Thursday night will mark the opening of a new OHL season and the second campaign in which you can watch every single game on FloHockey. After a thrilling inaugural season on the platform, which saw top prospects flourish and the Kitchener Rangers claim the league title, 2026-27 brings a lot of new faces, new excitement and the same great hockey we’ve come to expect from Ontario’s top junior circuit.
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As always, the NHL Draft will be a large part of the backdrop to the season. Saginaw’s Dima Zhilkin and Guelph’s Jaakko Wycisk are among the top prospects in the OHL this season that should have their names called early, but they’ll have plenty of company from fellow OHLers over the course of the season.
There will also be a large number of recently drafted prospects that will be returning to the league to keep stacking experience and development as they build towards their professional future. The league could have multiple first-round picks from the most recent draft competing in the league with three of them expected to be on London’s roster alone.
To help get you ready for the OHL season, we took a look at 10 prospects we’ll be watching closely as the year progresses.
Many of the drafted players listed will be participating in their respective NHL teams’ training camps and some may even get a few games with the big club, so we probably won’t see them for the first few weeks of the season, but expect they’ll be making an impact when they return.
Ten NHL Prospects To Watch In The OHL 2026-27
Dima Zhilkin, C, Saginaw Spirit (2027)
One of the top prospects for the 2027 NHL Draft, Zhilkin is a late 2008 birthdate and has two years of OHL service with a strong track record of production. He had 75 points in 59 games last season including 36 goals. Zhilkin has averaged 1.04 points per game over his entire OHL career.
We’ll have to see if Nikita Klepov (ANA) comes back as one of his running mates, but even without Klepov, Zhilkin is going to put up numbers. This Saginaw roster is his to lead. As a competitive, aggressive forward with skill, Zhilkin can beat teams in a variety of ways. Expect to see him representing Canada at the World Juniors, too.
Jaxon Cover, C/W, London Knights (OTT)
One of the most remarkable development stories in recent memory, Cover grew up playing roller hockey in the Cayman Islands. With just a few years of competitive ice hockey under his belt, Cover stunned as an OHL rookie with 52 points in 67 games. He impressed so much, the Ottawa Senators picked him in the first round last year.
With a year of experience under his belt and such tremendous hand skills, Cover should be an offensive leader for a highly-regarded London side this season. His natural ability will only be enhanced as he continues to expand his game in ways that can only come with more time. Where he goes from here is going to be fascinating to watch because the possibilities are endless.
JAXON COVER GOES END-TO-END TO WIN IT IN OVERTIME FOR THE SENS!!! 🤯
— NHL (@NHL) September 13, 2026
(🎥: @Senators) pic.twitter.com/Ip47FjwLRO
Maksim Sokolovskii, D, London Knights (PHI)
A mountain of a young man, Sokolovskii checks in at 6-foot-8 and seems to only be scratching the surface of his vast potential. Teams were keen on Sokolovskii’s postseason performance where he defended at a high level and plays the game with a mean streak.
The big question was if the offense and puck game would come along enough. In some early viewings, there are flashes that he’s getting more comfortable there. He had just eight points in 44 games last season, but you’d have to expect more ice time, more opportunity and more points next season.
Marcus Nordmark, RW, London Knights (ANA)
One of the most electric skill players in last year’s draft, Nordmark brings a refined offensive game to London after playing in his native Sweden. He helped the Swedes win gold at the most recent U18 Men’s World Championship following an impressive showing in Sweden’s top junior league. He had 38 points in 25 games there and got eight games with Djurgårdens pro side.
Nordmark leaving Sweden for the OHL was a surprise, but London now has a remarkable crop of import players to lean on. The 6-foot-2 winger is a threat to score and a little bit of a loose cannon, prone to penalties. We’ll see if he can get things channeled in the right way in London.
Jaakko Wycisk, C, Guelph Storm (2027)
Hockey fans were introduced to the German-Canadian dual citizen while starring for Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in August. The hard-working center with good playmaking skills registered 10 points in five games as Canada took the tournament’s top prize. It was a continuation of Wycisk’s strong finish to his rookie season in Guelph.
The Munich-born forward had 43 points in 60 games last season. Now with the Storm hosting the Memorial Cup, they’ve loaded up their roster and surrounded Wycisk with better talent and a chance to still be featured. While Wycisk doesn’t always bring you out of your seat, he’s a smart, committed player who finds so many ways to impact the game. He should still hit the score sheet plenty this year.
Timothy Kazda, LW, Guelph Storm (2027)
TIMOTHY KAZDA, ARE YOU KIDDING⁉️
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) September 12, 2026
What a goal by the @Storm_City import for his first of the preseason!#NHLDraft | @FloHockey pic.twitter.com/1Yvd0Ro8qt
A key import addition for the Memorial Cup hosts, Kazda is a Slovak native who has spent the last few years in the United States adjusting to the North American game. First in prep school and last year with the USHL’s Chicago Steel, Kazda showed some remarkable skill and a talent for scoring.
In 59 games with Chicago, Kazda had 41 points including 22 goals on the way to an all-rookie selection. He followed that up with a jaw-dropping U18 Worlds where he had 12 points in seven games as host Slovakia took the silver medal. With some legit make-you-miss skill, Kazda should bring some entertainment value with him to Guelph.
Alexander Bilecki, D, Kitchener Rangers (TOR)
As a younger player on the OHL and Memorial Cup champions, Bilecki gained valuable experience but hasn’t yet been the No. 1 option for his team. Heading into his third OHL season, that could change this year. The talented puck-mover really seemed to come alive in the playoffs and that led the Maple Leafs to pick him in the second round.
The 6-foot-2, left-shot defenseman has some sneaky skill and while he didn’t have amazing numbers last year, he produced. As a focal point of Kitchener’s team this season, those numbers should go up in a meaningful way.
Bilecki went behind the back🤩
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 24, 2025
What a nifty play from the 2026 #NHLDraft prospect, sending a no-look, behind the back feed to set up Arquette for the tap in!@OHLRangers | @FloHockey pic.twitter.com/jJKIhmJArc
Adam Novotný, LW, Peterborough Petes (VAN)
Novotný’s status is a little up in the air right now, but if he returns to Peterborough as expected, he’s going to have a great chance to take a step this year. Vancouver took him 24th overall in the first round and there should be an expectation for him to be a dominant offensive player this season.
Novotný is such a committed two-way player, but he is going to need to find ways to be more of an offensive driver to carve out a significant role in the NHL. He had 34 goals and 65 points last year, so there’s evidence that is there for him, but seeing it consistently will go a long way.
Pierce Mbuyi, LW, Owen Sound Attack (PIT)
With 127 points in 131 career OHL games, Mbuyi’s a capable scorer. He saw a 23-point production jump last year compared to his rookie year. What could be expected this year? Owen Sound has some real designs on being a bigger factor in the OHL this season and if they are, Mbuyi will be leading the way.
Expected to wear the C for the Attack this season, Mbuyi has to find a way to make a nigh-in, nigh-out impact, which he has traditionally done. But now the Attack have to get out of the first round of the playoffs. They need a big year from him for that.
Alexander Karmanov, D, North Bay Battalion (SJS)
The tallest player in the history of the game at 7-foot-1, Karmanov appeared in just 20 OHL games last season. He split the year between the Brantford Titans in the GOHL and the Battalion, but should be a full-timer this season. The biggest challenge ahead for the San Jose Sharks seventh-round pick is to find the rest of his game.
Karmanov is a longer-term project, but he remains so intriguing because his mobility has been improving and there’s just an especially long leash on a player with his size to be allowed to figure things out. Watching where he is able to take this next is going to be among the most fascinating things to follow all season as we’ve just never, ever seen anything like him in this sport.
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