Dad Darcy spent 14 years in the NHL, including eight as a Leaf, while uncle Shayne Corson played 19 years in the league
Ontario Junior Hockey League resident writer Ron Valentine is profiling the 2025-26 team captains across The OJ.
BY RON VALENTINE
Nineteen-year old forward Cain Tucker is wearing the ‘C’ for the North York Rangers this season.
He is in his fourth season playing for the Rangers out of the
Herbert H. Carnegie Centennial Centre on Finch Avenue. In the OHL priority draft he was a selection of the Windsor Spitfires.
Cain had 23 points in 46 games last season, a disappointing one for the club as they managed to collect only five wins and 11 points in the Eastern Conference.
Cain is no stranger to hockey at the highest level. His dad, Darcy, spent 14 years in the NHL including eight as a Toronto Maple Leaf, while his uncle, Shayne Corson, played 19 years in the league with 10 seasons as a Montreal Canadien and three as a Maple Leaf.
“His league experience and his life experience lends to what we are wanting to build here in North York. As a leader, he knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way – and that is what our young group needs right now.”
“What can I say about Cain,” North York Head Coach Max Saegert told the OJHL. “His league experience and his life experience lends to what we are wanting to build here in North York. As a leader, he knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way – and that is what our young group needs right now.”
Last season was not the easiest the new captain notes: “It was a tough year; we were a very young team but we always managed to have fun coming to the rink and although our record was not what we wanted we never gave up trying and if some of the guys got down it was part of my job as the assistant captain to get them motivated again.”
“I played my minor hockey in Toronto for the Titans and had my dad as a coach which was fun. My elder brother, Cole, also played for the Rangers, and he has just completed four years at Elmira College in New York state. Unfortunately he encountered a few injuries but got a great education and played hockey as well, a good combination. I’m also looking to attend a Division III school in 2026.”
Assisting Cain this season are Matt Babiy, Connor (C.J) Irwin and Luca Spano. “All of the A’s were with us last season and were all among our top scorers. They are big, skilled players who all skate well and they are smart hockey players, it’s a good leadership group.”
“In the season I started with Rangers (2022-23) we had a pretty veteran team and we ended up in eighth spot in the South/East and since then we have iced very young teams but we have not always had the results we wanted. We have some very exciting new players in Brady Warr on defence, Lincoln Burns and Kyson Paterson, who will be key for us as the season goes along.”
See our interview with Cain from the OJHL’s Governors Showcase in Niagara Falls this fall:
“The bottom line this season for us is execution, we have to play a sixty-minute game, take our chances and play the system. Personally I want to work on my confidence when carrying the puck.”
The Rangers host Markham Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Herbert H. Carnegie Centennial Centre.
Follow Ron Valentine on X @ronandlynda
