A total of 86 Ontario Hockey League alumni are set to compete in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, part of a CHL-leading presence that continues to shape the NHL’s biggest stage.
In all, 190 graduates of the Canadian Hockey League will take part in the postseason, accounting for more than 45 percent of the 417 players competing, the highest total of any development league in the world.
The OHL’s 86 representatives lead the way among CHL member leagues, followed by 65 from the WHL and 40 from the QMJHL. Every NHL club in the playoffs features at least eight CHL alumni, with the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Tampa Bay Lightning each rostering 15.
At the club level, the London Knights top all CHL teams with 11 alumni competing in the playoffs, while the Erie Otters are close behind with eight. Barrie, Owen Sound, and Windsor each have seven, highlighting the OHL’s footprint across contending NHL rosters.
That influence continues to show in championship success. Since 2014, 156 of the 294 Stanley Cup champions, more than half, have come through the CHL, including 10 members of last year’s champion Florida Panthers.
Across the 2025-26 regular season, 478 CHL alumni appeared in at least one NHL game, representing 46.1 percent of all players league-wide, further underscoring the league’s role as the primary path to the NHL.
Quick Facts
- 10 CHL alumni will serve as captains for their respective NHL clubs in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including Minnesota Wild defenceman Jared Spurgeon (Spokane Chiefs / WHL), Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers / OHL), and Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL).
- Over the last 30 years, 12 of the 18 captains to have lifted the Stanley Cup played in the CHL, including CHL Top 50 selections Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins / Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL), Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim Ducks / Kamloops Blazers / WHL), and Scott Stevens (New Jersey Devils / Kitchener Rangers / OHL).
- Since the CHL’s inception in 1975-76, 21 of the 28 captains to have hoisted the Stanley Cup have been developed in the WHL, OHL/OHA, or QMJHL.
- Of the 16 head coaches leading teams into this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, 10 have either coached and/or played in the CHL, including Travis Green (Ottawa Senators), Joel Quenneville (Anaheim Ducks), and André Tourigny (Utah Mammoth)
- Among the players competing in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are seven CHL alumni who have been named to the CHL’s Top 50 Players list from the league’s first 50 years (since 1975-76): Carolina Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL), Edmonton Oilers forwards Connor McDavid (Erie Otters / OHL) and Leon Draisaitl (Prince Albert Raiders & Kelowna Rockets / WHL), Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty (Guelph Storm / OHL), Tampa Bay Lightning forward Corey Perry (London Knights / OHL), and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby (Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL).
2025-26 Regular Season Highlights
- With 138 points (48G-90A) in 82 games, McDavid (Erie Otters / OHL) extended the streak of CHL alumni winning the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer to 13 consecutive seasons, dating back to 2013-14. McDavid’s six career Art Ross Trophies are tied for the second most in NHL history, behind only Soo Greyhounds (OHL) grad Wayne Gretzky.
- With an NHL-best 53 goals in 2025-26, MacKinnon (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL) became the third different CHL alumnus in the last four years to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. He also became just the third player in Avalanche franchise history to record multiple 50-goal seasons, joining fellow CHL alumni Michel Goulet (Québec Remparts / QMJHL) and Joe Sakic (Swift Current Broncos / WHL).
- With the Colorado Avalanche allowing an NHL-low 203 goals in 2025-26, goaltenders Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth Whalers / OHL) and Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie Colts / OHL) captured the William M. Jennings Trophy. They are the first CHL-developed goaltending tandem to win the award since Marc-André Fleury (QMJHL) and Robin Lehner (OHL) in 2020-21.
- Wedgewood (Plymouth Whalers / OHL) finished the season atop the NHL in both goals-against average (2.02) and save percentage (.921), leading the league by a sizable margin in each category.
- New York Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters / OHL) set the NHL benchmark for most points by an 18-year-old defenseman (59), tied the single-season NHL record for most goals (23) by a rookie defenseman and became the first defenseman in more than 90 years – and fourth in NHL history – to lead all NHL rookies in goals (tied or outright).
- Schaefer shared the NHL rookie lead in goals with fellow OHL alumnus Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks (Oshawa Generals / OHL), as each scored 23 times.
- Crosby (Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL) extended his NHL record by averaging a point-per-game or better for the 21st time in his 21-season career, ahead of second-place and OHL alumnus Wayne Gretzky (19).
- Colorado Avalanche defenceman Brent Burns (Brampton Battalion / OHL) became just the second player in NHL history to play 1,000 consecutive games.
- Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane (London Knights / OHL) reached 500 goals and 1,400 points during the same campaign in which he became the all-time leader for points by a U.S.-born player.
- Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound Attack & Guelph Storm / OHL) became the first Montreal Canadiens player to record a 100-point season since 1985-86, while Mark Scheifele (Barrie Colts / OHL) joined WHL alumnus Marian Hossa (Portland Winterhawks) as the only players in Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise history to reach the 100-point mark.
- Of the 32 skaters who led their team in scoring during the 2025-26 regular season, 14 of them are CHL alumni, including Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard (Regina Pats / WHL), Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat (Erie Otters / OHL), and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL).
- Seven of the NHL’s top 10 scorers in 2025-26 are CHL graduates, including the league’s top three point-getters: McDavid, Nikita Kucherov (Québec Remparts & Rouyn-Noranda Huskies / QMJHL), and MacKinnon. The other CHL alumni in the top 10 are Scheifele, Suzuki, Draisaitl, and Jason Robertson (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL).
- Six of the NHL’s top 10 goal-scorers in 2025-26 are CHL alumni: MacKinnon, McDavid, Robertson, Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Kucherov, and Steven Stamkos (Sarnia Sting / OHL).
Complete list of the 86 OHL alumni competing in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
* denotes player who is injured and/or non-roster
Anaheim Ducks (5)
John Carlson (London Knights / OHL), Mason McTavish (Peterborough Petes & Hamilton Bulldogs / OHL), Pavel Mintyukov (Saginaw Spirit & Ottawa 67’s / OHL), Petr Mrazek (Ottawa 67’s / OHL)*, Beckett Sennecke (Oshawa Generals / OHL)
Boston Bruins (2)
Pavel Zacha (Sarnia Sting / OHL), Nikita Zadorov (London Knights / OHL)
Buffalo Sabres (7)
Sam Carrick (Brampton Battalion / OHL), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Ryan McLeod (Mississauga Steelheads & Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Tanner Pearson (Barrie Colts / OHL), Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67’s / OHL), Logan Stanley (Windsor Spitfires & Kitchener Rangers / OHL), Conor Timmins (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (4)
Jalen Chatfield (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Taylor Hall (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Jordan Staal (Peterborough Petes / OHL), Andrei Svechnikov (Barrie Colts / OHL)
Colorado Avalanche (5)
Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie Colts / OHL), Brent Burns (Brampton Battalion / OHL), Nazem Kadri (Kitchener Rangers & London Knights / OHL), Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers / OHL), Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth Whalers / OHL)
Dallas Stars (9)
Nathan Bastian (Mississauga Steelheads / OHL), Micheal Bunting (Soo Greyhounds / OHL), Kyle Capobianco (Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Matt Duchene (Brampton Battalion / OHL), Radek Faksa (Kitchener Rangers & Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads / OHL), Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Jason Robertson (Kingston Frontenacs & Niagara IceDogs / OHL), Tyler Seguin (Plymouth Whalers / OHL)*
Edmonton Oilers (8)
Evan Bouchard (London Knights / OHL), Jason Dickinson (Guelph Storm / OHL), Adam Henrique (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Max Jones (London Knights, & Kingston Frontenacs / OHL), Connor McDavid (Erie Otters / OHL), Connor Murphy (Sarnia Sting / OHL), Darnell Nurse (Soo Greyhounds / OHL), Josh Samanski (Owen Sound Attack / OHL)
Los Angeles Kings (6)
Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Cody Ceci (Ottawa 67’s & Owen Sound Attack / OHL), Brandt Clarke (Barrie Colts / OHL), Drew Doughty (Guelph Storm / OHL), Scott Laughton (Oshawa Generals / OHL), Jacob Moverare (Mississauga Steelheads / OHL)
Minnesota Wild (7)
Zach Bogosian (Peterborough Petes / OHL), Robby Fabbri (Guelph Storm / OHL) ,Nick Foligno (Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Marcus Foligno (Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Ryan Hartman (Plymouth Whalers / OHL), Micheal McCarron (London Knights & Oshawa Generals / OHL), Jacob Middleton (Owen Sound Attack & Ottawa 67’s / OHL)
Montreal Canadiens (3)
Josh Anderson (London Knights / OHL), Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound Attack & Guelph Storm / OHL), Arber Xhekaj (Kitchener Rangers & Hamilton Bulldogs / OHL)
Ottawa Senators (5)
Mike Amadio (Brampton/North Bay Battalion / OHL), Nick Cousins (Soo Greyhounds / OHL), Warren Foegele (Kingston Frontenacs & Erie Otters / OHL), Hayden Hodgson (Erie Otters, Sarnia Sting & Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Kurtis MacDermid (Owen Sound Attack & Erie Otters / OHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (8)
Denver Barkey (London Knights / OHL), Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters / OHL), Christian Dvorak (London Knights / OHL), Tyson Foerster (Barrie Colts / OHL), Travis Konecny (Ottawa 67’s & Sarnia Sting / OHL), Porter Martone (Sarnia Sting & Mississauga/Brampton Steelheads / OHL), Owen Tippett (Mississauga Steelheads & Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Garrett Wilson (Windsor Spitfires & Owen Sound Attack / OHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
Justin Brazeau (North Bay Battalion / OHL), Rickard Rakell (Plymouth Whalers / OHL), Arturs Silovs (Barrie Colts / OHL), Ilya Solovyov (Saginaw Spirit / OHL),
Tampa Bay Lightning (6)
Erik Cernak (Erie Otters / OHL), Anthony Cirelli (Oshawa Generals & Erie Otters / OHL), Nick Paul (Brampton/North Bay Battalion / OHL), Corey Perry (London Knights / OHL), Darren Raddysh (Erie Otters / OHL), Scott Sabourin (Oshawa Generals / OHL)
Utah Mammoth (4)
Lawson Crouse (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL), Sean Durzi (Owen Sound Attack & Guelph Storm / OHL), Barrett Hayton (Soo Greyhounds / OHL), Mikhail Sergachev (Windsor Spitfires / OHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (3)
Rasmus Andersson (Barrie Colts / OHL), Mitch Marner (London Knights / OHL), Brandon Saad (Saginaw Spirit / OHL)
