Collingwood Blues netminder Maksim Corovic headlines list of OJHL talent for 2026 NHL Draft
Mississauga, Ontario – The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is proud to announce that 16 players with league connections have been named to the NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft.
The list highlights the OJHL’s status as a premier development league, featuring one current player, nine league alumni currently playing in the OHL, and six players who utilized the OJHL as Affiliate Players (AP) in their development path.
Leading the charge for the OJHL is Maksim Corovic of the Collingwood Blues. The 17-year-old Stoney Creek native has been ranked 24th among North American Goaltenders.
Corovic has been a dominant force in the league this season. He currently sits atop the OJHL leaderboard with a stingy 1.60 goals-against average and a league-best .947 save percentage. Sporting a 9-2-2-0 overall record, he also shares fifth in the league for shutouts (2).
Corovic’s inclusion follows a standout season where he represented the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) as a member of Team Canada East at the Junior A World Challenge in Trois-Rivières, Que., and participated in the inaugural Zach Hyman OJHL Prospects Series.
OJHL Development on Display
Beyond the current roster, the OJHL continues to be a vital stepping stone to the next level. Nine OJHL alumni who have graduated to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) were recognized in the rankings.
Notable alumni on the list include:
Matthew Humphries (G): Now with the Oshawa Generals (OHL) after one and a half years with the Aurora Tigers.
Gavin Betts (G): Now with the Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) after spending the 2024-25 season with the Pickering Panthers.
Michael Newlove (G): Now with the Windsor Spitfires (OHL). He was named to the OJHL’s Second All-Prospect Team for 2024-25 after starring for the Georgetown Raiders and Burlington Cougars.
Ben Hrebick (G): Now with the Barrie Colts (OHL), having played last season with the Burlington Cougars.
Ryder Cali (F): who was named to the OJHL’s First All-Prospect Team for 2024-25, plays for the North Bay Battalion this year, having played with the Milton Menace.
Jacob Xu (D): now with London in the OHL, split last season between the Trenton Golden Hawks and King Rebellion in the OJHL.
Andre Mondoux (D): Now with the Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) after two seasons with the Pickering Panthers.
Illia Shybinskyi (F): Now with the Guelph Storm (OHL). He played last season with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens and represented Team Ukraine at the IIHF U20 World Championships.
Dryden Allen (D): Now with the Flint Firebirds (OHL), an alumnus of the Niagara Falls Canucks (2023-24).
In addition to full-time alumni, the depth of the league is showcased by six players on the Central Scouting list who utilized the OJHL as Affiliate Players (AP), gaining crucial experience at the Junior A level;
Ryder Carey (Georgetown Raiders) of the North Bay Battalion
Justin Handsor (Stouffville Spirit), Barrie Colts
Wesley Royston (Aurora Tigers), Owen Sound Attack
Braidy Wassilyn (North York Rangers), London Knights
Cole Zurawski (Georgetown Raiders), Owen Sound Attack
Jet Kwajah (Toronto Patriots), Madison Capitals
The 2026 NHL Draft goes June 26 and 27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Ticket information, fan events and other details for the draft will be announced at a later date.
-with files from the Canadian Junior Hockey League
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 were playing in the NHL at the start of the 2025-26 season.
