Top 15 NHL prospects thriving in the OHL in 2024-25

Feb 10, 2025

Top 15 NHL prospects thriving in the OHL in 2024-25

We still have a month and a half left to go in the Ontario Hockey League season, and we already have our first team to book a post-season berth.

Unsurprisingly, the London Knights were the first to advance, extending their consecutive playoff appearance streak to 24 years. Only four teams miss the postseason on a given year, but that’s still remarkable given the typical up-and-down nature of junior hockey once top players move on. Other notable contenders include the Windsor Spitfires, Kitchener Rangers, Barrie Colts, Brantford Bulldogs, Oshawa Generals and Kingston Frontenacs, among others.

Which NHL prospects have been the best of the best? We could see about 13 players break past the 100-point barrier this year, including top 2025 NHL Draft prospects Michael Misa and Porter Martone. But here’s a look at the players already assigned to NHL teams who are standing out in a big way in 2024-25:

Beckett Sennecke, RW, Oshawa Generals (Anaheim Ducks)

Sennecke took the Canadian World Junior snub personally, scoring nine goals and a whopping 22 points in eight games in December. That included four straight multi-point games to close out the month, too. The 6-foot-4 winger tied his 68-point output from his breakout draft campaign in 23 fewer games this year and is on pace to surpass the century mark, too. Taken third overall by the Ducks last June, Sennecke has loads of skill and is an innate finisher, too. Anaheim took a bit of a swing to get him, but early results suggest they might be on to something.

Zayne Parekh, RHD, Saginaw Spirit (Calgary Flames)

At one point, it looked like Parekh wasn’t going to touch his previous personal best of 96 points set last year. But after registering at least three points four times in a six-game span, Parekh might finish things off with 100 points instead. When Parekh is on his game, he’s not only one of the most dangerous defensemen, but he’s one of the most outstanding OHLers, period. A 35-goal, 100-point season would be bonkers for a blueliner – especially one who didn’t make Canada’s World Junior team – and while he can make the odd gaffes in his own zone, his pure skill and dominant puck play mostly overshadow that. The Flames have an excellent prospect in Parekh.

Jacob Battaglia, RW, Kingston Frontenacs (Calgary Flames)

Battaglia is a ton of fun to watch. The 2024 second-rounder is exceptionally smart, beating opponents with his playmaking and excellent shot release. He isn’t huge, but he hits hard and doesn’t let himself get pushed around. He’s one of the best at converting on opponents’ mistakes and he works so hard. Battaglia’s biggest issue is his skating, but his play with the puck should excite Flames fans. Battaglia also recently became the first spokesperson for the Canadian Mental Health Association’s sports mental health awareness and suicide prevention program, Talk Today, which is great to see.

Luke Misa, C, Brampton Steelheads (Calgary Flames)

Misa was one of the better skaters from the 2024 NHL Draft, and now he’s one of the more productive. He’s on track for around 40 goals and 90 points – a nice boost from his 81 a year ago. He has become a more dangerous finisher than in years past, but he’s still a high-end playmaker, too. No matter who he plays with, and no matter the situation, Misa is often the one making sure things are happening at both ends of the ice for Brampton.

Nick Lardis, LW, Brantford Bulldogs (Chicago Blackhawks)

Injuries limited Lardis to just 37 OHL games last year, which meant missing out on him hitting 100 points like many expected. This year, he’s on pace for just under 70 goals, which would be absolutely wild. Over the weekend, Lardis became the all-time single-season scoring leader in Bulldogs history, passing Arthur Kaliyev with his 52nd goal. He’s almost always involved in Brantford’s scoring, highlighted by his four hat-tricks and 14 games with at least three points. In fact, he has registered at least 10 shots a whopping seven times this year, with his 15 against Kingston on Dec. 15 marking one of the best puck games I’ve ever seen in major junior (he only scored twice, somehow). Lardis isn’t a complete player by any means, but no OHLer has outscored Lardis over the past three seasons.

Cal Ritchie, C, Oshawa Generals (Colorado Avalanche)

Ritchie is on pace for 88 points in just 48 games, which is truly remarkable. He started the year in the NHL with the Avs, and it seemed like training and playing with quality players helped boost his game in a way we hadn’t seen before. Ritchie has done a better job at making quick decisions with the puck, and he could end up with 70 assists this year. The Oakville, Ontario native does so much to generate offense for the Generals, and his two-way game only continues to improve. Look for Ritchie to challenge for a full-time NHL roster spot next year.

Luca Marrelli, RHD, Oshawa Generals (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Marrelli is looking like a sneaky good pick for the Blue Jackets. He matched his 57-point output from last year in 20 fewer games, and is on pace for over 20 goals and 80 points on Oshawa’s blueline. The fourth-year OHL defender has been so vital in Oshawa’s success this year and has only failed to register a point in consecutive games once all season long. In fact, he had an eight-game point streak in early January, which included a big three-assist effort against Peterborough. Marrelli isn’t flashy, but he knows how to get the job done – and he’s yet another intriguing defender in the Blue Jackets’ pipeline.

Carter George, G, Owen Sound Attack (Los Angeles Kings)

George’s numbers are nothing special in Owen Sound, but one thing is for sure: he always gives the Attack a chance to win. He routinely gets pelted with shots but never seems to let himself give up. His play at the World Juniors was also a big reason by the Canadians won games in the first place, given they struggled to score more than ever before. He’s been a workhorse the past two seasons, and while he isn’t huge at 6-foot-1, he isn’t very leaky and is positionally sound. George even scored a goal earlier in the season, just for good measure.

Liam Greentree, RW, Windsor Spitfires (Los Angeles Kings)

Greentree knows a thing or two about putting pucks in the net. He’s been near the OHL’s scoring lead from the very get-go, and he’s on pace for around 50 goals and 115 points in Windsor. His best 10-game stretch came from Dec. 12 – Jan. 5 when he had had 21 points – signaling that maybe Canada made a mistake not bringing him to the World Juniors. Greentree was given so much credit for doing a lot of the heavy lifting for Windsor in a rebuilding season last year. Now, with the team chasing a title, Greentree is one of the top candidates to win league MVP honors.

Sam Dickinson, D, London Knights (San Jose Sharks)

Dickinson’s rough showing at the World Juniors might give you a bad impression about him – but he’s still projected to be a future star defender. Sure, he struggled with Canada, but he’s on pace for over 30 goals and 90 points – as a defenseman. The 6-foot-3 blueliner is one of the best two-way guys in the OHL and could finish as London’s top scorer this year. We’ve only seen three OHL defensemen break past the 90-point barrier over the past 20 years – Ryan Ellis in 2010-11 (100) and Parekh (96) and Hunter Brzustewicz (92) just last year. Nobody would be surprised to see Dickinson join the elusive group.

Easton Cowan, C, London Knights (Toronto Maple Leafs)

A difficult showing at the World Juniors might hurt his stock to the average fan (and there were definitely some worrying signs in his play). On the flip side, however, Cowan went 65 regular season games with at least one point, which is absolutely wild. That’s not an official OHL record, given they only track how players produce over a single season, but it is an unofficial record. The hard-working center isn’t going to come close to touching his 96-point run from a year ago, but he has still been one of London’s best players and a big reason why they have already booked a spot in the playoffs.

Tuomas Uronen, LW, Kingston Frontenacs (Vegas Golden Knights)

Uronen had a difficult 2023-24 season, with injuries limiting him to just 13 games between OHL and international play. Fortunately, the Finnish winger has been electric in Kingston, playing at a 40-goal, 100-point pace in his first full year of major junior. He’s exceptionally smart and always wants to keep the puck moving, and the results are showing up in spades. He’s starting to look like an absolute steal after going 192nd overall in 2023 – he makes Kingston better every single game. His skating and physical game are still below average, but the Golden Knights might have something here.

Ilya Protas, LW, Windsor Spitfires (Washington Capitals)

Protas had a good season in the USHL last year, showing his chops as a set-up guy with the Des Moines Buccaneers. This year, though, Protas has played at a whole different level in the OHL. Protas centers Windsor’s top line with Greentree and top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Ethan Belchetz, so he has plenty of high-end talent to lean on. But Protas could crack the 50-goal barrier, which I don’t think any scout expected him to do this year. Every time I’ve watched Protas, I’ve been impressed with his net-front abilities and his tendency to make the right pass more often than not.

Kieron Walton, C, Sudbury Wolves (Winnipeg Jets)

Walton has gotten plenty of mentions on Daily Faceoff this year, and for good reason. He’s a 6-foot-6 forward amid an absolutely monster year in Sudbury. Even with the Wolves missing Quentin Musty – one of the league’s premier offensive threats – Walton has been playing at a 105-point pace after registering just 43 a year ago. A sixth-round pick in 2024, Walton has established himself as one of the most improved prospects. At the major junior level, he’s simply uncontainable. I can’t wait to watch how his game translates to the NHL.

Kevin He, LW, Niagara IceDogs (Winnipeg Jets)

Speaking of steals by Winnipeg, He was taken 109th overall in 2024. Since then, he has helped make Niagara a legit OHL title threat, and is on pace to smash his 53-output last season by nearly 30 points. He’s a speedy, hard-working winger who can play with anyone – few prospects move like he does. He is also an exceptional shooter, and 40 goals should be on tap for him in his third OHL campaign. Scouts were unsure of what type of player he’d become, but He has shown potential as a middle-six workhorse.

Other notables: Ryerson Leenders, G (Buffalo Sabres); Henry Mews, D (Calgary Flames); Denver Barkey, LW (Philadelphia Flyers); Carson Rehkopf, LW (Seattle Kraken); Patrick Thomas, C (Washington Capitals)

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