By: Dylan Baker / Canadian Hockey League
New faces are settling into new places as the 2026-27 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) season comes into focus, with training camps opening across the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
From new voices behind the bench to high-profile player moves and rare interleague matchups, the offseason has reshaped rosters and coaching staffs across all three leagues. Here’s a look at some of the biggest storylines as clubs prepare for puck drop in September.
Stepping Up Behind the Bench
Fifteen clubs across the CHL will enter the 2026-27 season with a new head coach.
Out west, five WHL clubs hired new head coaches. The Moose Jaw Warriors promoted Scott King to head coach, replacing Mark O’Leary, who left to become an assistant coach with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. The Red Deer Rebels named Brent Kisio head coach, taking over for Marc Habscheid; Kisio previously led Lethbridge from 2015 to 2023. The Regina Pats hired David Bell to replace Brad Herauf — Bell was most recently head coach of the AHL’s Belleville Senators. In Swift Current, the Broncos named Travis Crickard head coach and general manager, replacing interim boss Regan Darby; Crickard arrives from the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Giants welcomed back Michael Dyck as head coach and general manager, returning him to the organization after five previous seasons behind the Giants’ bench.
Six OHL clubs also made changes behind the bench. The Brantford Bulldogs hired Michael Babcock as head coach, replacing Jay McKee, who left for the AHL’s Hamilton Hammers; it’s Babcock’s first CHL job after assistant stints at the University of Saskatchewan and with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. The reigning Memorial Cup champion Kitchener Rangers promoted associate coach Jeff Kyrzakos, taking over for Jussi Ahokas, who left for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The Niagara IceDogs hired longtime OHL coach Jake Grimes to replace Krys Barch; Grimes has three decades of coaching experience, including an OHL title and a Memorial Cup as an assistant. In Owen Sound, the Attack named Keenan Reynolds head coach, replacing Scott Wray. The Saginaw Spirit hired alumnus Brendan Taylor following Chris Lazary’s departure. And the Soo Greyhounds brought back 2018 CHL Coach of the Year Drew Bannister, who led the club to a Western Conference title in his first stint and has since coached in the AHL and NHL with the St. Louis Blues.
In the QMJHL, four teams made changes behind the bench. The Baie-Comeau Drakkar promoted Patrice Bosch from associate to head coach, taking over from GM Jean-François Grégoire; Bosch has 28 years of coaching experience across the QMJHL and Swiss leagues. In Charlottetown, the Islanders named John Mitchell head coach, succeeding longtime coach Jim Hulton. It’s Mitchell’s first junior job after leading Okanagan Hockey Academy-Colorado. The Drummondville Voltigeurs promoted Mathieu Gravel to replace Sylvain Favreau, who joined the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch as an assistant. Hulton, meanwhile, landed in Saint John, where the 2022 Brian Kilrea CHL Coach of the Year took over the Sea Dogs following an 11-year run with Charlottetown.
New Faces, New Places
Teams across the WHL, OHL and QMJHL spent the summer retooling as they chase league championships on the road to the 107th Memorial Cup presented by Kubota in Guelph, Ont.
The host Guelph Storm have been among the OHL’s most active clubs. Their additions include four NHL-drafted prospects: Tampa Bay’s Ethan Czata and Chicago’s Ryan Roobroeck from Niagara, New York Islanders prospect Vladimir Dravecky from Brantford and Columbus prospect Owen Griffin from Oshawa. They later added Barrie netminder Ben Hrebik, who starred in the 2026 playoffs, and top 2027 NHL Draft prospect Timothy Kazda in the CHL Import Draft.
Elsewhere in the OHL, the Peterborough Petes and Brantford Bulldogs completed a notable swap of young forwards, with Cooper Dennis heading to Peterborough and 2025 first overall pick Kaden McGregor going to Brantford. Overage goaltender Ryerson Leenders moved from Brantford to Owen Sound, entering the season 32 victories shy of the OHL’s career wins record. The Erie Otters added forward Liam Beamish and goaltender David Egorov, while the Flint Firebirds picked up New Jersey Devils goaltending prospect Trenten Bennett from Owen Sound.
Atlantic-based clubs were among the QMJHL’s busiest this summer. The Saint John Sea Dogs added Buffalo Sabres goaltending prospect Samuel Meloche from Rouyn-Noranda before acquiring defenceman Thomas Charbonneau and forward Ryan Howard from Québec. The Cape Breton Eagles made several significant additions of their own, landing Washington Capitals prospect Maxim Schäfer, Ottawa Senators goaltending prospect Lucas Beckman, Los Angeles Kings prospect Liam Lefebvre and defenceman Alonso Gosselin from Chicoutimi. And the Halifax Mooseheads added Vegas Golden Knights prospect Mateo Nobert from Blainville-Boisbriand and Austrian forward Paul Sintschnig, the second overall selection in the 2026 CHL Import Draft.
Elsewhere in the QMJHL, Québec signed two top prospects for the 2027 NHL Draft in Carter Meyer and James Scantlebury; Shawinigan added Boston Bruins prospect Cole Chandler and German forward Elias Schneider from Cape Breton; Victoriaville picked up overage forward Thomas Desruisseaux; and Moncton added Liam Kilfoil from Halifax before signing goaltender Yegor Rybkin, a first-round CHL Import Draft selection.
In the WHL, the Victoria Royals and Medicine Hat Tigers made some of the summer’s biggest splashes. Victoria landed Dallas Stars prospect Cameron Schmidt, coming off a 51-goal, 100-point season, along with forward Savin Virk from Tri-City and the rights to Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Filip Novak from Lethbridge. Medicine Hat, looking to build on its 2025 Ed Chynoweth Cup title, added forward Josh Evaschesen from Kamloops and the rights to Calgary Flames prospect Mace’o Phillips, a defenceman, from Portland. Both clubs were also active in adding international talent through the 2026 CHL Import Draft.
Other WHL moves included Los Angeles Kings prospect Giorgos Pantelas, a defenceman, moving from Brandon to Penticton, draft-eligible defenceman Owen Hayden going from Kelowna to Seattle, and Regina signing forward Parker Trottier, a Montreal Canadiens prospect and the grandson of Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Trottier.
Crossover Episode!
Interleague play will provide some of the most intriguing matchups of the preseason and regular season.
The first-ever meeting between WHL and OHL clubs outside the Memorial Cup will take place in Victoria, where the London Knights visit the Royals for the two-game “Clash of the Kingdoms” on Sept. 4 and 5. The OHL and QMJHL will also meet when the Saginaw Spirit visit the Newfoundland Regiment from Aug. 28-31, while the Sudbury Wolves travel to Timmins to face the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Sept. 2.
The crossover continues into the regular season with eight OHL-QMJHL games across four home-and-home series. Val-d’Or visits North Bay on Nov. 1 before the Battalion make the return trip on Jan. 22; Sudbury hosts Rouyn-Noranda on Nov. 1, with the Huskies hosting the rematch on Feb. 21; Gatineau hosts Ottawa on Nov. 20 before the 67’s host the Olympiques on Nov. 22; and Blainville-Boisbriand and Kingston meet in Kingston on Nov. 22 and in Blainville-Boisbriand on Jan. 17.
Then, the 2026-27 regular season officially gets underway in the third week of September. The OHL opens on Sept. 17 when Kingston visits Peterborough, while the QMJHL and WHL begin their campaigns on Sept. 18 with eight- and five-game opening-night slates, respectively.
By Sept. 18, all three leagues will be underway — with a new-look CHL officially beginning its road to the 2027 Memorial Cup in Guelph.
