjoyable trips we take every year, so allow me to reminisce for a moment as we start this week's show. It involves cheesecake. 'Nuff said."

With that out of the way, the guys also talk about the OHL talent that was on display at this...

As hard as we tried, we just couldn't avoid talking about those foul-smelling fans in Oshawa. It was an own goal by the Gens, and it's going to take a while to wash off the smell. But if we move past that, Dan and Farwell "scents" some expansion possibilities right here in Ontario. Yes, even in the Greater Toronto Area, a market the league refuses to exit. Plus, baseball swings are making their way into our great game and after thr...