Ottawa 67's expected to build off surprising 2025-26 and contend in OHL again next season

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Can the 67’s be expected to post sound defensive numbers again in 2026-27?

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Perhaps, if coach Dave Cameron and his staff are back and can once again convince players to adopt a team-first mindset.

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“We know what it took this year … it took buy-in from everybody, commitment from everybody on all levels, all the time, even when times were hard,” said Nelson. “So I think if we can get that from everyone, have a good culture around for any of the new guys that are coming through, and then with the steps everyone’s going to take in the off-season after such a special year, I like our shot at anything.”

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What players are the 67’s losing?

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Gone for sure, of course, are the three 20-year-olds: Captain and leading scorer Cooper Foster, as well as fellow forwards Nic Sima and Sam McCue, both of whom were acquired as the trade deadline approached.

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Among their potential overagers next season are Finnish centre Jasper Kuhta, winger Teddy Spitznagel, and three defencemen, although Frankie Marrelli (Ohio State) and Connor Bewick (Penn State) have committed to NCAA Division 1 schools and David Bedkowski is a third-round NHL pick the Buffalo Sabres might want to turn pro.

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Two other 67’s are also committed to U.S. college programs, and both are locally grown products: Nepean’s Thomas Vandenberg (Providence College) and Ottawa’s Shaan Kingwell (Princeton).

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What players could step into top roles for the 67’s next season?

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As the roster stands before any off-season moves (trades/draft picks), the offensive leaders up front should be Nic Whitehead, who had 25 goals and 63 points this season, Filip Ekberg (24 goals, 46 points) and Spencer Bowes, a 15th-round pick who had a strong second half to finish with 23 goals and 42 points.

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“Great season, very proud of myself,” said Bowes, a Carleton Place native. “I think I came a long way from the start of the year. I started slow and found my game in the second half of the year.

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“I think it’s just a confidence thing. You’ve got to find your confidence in your game, trust yourself. I think since I found my confidence, I elevated my game a little bit.”

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From the back end, the 67’s will be led by Kohyn Eshkawkogan, whose 53 points (eight goals) made him the OHL’s eighth-leading-scoring defenceman, and he should be close to or at the top of that board next season.

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A couple of blue-liners who saw only limited action in 2025-26 and should play important minutes next year are Nolan Jackson, who suffered a season-ending broken femur on Halloween, and Jack Johnson, a 16-year-old who played in 10 games and projects to be a shut-down D-man.

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Johnson had 30 points and 77 penalty minutes for the Navan Grads when he wasn’t with the OHL team.

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“I felt the more I got called up, the more comfortable I was, and I really showed my progress throughout the games,” said the 6-foot-3, 192-pounder. “I think it was just getting used to the speed of the game, being able to play my game and build some confidence. I think I can play a solid role in the D-core next year.”

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Jackson, whose rehab will include a couple of summer leagues he has already signed up to play in, said just getting back to practising with the team was “one of the greatest feelings he had all season.”

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He also said he learned a lot while watching the games from the stands.

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“All of the smart, smaller things that guys do to help the team win, whether it’s like a little check or a little bump to get in an opponent’s way,” he said. “It’s unbelievable the things you see from the stands that you don’t see when you’re actually playing the game.”

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Like his teammates, Jackson is confident in the 67’s future.

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“We’ve got quite a few returning guys, and I think if they buy into the same system, and the new guys coming in next year, buy into that system as well. I think we could be up right up there again,” he said. “Maybe even go further.”

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