2026 NHL Draft: Top standouts from OHL Top Prospects Game
The OHL’s Western Conference has gotten revenge on their OHL Top Prospects Game loss from a year ago, beating the Eastern Conference 4-3 in Peterborough on Wednesday night.
The game was tight from start to finish, with both teams leading the game at some point. Egor Barabonov scored the opening goal at 8:50 to give West the early advantage, but Ryder Cali and Adam Novotny would score a goal each to make it 2-1 before the halfway point of the game.
West would then take over, with Nikita Klepov and Rylan Singh scoring to make it 3-2 for the eventual victors. East would try and get another, but Layne Gallacher would score on a strange bounce with about five minutes to go to make it 4-2. Novotny would give the Peterborough faithful another reason to celebrate, but West would hold on to secure the victory in the end.
Here is a look at the top standouts from both teams:
Lines for the OHL Top Prospects Game tonight in Peterborough. Puck drop set for a little after 7:00 p.m.
OHL East (Blue)
#10 Adam Levac, RW: The Peterborough Petes forward is coming off a productive December, so it made sense that he seemed to be extra motivated to keep his hot play alive. It felt like Levac was the one creating most of East’s offense early in this game. Levac has good hockey sense, makes a ton of quality passes and will take advantage of any lack of urgency shown by opponents. His linemate, Novotny, will get more love for the 2-1 East goal, but it was Levac who made the excellent pass near the boards to set it up. Levac also dropped the gloves in the third period for good measure.
#11 Brooks Rogowski, RW: Rogowski was the most noticeable forward early in this one. At 6-foot-7, he’s obviously got size. But I also appreciated how well he hustled at both ends, chasing pucks and breaking up plays. He’s a smart forward who uses his big frame to win battles, but he also has a good shot and isn’t afraid to launch it from anywhere in an attempt to surprise the goaltender.
#16 Adam Novotny, LW: I liked Novotny a lot before his second-period goal, and the third-period marker didn’t hurt, either. It felt like an extension of his World Junior performance, where Novotny was always buzzing around, creating and making smart passes. Novotny was one of East’s top forwards in terms of getting to the net and looking for a feed. He has a great shot, and it was good to see him get one in after getting snakebitten in Minnesota.
#27 Caleb Malhotra, C: Malhotra continues to prove why he’s the smartest forward out of the OHL. His ability to wait out opponents before making a last-second pass into a scoring lane is unmatched. He’s a great skater who plays a strong two-way game and loves getting involved physically, as well. Malhotra made an excellent pass to make it 2-1 in the second, which wasn’t even one of his more impressive plays on the night. Malhotra has a legit chance at becoming the first center taken in June because of how well he moves all over the ice while making smart, calculated passes.
#79 Joseph Salandra, RW: Salandra was a physical force in this game. He’s not big, but he plays like he is. The Barrie Colts forward made some great plays early in this one, and then capped off the first period with a huge hit. The 5-foot-10 forward does an excellent job of keeping himself involved, even when he isn’t too busy on the scoresheet. That’s because he likes chasing after everyone and forcing turnovers. It’ll be interesting to see if a team takes a chance on him later in the draft.
OHL West (White)
#4 Rylan Singh, D: Singh had a goal and an assist in this one, in perhaps my favorite viewing of his this year. The mid-sized defender hasn’t exploded offensively this year, but he was clearly playing with a boatload of confidence today. Between his quick release and his good long-range feeds, Singh was very involved on both sides of the puck. He’s always looking to activate on the rush, and he’s great on the rush, as well.
#25 Chase Reid, D: Reid always does a good job of slowing things down when it’s needed. He’s a good puck distributor who makes great heads-up passes from his own zone, and he has the defensive awareness to get back after skating up the ice for a rush. Tonight, Reid continued to make excellent moves with the puck all night long. Reid is in the running to become the first defenseman taken this June – a strong World Junior tournament helped his stock, for sure.
#17 Alessandro Di Iorio, C: Count me in as a Di Iorio fan. Even when he’s not putting pucks in the net, he’s driving the play, making responsible decisions with the puck, and seems to make everyone around him better. Di Iorio does an excellent job of carrying the puck through the middle of the ice, showcasing his high-end playmaking and his quick release. Di Iorio missed some time early this season, but between the CHL USA Prospects Challenge and now this, I like how Di Iorio rises to the occasion when eyes are on him.
#66 Braidy Wassilyn, LW: From a pure skill perspective, the London Knights forward was one of the West’s better players. He made a tremendous pass that resulted in the 2-2 goal late in the second period. Wassilyn shows great flashes of puck-handling skill quite often, but his play away from the puck still needs work. Tonight, though, it felt like the puck was in the offensive zone more often than not when he was on the ice.
#87 Jaxon Cover, RW: Cover didn’t score in this one, but he brought the energy every single shift. He’s so quick, using his speed to force turnovers and break into scoring lanes. Cover loves to get creative with the puck in the offensive zone, and it feels like his hands keep improving the more I watch him.
#98 Nikita Klepov, RW: Klepov had a goal and an assist in this one. The projected first-round pick isn’t big, but he makes up for it with pure hockey sense and his drive to win every shift. He can be a bit hot/cold in the OHL, but when he’s hot, he’s usually one of the best players on the ice in any given game. Tonight was no exception.
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