Jan 30th vs Niagra Game Day Playbook

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A MESSAGE TO YOU

HUNT VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER

I want to take this opportunity to welcome all of you to the 2025-26 Oshawa Generals OHL season. As always not only a welcome to the legions of returning fans, but for all of the new fans as well. Welcome to Gens Nation!!!

The large number of players that you will be seeing on the ice this season will be coming off back to back OHL championship finals appearances. A great accomplishment but we all know we fell short of our ultimate goal of winning the Robertson trophy and going to the Memorial Cup. The real success of this years team is to return to that level. Three years ago we finished in eighth place followed by a first place and fourth place regular season finishes respectively. The first-place finish and back-to-back finals appearances were the result of the building blocks being put in place seasons before and the team growing up together. Winning doesn’t happen by accident, and it must be done by doing things the right way.

The men in charge of that will be led by Mario Pouliot and his winning pedigree in junior hockey. Mario will push these players to places they may not have been before but trusting a coach that has won two Memorial Cups the reboot should move quickly. Mike Farrugia will be in his third season behind the bench, and they will be joined by newcomer Derrick Walser who most recently coached in the WHL with the Red Deer Rebels. Derrick was part of the Peterborough Pete’s coaching staff that won the OHL championship and competed in the Memorial Cup in 2023.

The hockey landscape as we know it, is changing and the people to benefit the most will be you the fans and the players. Fans will get to see young players live that they may never have been able to see before. Players with NCAA commits that may have played in other leagues to preserve their eligibility are free to explore the OHL now before going to school. Players will have the opportunity to extend their playing careers and get the best of both worlds. I suspect by the end of this upcoming season we may have half of our players with NCAA commits. However, make no mistake the OHL/CHL will remain the industry leader in producing NHL draft picks. Look no further then our own Simon Wang and Owen Griffin who had their names called for the San Jose Sharks and the Columbus Blue Jackets respectively this past June in LA.

Now you must play your part and fill this building every night. Give these guys true home ice advantage and push them to be there best night in and night out. Go Gens Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PRESIDENT & GOVERNOR

As we prepare to embark on our 88th year, we’re energized by what the future holds. While much has changed over the years, our expectations remain the same: to ice a competitive team with our sights set on returning to the finals. This year’s roster will feature an exciting blend of new talent and veteran leadership—a dynamic mix of size, skill, and relentless compete.

We can’t wait to welcome our loyal fans back to the rink and feel your support in the stands.

Starting in the new year, fans will begin to see major renovations take shape at the arena—a place the Generals have proudly called home for decades, and will continue to for years to come. These enhancements will honor our deep-rooted history while ushering in a new era of excellence, elevating the game-day experience for players and fans alike. From improved facilities to refreshed fan spaces, the upgrades will reflect the pride and spirit of the Oshawa community. This investment not only reinforces our commitment to the organization but celebrates the city we represent—with full completion slated for late 2027.

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AROUND THE OHL

AS OF JANUARY 29TH

EAST DIVISION

OTTAWA 67S

Ottawa continues to run the table with the Brantford Bulldogs for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. They have won six straight, have points in eight of their last ten, and are tied for tops in the entire league with 71 points.

There were not too many moves made by the 67’s before January 9th’s trade deadline, other than the acquisitions of Nic Sima to solidify forward depth and former General David Bedkowski to bolster the defensive core.

With the way things have been clicking all season, Ottawa might have made the right choice to not buy too heavy – not with the likes of Jasper Kuhta and Cooper Foster among others driving the offense and the goaltending remaining elite thanks to Ryder Fetterolf and Jaeden Nelson.

The 67’s continue to be in a great spot, but will host some tough opponents in Brantford, Barrie and Kitchener within the next few weeks. This next stretch could prove to be their biggest test of the season to get them ready for more tough hockey to follow.

CENTRAL DIVISION

BRAMPTON STEELHEADS

Times continue to be tough for the Steelheads as they have slid to six points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after dropping eight of nine since the start of January.

This includes a seven-game losing streak since the trade deadline, where team leaders Mason Zebeski, Parker Von Richter, Gabriel Chiarot and Jakub Fibigr were all delt.

Brampton did net a whopping 18 draft picks in the deals and 20 overall at the deadline, as well as two promising forwards in Nathan Amidovski and Jaxon Williams from the Ottawa 67’s.

With a pleather of picks after the moves, the Steelheads will have many draft choices to make down the road but will worry about finishing this season strong. The Generals face them twice this weekend in a home-and-home stretch.

MIDWEST DIVISION

KITCHENER RANGERS

The beat goes on for Kitchener, having nine wins in ten games and a current eleven game point streak since their big moves on January 9th’s trade deadline.

Acquiring Sam O’Reilly and Jared Woolley for their rivals in London not only gave them a new top-flight centre with 12 points in his first nine games and a solid shutdown defender, but Dylan Edwards and Gabriel Chiarot have also provided solid secondary scoring.

Playing on O’Reilly’s wings has also provided bigger boosts for Jack Pridham and Christian Humphreys with the two combining for a whopping 33 points in each of their last ten. Currently at 61 points, Pridham has jumped up to a three-way tie for second in league scoring.

All this firepower has the Rangers leading the entire Western Conference for the first time all season. With a one-point gap over Flint and Windsor, those three will have some fierce battles throughout the home stretch of the season for the number one seed.

WEST DIVISION

SARNIA STING

Tied for second-last in the Western Conference, things continue to look bleak for the Sting heading into the final two months of the season.

A good bit of scoring led by Easton Walos and Beckham Edwards has the Sting operating okay offense, but their defense and goaltending have them second-last in goals against – a flaw that has stood out for what seems like all season.

The goaltending situation did get a bit of a bright spot in Kale Osipenko, who was called up from the CCHL and has put up a .913 SV% and a 2.37 GAA in the three games he has played since joining the club.

Sarnia is eight points out of a playoff spot heading into this weekend and could still very well go on a run with some of their forementioned talents but will also need some help in the standings for that to happen.

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GAMEDAY

OSHAWA GENERALS vs NIAGARA ICEDOGS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30 | 7:05PM

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GAME DAY PREVIEW

The Oshawa Generals get set for another busy triple-header weekend as they wrap up their season series with the Niagara IceDogs.

Niagara comes to town for the first and only time this season in what is the second and final time these two will teams meet in the 2025/26 campaign.

Tonight is the first of three straight for the Gens with two games to follow on Saturday and Sunday – both against the Brampton Steelheads in a home-and-home.

Oshawa hopes to bounce back from a defeat at the hands of the Frontenacs Tuesday night in a makeup game from Sunday, where they went into the third period up 2-0 but gave up three unanswered goals in a come-from-behind win for Kingston.

They face an IceDogs team that is also in the mix for the playoffs and are tied with North Bay for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. This is the second of a back-to-back for Niagara after they hosted the SOO Greyhounds last night and picked up a 6-3 victory.

The Gens will also welcome back a familiar face as they meet Haoxi Wang for the first time since the trade to Niagara for Artem Frolov and three draft picks. Wang joined the Generals at the halfway mark of last season and put up 15 points in 60 games with the club.

Ryan Roobroeck netted the overtime winner for his IceDogs the last time these two met on New Year’s Eve in St. Catharines. Despite the Gens’ subpar stretch against Niagara in recent memory, they have taken four of their last six meetings against them at the TCC.

With a goal the last time around against Kingston, Vadim Smirnov comes into tonight with seven total on the season and hopes to continue his strong play in the Generals’ bottom-six. Oshawa’s third-round selection from last year’s CHL Import Draft has shown his wicked shot at times but also has a great nose for the net to best create his offense.

For the IceDogs, look out for their leading point man, Riley Patterson. The Generals know the Canucks’ prospect well from his years with the Barrie Colts, but he has been beyond fantastic since being acquired by Niagara in an offseason trade, tallying 57 points in 39 games with a combination of playmaking poise and an excellent release.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

VADIM SMIRNOV

OSHAWA GENERALS

GAMES PLAYED: 39 GOALS: 7 ASSISTS: 6

POINTS: 13 PIMS: 4

RILEY PATTERSON

NIAGARA ICEDOGS

GAMES PLAYED: 39 GOALS: 25 ASSISTS: 32

POINTS: 57 PIMS: 10

LAST GAME RECAP

JANUARY 27TH, 2026

The Oshawa Generals hoped to pick up their first victory of the season against the Kingston Frontenacs but fell 3-2 to their division rivals on Retro Night.

The Gens took to the ice in their retro navy blues and got off to a fast start with Harrison Franssen opening it up 4:36 in after following up on Artem Frolov’s shot off the rush. With the primary assist, Frolov registered his first point as a General.

Kingston had a slight edge in shots early on, but Oshawa skated well all throughout the first to generate their chances. Their hot start would continue with Vadim Smirnov ripping it blocker side past Gavin Betts on a two-on-one from the neutral zone.

It was the third straight game in which the Generals netted the first two goals and despite not capitalizing on a few late power plays, they would still take an extended lead to the locker room after one.

The middle 20 started with some more fast-paced action and Kingston continued to run up the shot totals, but Matthew Humphries kept them off the board with some big saves as he stopped 14 total stops in the second.

Oshawa played outstanding defense in front of their netminder as well throughout the first two periods, getting in the passing lanes, blocking shots and coming up with two big penalty kills to enter the final period still ahead by two.

After getting plenty of chances, the Frontenacs finally broke through just over four minutes into the third after Matthew Frost took a quick feed from behind the net and went bar-down over Humphries’ glove to make it a one-goal game.

With another Kingston push, the game was soon tied thanks to Tomas Pobezal roofing it glove-side on an odd-man rush. Soon after, Andre Mondoux jumped in from the point and he put it upstairs to give the Frontenacs their first lead.

Momentum had shifted to Kingston’s side, but the Generals pushed hard to get it tied back up. Unfortunately for the, Betts and the Frontenac defense held things down and denied their late efforts to pick up the comeback win.

Oshawa drops their sixth game of the year to the Frontenacs after three goals against in the third period. Matthew Humphries was once again terrific, but Gavin Betts also gave his team some big saves to give them the chance to come from behind.

With redemption on their minds for the next game, the Generals have another busy weekend on the horizon, beginning this Friday when Haoxi Wang returns to Oshawa with the Niagara IceDogs.

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MATT BEACHIN

Call 905-433-0900 Ext. 2233 or Email mbeachin@oshawagenerals.com

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