We are one week away from the vast collection of our junior hockey leagues fully kicking off their seasons. The offseason is never particularly long for hockey, but it’s even shorter if you love to follow the junior game like we do.
- Sign up to watch top level junior hockey all season long
- NHL Rookie Tournaments Schedule
- FloHockey Broadcast Schedule
We’re coming out of another summer of a lot of player movement across borders, levels and leagues that means a lot of new faces in new places, which is one of the best things about the new season. We’ve seen how everything looks on paper now, but the only way to know how the season is going to go is when we actually start playing games.
Here are six teams to keep a close eye on as the seasons begin across three of our top junior leagues next week.
OHL
Guelph Storm
Being awarded the Memorial Cup will put any team into a load-up situation. The Storm have taken their designation as the hosts very seriously, making some significant moves in terms of trades and building upon a young group of players that should make them a legitimate favorite in the league. Among the new additions are NHL prospects Ryan Roobroeck (CHI), Ethan Cazda (TBL), Vladimir Dravecky (NYI) and Owen Griffin (CBJ). The Storm also picked up veteran goalie Ben Hrebik who took Barrie all the way to the OHL final last year and will lean on exciting 2027 NHL Draft prospects Jaakko Wycisk and Timmy Kazda.
London Knights
Last year was maybe a down year by London standards, but they still placed two players in the first round of the NHL Draft and they’re getting both of them back this year. Jaxon Cover (OTT) and Maksim Sokolovskii (PHI) will be veteran anchors for a London squad that should have eyes on a big 2026-27 campaign. The team is adding key imports Marcus Nordmark (ANA), who was a first-rounder last year, and Luca Santala, who is projected to go in the first this year. Add in veteran goalie Alexei Medvedev (VAN) and you’ve got a lot of pieces that should push this group forward.
QMJHL
Québec Remparts
You’ve got to hand it to GM Simon Gagne for the swings he took to land some top talent for his team. Now we’ll see if it pays off. On top of returning first-round pick Maddox Dagenais (STL), the club brought in the top U.S. prospect for the 2027 NHL Draft, Carter Meyer, who is getting top-five buzz early. Meyer joins older brother Freddy who played on the team last year, as well as NHL prospects Nathan Quinn (PHI) and Alexandre Telliefer (WPG) among others, there’s enough experience to push this team to some real heights this year.
Saint John Sea Dogs
Scouts will have no choice but to make a few extra trips to New Brunswick this year as the Sea Dogs are home to one of the more promising prospects for the 2027 NHL Draft. Alexis Joseph’s stock has dipped a little since the Hlinka-Gretzky, but a big year in the Q can erase some concerns. Joseph will also get a big-time running mate in 2027 Draft eligible Jamie Glance, who graduated from the U.S. NTDP. Beyond the draft-eligibles, Saint John is returning a ton of players and acquired a veteran goalie in Samuel Meloche (BUF) to make them an even more legitimate threat.
USHL
Sioux Falls Stampede
The defending Clark Cup champions are not resting on their laurels. Though the team sustained a number of losses from the championship team including top goalie Linards Feldbergs, they brought in Edmonton draft pick Ryan Cameron to shore up the crease. Additionally, the club returns Cooper Soller (TBL), who was the USHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2026. It seems like it could be anyone's year and Sioux Falls definitely knows how to win.
Chicago Steel
It’s a new era for the Steel under head coach Scott Gomez. The team moved to a new downtown arena and did an entire rebrand. The Steel have been one of the top teams typically in the league, but struggled to find their footing last year. The team has a pair of NHL draft picks among their defense corps with big expectations for both Jayden Kurtz (ANA) and Brian McFadden (WSH). There’s also big expectations for massive 6-foot-7 and inaptly named twin rookies Trevor and Nolan Shorter. Will this be a big turnaround season for the Steel?
NHL Prospect Coverage On FloHockey
The best, and most complete, coverage of the NHL, minor-league hockey and NHL Draft is found on FloHockey. Don't miss the latest new prospect guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and the FloHockey staff.
Watch the AHL, ECHL, QMJHL, OHL, USHL And More On FloHockey
FloHockey is the streaming home to some of the best hockey leagues in North America, including the ECHL and more. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more hockey
Join The Hockey Conversation On FloHockey Social
- Follow us on X @FloHockey
- Follow us on Instagram @flohockey
- Follow us on TikTok @flohockeytv
- Watch us on YouTube
- Like us on Facebook