The Toronto Titans Tournament marks the kickoff to the OHL Draft season and the first opportunity for me to start to untangle the puzzle that is my OHL draft rankings. My goal for the week was to see every team at least once to have a general idea of the talent throughout the province. From there, I dialed up the viewings for teams with contenders to include in my initial top 20, which mostly happened through watching nearly every elimination round game.
For the GTHL, this meant watching as much as possible, knowing the vast majority of the talent is concentrated within these teams. I watched the top GTHL teams upwards of five times over the times tournament to ensure I had a good grasp on the talent on those top teams to help feed into my first 2024 OHL Draft rankings. For the sake of these top performers articles, I have to draw the line somewhere and only talk about the top players who stood out. Otherwise, I'd have 50+ players to write about. There are so many talented players I won't outline, but the season is young, and I will have plenty of time to talk about those players in future reports.
Adam Valentini | Forward | Toronto Marlboros
Valentini wasn't at any of the summer events we covered, so I last saw him at the 2023 OHL Cup, so I was eager to get an updated view of him. Two key elements stood out in Adam's game, the first being his speed. He was zooming all over the ice, gaining separation from his opponents, winning battles to the puck, splitting defenders, and attacking the middle of the ice. He's such an explosive skater, allowing him to be a force in transition and drive so much of the play for the Marlboros. The second aspect was his play as a puck manager and facilitator. He's so smart with the puck on his stick and rarely concedes possessions. His puck touches are quick, flashy, and slick, yet there is a tactical element to it where none of it feels unnecessarily risky. He can solve any problem the opponents present, and when combining his puck skills and speed, he is impossible to contain. Staying within the puck manager department, Valentini was such an impactful playmaker. He moved the puck around the offensive zone so well and was just such an effective distributor. Multiple times a game, he'd combine everything discussed above, using his speed to zoom through the neutral, fake by a defender with a nifty move, and then slip a pass to a teammate in scoring position for a chance. It was a phenomenal performance from Adam that solidified his spot near the top of the initial 2024 OHL Draft rankings.
Alessandro Di Iorio | Forward | Vaughan Kings
Di Iorio was one of the main standouts on the talented Vaughan Kings. His combination of speed, lateral agility, and puck skills were the main elements that jumped off the page. Using these skills, Alessandro evaded defenders, attacked open space, and drove towards the net for plenty of scoring chances. He effectively played through sticks and contact, especially along the wall, protecting the puck for long sequences. Finally, Alessandro possesses a cannon of a shot, which he doesn't hesitate to use. He scored a handful of goals over the Titans Tournament by using his shot from many angles and distances to blast the puck by netminders.
Alexander Hage | Forward | Vaughan Kings
Hage was the standout forward on the Vaughan Kings. When he has the puck, he is so manipulative and deceptive that it is a treat to watch. Hage can solve any problem, evade any check, and dangle his way out of any situation in a magician-like manner. He looks like he has the puck on a string, weaving around defenders, advancing play into the dangerous parts of the ice. The on-ice puck skills are further made valuable by his quick, explosive skating that all work in tandem to be a nuisance for his opponents. Where Hage made his offensive contributions to the Kings' offence was via his playmaking. The on-puck deception enables Hage to open up so many passing lanes, and rarely does he miss an opportunity to exploit those gaps in the defence. Over the four Vaughan games I watched, he connected on so many passes to teammates in scoring positions. Typically, by combining a move to evade a defender, drawing in a second man, and then dishing it off to a teammate, Hage picked apart his opponent's defence all tournament long.
Ben Bowen | Forward | Vaughan Kings
Bowen complements the talented playmakers on the Vaughan Kings perfectly. He's always in the right spot or looking to find open space, cutting through lanes to be in prime positions for a pass. He capitalized on many passes, finishing on so many of his opportunities, flaunting his finishing touch all tournament long. With the puck, Ben didn't hesitate to attack the middle of the ice, driving in toward the slot for scoring chances. There were moments of playmaking, but this ability to find open space and capitalize stood out.
Bodhi Ryan | Forward | Toronto Jr Canadiens
Besides Zhilkin, I thought Bodhi was JRC's next most influential forward. He was one of their main play drivers, always in the mix in the transition game. Ryan's speed was the value creator, frequently using a few explosive strides to gain separation and buy the necessary time and space to enter the offensive zone with control. The same speed enabled Bodhi to be impactful in forcing turnovers, often closing down opponents with relentless pressure. Bodi was one of JRC's most impactful forwards in transition, typically one of the ones controlling the play through the neutral zone and setting up the attack. With the puck, Bodhi was evasive due to his stellar, quick hands, and after dodging a check, he was constantly scanning for passing options in the dangerous parts of the ice. He created many scoring chances via passing and stood out as one of the Jr Canadien's primary playmakers.
Brady Smith | Forward | North York Rangers
I've watched Brady play countless times, so I've grown familiar with his game. He's the opportunist of all opportunists. He's always there to pounce on a loose puck in the slot, a fumbled puck by an opponent, or hovering around for rebounds - and when the opportunity arises, Smith makes no mistake and converts. He's probably the best pure finisher in the class, made possible through his offensive awareness and shooting ability. At some moments, Brady took shots from poor angles or from the exterior when other passing were available. He has a great shot, so I don't want to discourage him from using it. I'd like him to mix in some scans for passing options, and moving to teammates in some situations would have been the better option.
Braidy Wassilyn | Forward | Markham Majors
Wassilyn was his same old self over the Titans Tournament, dangling through everyone, burning defenders with explosive skating, and creating highlight reel after highlight reel. All of this was great to see, and I could expand on it plenty, but that's the Wassilyn I've seen all summer. In my final write-up from the spring/summer season, I voiced some "concerns" about Wassiyln in that I wanted to see him diversify his game. I saw him have success with the same set of moves repeatedly, and I wanted to see him add new elements to his game. So it was nice to see that over the Toronto Titans Tournament, Braidy was using his teammates so much more. He was using give-and-goes, and one-touch passes, and added an effective playmaking layer that I hadn't previously seen that often. The razzle-dazzle and flash in Braidy's game will always be the selling point, but ensuring he can add value and create offence in other ways will help him thrive as he keeps climbing the hockey ladder.
Caleb Malhotra | Forward | Vaughan Kings
Malhotra was another one of the forwards on Vaughan that separated himself from his very talented teammates. Caleb is a powerful skater who combined lateral moves and fakes to drive play in transition all tournament long. Caleb would frequently blaze through the neutral zone, enter the offensive zone with control, and set up a scoring chance with a pass to a cutting teammate. It was so often that these sequences happened that on such a talented team, I came away thinking Caleb was one of the ones making everyone around him better. Malhotra did a great job finding space in the offensive zone. He was always looking to rotate into open pockets of space, timing himself perfectly to receive dangerous passes. And this is where Caleb made his mark, scoring many goals in the Toronto Titans Tournament, mainly via his shot. He showcased his ability to catch and release, generating tremendous power and scoring plenty of goals from various distances and angles.
Daniel Rusu | Defence | Toronto Nationals
Daniel struck me as an interesting prospect in my few viewings of the Nationals. Typically, with players of his size and stature, the skating mechanics can be awkward and clunky, but I found Daniel to be very controlled and a stellar skater. Sometimes, with players who recently hit growth spurts, you have to project the skating coming together in the future, but the fact that his skating was so clean was a significant point of interest in my evaluation. He was frequently confident with the puck on his stick, leveraging his long, efficient stride to push play up ice and impact transition. Daniel was confident and calm with the puck and didn't hesitate to use slick moves to escape pressure, skirt forecheckers, and create time and space to find a passing option.
Dima Zhilkin | Forward | Toronto Jr Canadiens
Across all of the games I watched of JRC, the consistent theme was that Zhilkin was the most consistently involved and impactful player on their squad. With the puck on his stick, he is among the most creative and crafty handlers in the 2008 Ontario class. He's a beautiful combination of patient and deceptive, opening up so much space to work his magic. After opening up space is where the value lies with Dima. I have so many notes about Zhilkin skirting a defender, buying time and space, and hitting an open teammate in the slot for a goal or quality scoring chance. In one game I watched of JRC, almost all of their offence came through these sorts of sequences, with Dima leading the way shift after shift. Without the puck, Zhilkin is a relentless pest who applies tremendous pressure, forcing plenty of turnovers. He wins races to the puck, battles for the puck, and does so much to win back possession for his squad. Dima was one of my favourite players on JRC in my first view at the Port Huron Silver Stick last year, so it was great to see him still excelling.
Gage Brandon | Forward | Vaughan Kings
It was no surprise, but Gage showed off his individual puck skills over the Toronto Titans Tournament. He constantly deceived defenders with fakes, dangling his way through pressure and creating chances. Brandon is incredibly eager and confident to try a skill move when he has the puck on his stick, and more often than not, he is successful in his efforts. He's always looking to attack the middle of the ice, relying on his hands to maneuver through sticks and into a shooting lane. He created many scoring chances through these sequences, skirting defenders with flashy moves and attacking open gaps in the defence.
Jacob Bultje | Forward | North York Rangers
The North York Rangers have plenty of talented players that I was impressed with, and Jacob lands within that mix. He wasn't a dominant puck possessor or a focal point of their transition game, but I appreciated what he did whenever he had his moments. There were a lot of evasive and deceptive moves that Jacob executed. When he had the puck, he was always a threat to pull off an impressive toe drag or deke to evade a defender and gain space. Add his pace to his puck skills, and you have quite a difficult player to contain. His decisions with the puck were also noteworthy. Jacob frequently cleverly picked apart the opposing defence with seam passes, smartly putting the puck into open space to put his teammates in advantageous scoring positions.
Jacob Xu | Defence | Toronto Jr Canadiens
Jacob was the Jr Canadiens' most impressive defender. He was so aggressive in his actions to do everything he could to regain possession for his side. Denying exits, stepping up in the neutral zone, and cracking down the wall on pinches, Jacob did it all in terms of being active to apply pressure and win back the puck. His same aggressive choices extended to supporting the puck, frequently activating up ice to aid in a rush and be a passing option. The final element that stood out was Jacob's shooting ability. He was ripping shots from the point, picking corners, and beating netminders from long distances. A defender who can involve themselves in the offensive and make an impact is always one that will catch my eye.
Jamie Buscarini | Forward | Toronto Titans
I watched the host Toronto Titans a few times and was impressed with Jamie's contributions over those viewings. Jamie displayed great speed through the neutral zone, enabling as a positive contributor in transition. He was eager and confident to carry the puck from his defensive to the offensive zone and didn't shy away from navigating defenders with lateral fakes and dekes. Similarly, he was often the one controlling the puck in the offensive zone, setting up the attack, and patiently waiting for a gap in the defence to exploit. Whether it was an open passing lane or a hole to drive for a shot, Jamie was eager to attack before the lane closed. In my viewing of the Titans, Jamie tallied a few goals, most notably stripping the puck at the defensive blue line, streaking for a breakaway, and ripping a shot far side to beat the netminder.
Jonathan Lau | Forward | Markham Majors
Jonathan stood out mainly for his sheer speed and explosiveness. His speed was a competitive advantage for him to blaze through the neutral zone and fly by defenders trying to close him down. He gained separation to create odd-man rushes, breakaways, and scoring chances through his quick and explosive skating. To go along with his skating ability, Lau was a prolific passer, frequently hitting teammates open in scoring areas. He combined well with Braidy Wassilyn, using give-and-goes and one-touch passes to create scoring chances as a dynamic duo.
Kohyn Eshkawkogan | Defence | North York Rangers
There was a very short list of players who made overwhelmingly strong first impressions, and Kohyn is in that group. What stood out the most was his activations and involvement in transition. Kohyn never hesitated skating the puck out of his zone, relying on evasive skating and confident puck skills to maneuver around forecheckers and facilitate zone exits. Similarly, he was aggressive in his decisions to jump up in the rush, support the attack, and be a part of the offence. These same tools were applied at the offensive blueline as Kohyn frequently used lateral skating movements and slick dekes to evade oncoming defenders and find a shooting or passing lane.
Michael D'Alessio | Defence | Vaughan Kings
Michael's combination of physical tools and how he applies them lands him on this list of top performers. He is a powerful, agile skater who combines his skating abilities with high-end puck skills and confidence to drive results. He showed the individual skills to escape almost any pressure applied to him, using spin moves or lateral fakes and rarely was closed down. Michael constantly activated to involve himself in the play. There were flashes in the neutral zone jumping in the rush, but it was mainly within the offensive zone where he made his impact. He was constantly roving around the zone, rotating down the wall or into open space as a passing option. If there was a loose puck, D'Alessio would pounce and ensure the puck remained in the offensive zone. On a defence group loaded with talent and led by Zachary Nyman, I came away thinking Michael separated himself from the rest of his defence, landing him as the second top performer among his defensive unit.
Nolan Long | Forward | Don Mills Flyers
I watched the Don Mills Flyers twice, and Nolan was their central standout in both games. He brought a noteworthy combination of puck skills, confidence, and smart puck management that yielded great results for the Flyers. Almost every time he got the puck, Nolan tried to carry the puck with control and facilitate transitions, rarely opting for an uncontrolled chip or dump to exit or enter the zone. He was calm under pressure and had the necessary puck skills to dodge or evade oncoming defenders and maintain possession of the puck. He's a quick and agile skater, further aiding him as a puck possesser to be closed down rarely. All of these skills and decisions while occupying the puck made for Nolan to stand out as the Flyer's primary catalyst in transition. The final element in his game that I noted was his finishing ability. Not only was Nolan one of the few on the Flyers creating scoring chances, but he was the one in my viewing finishing the job. Through tips, scrambles in front, and catching and releasing 2-on-1 passes, Long tallied a handful of goals in the two games I watched of Don Mills.
Pierce Mbuyi | Forward | Toronto Marlboros
I watched quite a bit of the Marlboros over the Titans Tournament, and after Valentini, there is a slew of players I could have talked about, but I thought Pierre separated himself from his counterparts ever so slightly. He was often the forward leading the charge in transition, carrying the puck into the offensive third and sparking chances off the rush. He was effective as a playmaker, especially by taking the puck wide and then swiftly moving the puck to an open teammate on the defence's interior. These sequences were made possible by Pierce's explosive skating and practical puck skills. He would so often be flying at top speed and able to tactically maneuver around defenders and advance play up ice. It wasn't ever the flashy dangle, but mainly smart puck touches to put the puck out of reach from defenders and effectively protect the puck.
Ryder Cali | Forward | Markham Majors
Ryder was a player I previously liked, but he completely exceeded my expectations at the Toronto Titans Tournament. The first element that stood out was his skating ability. Even at his size, he's incredibly agile laterally and can stop, turn, pivot, and change direction without losing momentum. These finer skating mechanics allow Ryder to be very shifty and evade any oncoming pressure or navigate effectively in small spaces. This play in small areas was the focal point of his game. Along the boards and in the corners, Ryder was so hard to contain. The above-mentioned lateral skating and Ryder's puck skills were no match for defenders trying to close him down. He used slick moves with the puck to evade so many stick checks, creating space for himself and being the focal point of Markham's offence on so many sequences. Ryder would so often control the puck on the perimeter, escape a check, and then drive in toward the net for a scoring chance or slip a pass to an open teammate. The raw tools in Ryder's game are very compelling, but his application and utilization of those tools to drive results hammered home that he is a top player in the province.
Tyler Challenger | Forward | North York Rangers
Tyler Challenger was among the most impressive performances at the Toronto Titans Tournament. He was by far and away the best player on the North York Rangers and was a crucial component in their success en route to the finals. He was so dominant in attacking off the rush, with his powerful, explosive skating at the forefront of his competitive advantage. Multiple times a game, Tyler would explode down the wing, get a step on defenders, use his frame to protect the puck and cut in towards the net for a high-quality chance and, on many occasions, a goal. These sequences were what Ryan Roobroeck was so dominant with last season, and Challenger has re-created them while potentially being a more refined skater than Ryan was at this time last year. The next aspect that impressed in Tyler's game was his play in small areas. He effectively protected pucks along the boards, navigating his way out of tight checks and doing everything he could to keep play flowing. Tyler is incredibly sturdy on his skates, making him very difficult to knock off the puck. He'd frequently control play along the wall, shed a check, and then aggressively attack off the boards and drive a shooting lane for a quality scoring chance. The flip side here is Tyler took a handful of unnecessary penalties over the games I watched. The worst part is that it wasn't a simple trip or hook but some fairly dangerous penalties that could have injured his opponents, including a major cross-checking penalty in the final. As it's early, I haven't dinger Tyler for these actions, but as the season goes on and if this trend continues, I won't be giving him the benefit of the doubt in my rankings. Re-occurring penalty trouble caused me to sour on some players last season, so I won't hesitate to do the same with Challenger if this trend continues.
Xander Boutilier | Forward | Mississauga Senators
Xander is one of many Quebec-born skaters playing in the Ontario circuit this season, but he is the only one whose draft eligibility has been confirmed with his inclusion in the QMJHL Cup in early October. My takeaway after watching one game of the Mississauga Senators was that if something was happening, it was as a result of Xander. He was their primary puck transporter in transition, using his strong, powerful skating to carry the puck end-to-end on numerous occasions. He demonstrated an ability to escape pressure with deceptive moves with the puck, weave around defenders, and push play to the dangerous parts of the ice. Xander scored one of the Senators' two goals, catching a stretch pass and swiftly dragging and releasing for a quick shot to beat the netminder from distance.
Zachary Nyman | Defence | Vaughan Kings
Nyman was fantastic at every game at the Toronto Titans Tournament. The first thing I need to mention is the flawless skating ability. The turns, pivots, cuts, spins, straight-line speed, all of it is amazing. His lateral mobility is the most impressive, opening up so many possibilities when he has the puck. He can evade forecheckers so easily, using misdirection so effectively to deceive forecheckers and gain space. His mobility enabled Nyman to excel on retrievals, dominate in transition, and navigate around forwards while operating at the point. He would be slightly out of position a few times, and his skating allowed him to recover, catch up to the attackers, and deny any dangerous chance from materializing. The second element that stands out in Nyman's game is his aggressiveness. In almost every situation, Zachary is aggressive in his choices. Especially in the neutral zone to apply pressure, Nyman is constantly looking to apply pressure to force a turnover before his opponents enter his zone. Once his team regains possession, he is aggressive and always activates to join the attack. He's looking to support his forward on rush sequences and be a passing option. The final key element I had plenty of notes on was his play at the offensive blue line. He's so patient with the puck, hides his intentions incredibly well, and opens up passing lanes so effectively. Rarely does he opt for a shot from distance, but he's constantly looking to walk the line, gain space from forecheckers, and generate a high-danger chance. Entering the tournament, I knew Nyman would be the top defender in the province, but I didn't think he'd separate himself from his defensive counterparts this much.