Game 4, Yellow vs Grey, Cobourg, ON, Dec. 2, 7 pm
Dec. 2, 2025, Mississauga, ON – The Ontario Junior Hockey League’s (OJHL) inaugural Zach Hyman OJHL Prospects Series resumes today – Tuesday, Dec. 2 – in Cobourg, ON.
Two of the three East Conference teams – Grey and Yellow – will meet in Game 4 at 7 p.m. at the Cobourg Community Centre. Tickets for the six round-robin games in the series are $13 per game. Children 12 and under are admitted free of charge.
Both teams lost their opening games in the series to Team Red:
Red 9, Grey 3 – Nov. 4, Trenton, ON
Andrew Pacheco (Markham), Jackson Irvine (St. Michael’s) and Henry Wang (Cobourg Cougars) scored for Grey in the first game of the series. Justin Doak (Wellington) had two assists and was named Grey Player of the Game. Joseph D’Angelo (North York) and Christian Lee (St. Michael’s) split the goaltending duties for Grey.
Red 7 , Yellow 6 – Nov. 11, Cobourg, ON
Alex Semenstov (Newmarket) scored a goal, added an assist and was named Yellow Player of the Game. Other goals came from Haliburton County Huskies Luis Sturgeon, Julius Da Silva and Lewis Hergaarden as well as Cruz Doner (Markham) and Nicholas Muzzatti (Newmarket). Nathan McKee (Stouffville) and Charlie Hotles (Aurora) had two-assist afternoons. Matthew Humphries (Aurora) and Max Grovestine (Newmarket) shared the netminding.
Click on the link to buy tickets for Game 4: Dec 2 tickets
All games are being streamed live on FloHockey
The Zach Hyman OJHL Prospects Series is shining the spotlight on the top 2008- and 2009-born players from across the 24-team league. High-quality skills with a high level of competition is what fans and scouts can expect in every game in the series. The event showcases the OJHL Top Prospects and the level of their development for the next steps in their careers.
QUOTES
Jacob Panetta (Wellington Dukes), head coach of Team Grey: “I think this is a great opportunity for all of the young players in our league to get the opportunity to play with and against players their own age and compete in front of scouts that may not see them otherwise. I think the players have some extra motivation to play well and show off their skill and talent to teams at the next level.”
“My pregame message to the players is to have fun and play their game. Each player is there for a reason. Continue to do all the same things that got them to this point. Enjoy the opportunity and the moment and remember that at the end of the day, it’s just another game of hockey.”
Players to watch on Team Yellow from Coach Panetta’s perspective:
“A goalie to watch is Matthew Humphries from Aurora. Wellington has played him twice now during the season and, for a young goalie, he plays like he’s been around the league for a long time. Calm and cool in the net and makes a great first save.
(More on Humphries below)
“Another player to watch is Ben Bowen from Newmarket. For a big body, he moves extremely well on the ice.” The winger was a second-round pick of the Barrie Colts in the OHL’s 2024 U16 Priority Selection.
Caiden Clair (St. Michael’s Buzzers) of Team Grey has 24 points (13 goals/11 assists) in 31 OJHL games this season. The 16-year-old was a 13th-round selection of the Saginaw Spirit in 2025: “It’s a great opportunity to show my skillset. And it’s nice to play with the younger kids, my age and the 08s”.
Goals and assists aside, he’s justifiably proud of the way he’s taken to the physical play in junior often against players three and four years older than him. Saginaw officials have told Clair that the “OJHL is a great spot for me to develop.”
Players to watch on Team Grey, according to Caiden:
- Alex Sementsov (Newmarket Hurricanes): “Player of the Game in their first game. I think he’s great. He’s a good 200-foot player, a solid stickhandler with a great shot. People should take note of him.” Sementsov was a first-round (18th overall) pick of the Barrie Colts in the 2025 OHL U16 Priority Selection.
- Julius Da Silva (Haliburton County Huskies): “Physical with a good shot and great on the power play. All good skills to have.” Da Silva was taken fifth overall by Owen Sound in this year’s OHL U18 Priority Selection.
Jordan Bailey (Haliburton County Huskies), head coach of Team Yellow: “I really love this series. It’s a great event for our younger players to showcase to all the teams in the OHL just how many good players the OJ has, whether they’re drafted or not. I really love how it’s run. It’s a wonderful opportunity for these kids.”
“On the Grey team I’m excited to see the (Tyler) Bruce kid from Pickering play against his own age group as a 16-year-old, after seeing him play us three times this season. And St. Mike’s has some good young players (Tyler Clark, Jackson Irvine, Caden Clair, Luca Bonomo, Calum Murphy and Christian Lee) I’m anxious to see again. There’s lots of talent over there.” Bruce was a seventh-round pick of the Soo Greyhounds this year.
Bailey likes his own team, too: “They’re very receptive and just good human beings.”
Matt Humphries (Aurora Tigers), goaltender on Team Yellow: “We’re definitely a talented team. We all got along and really clicked. It was fun playing against the top O8s and 09s in the OJ in our first game.”
Humphries’ Ontario Hockey League rights were traded to the Oshawa Generals by the Niagara IceDogs on Nov. 10. The Generals scouted Humphries in his first game of the Zach Hyman Series the next afternoon in Cobourg, he said.
“They are very happy with my success in Aurora (the past two seasons),” the Newmarket resident said. “I’m practising with the Generals two to three times a week. They’re hoping to get me in some games soon.”
Humphries picks some shooters to watch on the opposition today:
“Definitely my teammate Nicholas Frasca (Aurora). He’s a defenceman with a great shot.” Frasca, who played in 17 games with the Niagara IceDogs has been in three OHL games this season with the Erie Otters. He was a third-round selection by Niagara in the 2024 OHL U16 Priority Selection.
Lucas Demiglio (Stouffville). “Trained with him in the summer and played in an OHL exhibition game against him.” An OHL free agent, Demigilio signed with the Brampton Steelheads this fall. He’s played in three OHL games this season, including Brampton’s 2-1 win over Brantford Friday. His brother, former Stouffville star Julian Demiglio, is also a Steelhead.
Calum Murphy (St. Michael’s) is “a great player who I played with in U16 (Markham Majors).” The grandson of former NHL player and coach Mike Murphy was drafted by the Steelheads in 2024.
Other players to watch in Game 4:
- Kieran Raynor of the Haliburton County Huskies, a second-round selection of the Peterborough Petes in this year’s OHL U16 Priority Selection.
- Noah Gaudet. Like aforementioned Newmarket Hurricanes’ teammate Ben Bowen, Gaudet was taken by the Barrie Colts in the second round of the 2024 OHL U16 Priority Selection.
A preliminary list of potential participating prospects included more than 90 players who have been drafted by Ontario Hockey League (OHL) teams and players with NCAA Division I commitments, underscoring the depth of talent taking part in the Zach Hyman OJHL Prospects Series.
Game 5 will take place in Milton, ON on Dec. 15 at 11:30 a.m. when West Black takes on West Orange.
The Prospects Series features six teams competing in a round-robin format followed by a championship game. Selected players are playing on three teams representing OJHL East and three teams representing OJHL West. Following the round-robin, the top two teams – one East and one West – will advance to the championship game at the TD Civic Centre, hosted by the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs, on Jan. 6.
About the OJHL – “League of Choice”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the Canadian Junior Hockey League with 24 member clubs. A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including U SPORTS, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL had more than 135 commitments in 2024-25, including 54 to NCAA Division 1 and 29 to the Ontario Hockey League. In addition, the OJHL had 39 OHL Affiliate Players who played 152 OHL games. Thirty OJHL alumni are playing in the NHL this season.
