Another NHL Draft goes by. Another win for the Ontario Hockey League.
Call it hyperbole, but it’s hard to ignore the pattern. Year after year, when the biggest stage in hockey calls up its next generation of young stars, it’s the OHL that shines the brightest.
Forty-one OHL players heard their names called in June’s NHL entry draft, marking the league’s strongest draft class since 2017.
Since 1969, 2,594 OHL players have been selected – about 20 per cent of all players chosen, the most of any league in the world. A similar share of today’s NHLers also developed through the OHL.
The 2025 NHL Draft saw five OHL players go in the top 10 and three in the top five for the first time since 2015, when Connor McDavid, Dylan Strome, and Mitch Marner went first, second, and fourth, respectively.
For Matthew Schaefer of the Erie Otters and Michael Misa of the Saginaw Spirit, going first and second overall in this year’s draft class is a rare honour – one that only a select few in hockey history can claim. But as the two teenagers crossed the stage, shook hands, and slipped on the jerseys and hats of their new teams, they became more than just top picks; they became the latest chapter in the OHL’s long and proud tradition of helping players turn their NHL dreams into reality.
There are two reasons the OHL is a hotbed for NHL talent. The first is obvious – its deep Canadian roots. In a country where hockey is a national identity, the OHL sits at the heart of it.
The second is a little less apparent – but look closer, and you’ll find a league that introduces players to a pro-like environment in more ways than one, long before they ever skate onto NHL ice.
Each year, the OHL Priority Selection Process drafts players from top-tier minor hockey programs across Canada and the U.S. Most of the draftees come from elite Under-16 programs in Ontario. Additionally, the league holds a separate U18 Priority Selection for players who were not drafted at age 16. Teams also select players through the CHL Import Draft, which allows OHL, Western Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League teams to draft international players from outside North America.
The 20 OHL teams make their picks in reverse order of the previous season’s standings, though the four non-playoff clubs get a head start in the first round, thanks to a weighted lottery that determines their draft order. So, similar to the NHL, the OHL provides struggling teams with the opportunity to rebuild by granting them priority access to top young talent. In 2022, the Saginaw Spirit selected Misa first overall from the Mississauga Senators U16 AAA squad after finishing at the bottom of the Western Conference in the 2021-2022 regular season. Two years later, they were Memorial Cup champions.
“In my minor midget year, I applied for exceptional status. Once it was granted, the only team I spoke with was Saginaw – they had the first pick and told me they were going to draft me,” said Misa, who became just one of nine players to have been granted exceptional player status by Hockey Canada to play in the OHL as a 15-year-old.
“[Before winning the Memorial Cup], not many people knew much about Saginaw,” he continued. “They had a good team a few years before, but when Zayne [Parekh], a few others, and I joined, we helped boost the organization. Hosting the Memorial Cup was huge – it really put Saginaw on the map.
“Now, way more people know about the city than before.”
It’s the kind of storyline that echoes through the highest levels of pro sports – when a small-market club lands a generational talent, builds the right core around them, and suddenly, everything changes. That’s exactly the kind of environment that prepares players of Misa’s calibre for what comes next. And for the 18-year-old Oakville native, what comes next is the chance to spark a new era with the San Jose Sharks – a team in the midst of a rebuild, and one that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2019.
NHL life will be a grind – long road trips, back-to-backs, intense practices, workouts, and media interrogation. By the time Schaefer reaches the NHL, he’ll already have lived a version of it.
“The day in the life of an OHL player is similar to that of a professional hockey player,” said Schaefer, now property of the New York Islanders. “On a typical game day, you go in the morning for a pre-game skate, then head out with the guys for breakfast, and come back later to get ready for game time. There’s a lot of routine built into the day.
“On an off-day, the younger guys have to go to school in the morning, while the older players get their lift in and then join the team for practice. After that, there’s time for recovery, stretching, and sticking to your routine to make sure your body feels right for upcoming games. You’ve got access to free ice and all your meals through your billet family, so everything’s taken care of.
“I haven’t played in the NHL yet, but from what I hear, it’s pretty similar.”
“I think you pick up a lot of good habits in the OHL,” said Misa. “The days feel like workdays – you’re at the rink from around 10 or 11 in the morning until four or five in the afternoon. It’s definitely a grind, but that’s what helps prepare you for the NHL. At that level, it’s a full-time job. Guys have families to support, and hockey is how they do it. So you definitely take a lot of what you learn in the OHL with you to the next level.”
The OHL follows a 68-game regular season schedule that begins in the third full week of September and runs until the third week of March. To minimize the number of school days missed by players, 90 per cent of games are scheduled between Thursday and Sunday.
“Playing the schedule that we do closely represents an NHL season,” said OHL Commissioner Bryan Crawford. “It’s not quite as long, not quite as many games, but it is closely representative of what it looks like. That’s certainly something NHL teams and scouts want to see – players going through that process, because it prepares them for life as a professional.”
And as if preparing for the pros wasn’t enough, many players are doing it while juggling classes, assignments, and exams.
“All our players are also in school. Some are still in high school, others are in post-secondary school,” said Crawford. “School typically takes up half their day, followed by practice, and sometimes a game that night or travel if they’re on the road.
“Most teams use a hybrid education model - a mix of in-person and online learning. Some players attend local high schools, while others go through private schools or academies, all with the goal of graduating while balancing their hockey careers.”
Even with one skate practically in the NHL, Schaefer and Misa kept the other planted firmly in the classroom, making school a priority.
“At night, there’s plenty of free time since practice wraps up around three or four, so you’ve got the whole evening,” claimed Schaefer. “I always stayed on top of my schoolwork and got it done early, so I didn’t have to stress like some of the guys who left it to the last minute. Even after a long road trip, you’re tired, but school’s still a priority. You’ve got to push through and get it done.
“School’s always been really important to me.”
Misa attended Heritage High School in Saginaw, where he took regular classes in the morning, and the school stayed in close contact with the Spirit to monitor his progress.
“Our guidance counsellor would send mark updates to our GM and coach every two weeks,” said Misa. “If you’re failing or not doing well, you won’t play - so you have to maintain a good average.”
“They have to train, work out, get treatments, and maintain proper nutrition - all while going to school and playing hockey. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart,” added Crawford.
Crawford also stressed that media training matters just as much as the on‑ice routines. These prospects may skate like pros, but they’re still kids, and when 30 reporters jam microphones under their chins, they need the poise to answer on the fly. The OHL makes sure they’re ready for that.
“Part of being in an environment that mirrors the NHL is having media availability and press conferences – that’s a huge part of it, learning how to deal with the media," said Crawford. “A lot of teams provide media training for the players, it’s all part of preparing them for that role, understanding what it means to be in the spotlight, and handling the moments that come with being a public figure.”
“Before big media events, the team will guide you on what to say and what not to say – what to do, what not to do, and how to protect your image,” said Schaefer. “When you first start, it’s all new, and you’ve got to get the feel. When I was at the [NHL Scouting] Combine, I felt much more comfortable in a press conference or media scrum. When you’re first drafted into the OHL, and there’s media scrums, you’re thinking, ‘Oh my God, what’s going on here?’”
“The way I talk to the media now, compared to back then, there’s a big difference.”
Only time will tell if Schaefer and Misa will live up to expectations in the NHL. But if success is shaped by structure, discipline, and experience, the environment that raised them has already stacked the odds in their favour.
Follow: @aleksa_cosovic
