The second and concluding game in the series goes tomorrow at Ontario Tech University (Campus Ice Centre) in Oshawa at 4 p.m.
By Jim Mason/OJHL Communications
As a graduating player in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, David Paglia has talked to postsecondary schools about his hockey life after this season.
The captain of the Stouffville Spirit came away impressed by his latest look at his possible future on Saturday.
The big, third-year defenceman was at Toronto Metropolitan University in downtown Toronto on a team of 20-year-old players from the OJHL. As part of a first-year series with Ontario University Athletics/U SPORTS teams Paglia and his teammates got the full student-athlete experience this afternoon before playing that evening.
Following a morning skate at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, they enjoyed a pre-game meal, took in a seminar and a facility tour.
Following a 2-0 loss to TMU’s varsity team, they attended a meet-and-greet.
“It was a lot of fun, a great experience and great day,” said Paglia, who represented the OJHL earlier this season on an all-star team at the Battle of Ontario Jr. A tournament in Smiths Falls. “The TMU staff let us know what the day in the life of a U SPORTS hockey player was like. I thought they did a good job of answering all our questions.”
The King City product came away impressed by both the facilities and staff at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
“The fitness facility was amazing, especially the recovery area,” he said. “They offer a lot to attend to their athletes with the personnel they have and facilities including the cold tubs.”

The OJHLers proved they could play with the Bold. The game was scoreless until midway through the third period. An empty-net goal with two seconds remaining made it 2-0.
OJHL goaltenders Marcus Vandenberg (Leamington Flyers) and Dylan Grover (Buffalo Jr. Sabres) were outstanding.
“It really showed that all 20 guys on our roster can play at that level,” said Paglia, who plans to study kinesiology at university. “It’s really nice to see what the OJ is producing. I thought it was a great game.”
“It’s really nice to see what the OJ is producing. I thought it was a great game.”
The second and concluding game in the series goes tomorrow at Ontario Tech University (Campus Ice Centre) in Oshawa at 4 p.m. Another squad of 20-year-olds from the OJHL will play the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks.
Admission to the game and parking at Campus Ice Centre are free. Sunday’s game will be live-streamed free of charge on OUA.TV
The goal of the two-game series is to expose the OJHL’s top 20-year-olds to U SPORTS hockey scouts to facilitate their advancement and to give OJHL players the student-athlete experience. Coaches from across the OUA were invited to attend both games.
TORONTO, ON: Marquise Brown (Leamington Flyers) of Team OJHL checks former OJHLer Aleks Dimovski of TMU at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Jan. 4. (Photo by Tim Bates / OJHL Images)
The seminars, led by the coaches and athletic department staff members at both schools, will show the OJHL players what a day in the life of a Canadian university varsity athlete entails. Players will also be given information on scholarships and academic requirements. Question-and-answer periods will be included on the itinerary.
Both university teams are coached by OJHL grads.
TMU Head Coach Johnny Duco played for the Stouffville Spirit, North York Rangers, Wexford Raiders and Thornhill Major Islanders in the OJHL from 2000-04.
Ontario Tech Head Coach Curtis Hodgins coached in the OJ at Cobourg, Bowmanville and Whitby from 2000-15. Assistant Coach Rob Powers won OJHL championships playing with Stouffville and the Toronto Patriots. Austin Eastman, another assistant coach, played for Aurora and Lindsay in the OJHL. He played at Ontario Tech for three seasons.
Both OUA/U SPORTS teams feature OJHL grads.
The TMU roster includes: Mitch Lafay and Jaden Raad (Trenton Golden Hawks), Aleks Dimovski and Evan Tanos (Toronto Patriots), Jaden Condotta (Georgetown Raiders, North York Rangers), Ian Martin (Pickering Panthers), Ryan Dugas (Milton Menace), Sergei Litvinov (Toronto Jr. Canadiens) and Riley Pitt (Cobourg Cougars).
The Ontario Tech roster includes: James White (Wellington Dukes), Marko Jakovljevic (Trenton), Dustin Hutton (Pickering, Georgetown Raiders, Toronto Jr. Canadiens) and Andrew Suriyuth (Collingwood Blues, Trenton, Kingston Voyageurs).
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. The OJHL is the home of the 2024 Centennial Cup champion Collingwood Blues. 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 has had more than 75 commitments already this season.