The summer is about to start, and hockey, at least as far as the Stanley Cup in the NHL, the Memorial Cup in the CHL, and numerous other leagues are concerned, is winding down. In doing so, you’d think there’d be no news. Guess again.
The CHL has been busy over the past week, so we’ll go over some of what has happened.
In a short timeframe, there is a trade window that usually ends just as the Stanley Cup is wrapping up. During that time, teams are preparing for training camp. Several teams within the WHL have been active. Many of the transactions involved the Import Draft, mostly for this year. With the rules now allowing three import players, some teams are looking at their rosters for returning players and opting to defer selections to next year, which is why the trades occurred. However, three teams have acquired picks extending into 2027. Among them were the Portland Winterhawks, who parted ways with Griffin Darby, sending him to the Moose Jaw Warriors for a first-round import pick in 2027, a fifth-round pick in 2027, and second- and sixth-round picks in 2028.
Going back to the interview with Mike Johnston, President of the Portland Winterhawks, there was a discussion about assets in the event of a trade. Griffin will turn 18 this year and will be closer to home, as his family resides in Swift Current. Griffin’s older brother, Hudson, is with the Swift Current Broncos so that they will play against each other several times.
The Hawks are figuring they’ll most likely lose Max Psenicka next year as a 19-year-old and can use the extra choice there. Their goaltender, Ondrej Stebetak, has not yet been drafted but has appeared at a couple of NHL camps. Like many goaltenders, it may simply be a matter of development, as goaltenders often take extra time to mature and are rarely selected in their first year of NHL draft eligibility. Former Hawks player Seth Jarvis played in the Stanley Cup Final and now has a ring with the Carolina Hurricanes after their victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
The WHL hasn’t released opening-night dates, but one can infer from the calendar that the weekend of September 18-20 would be a good bet. That would mean exhibition games would take place during the two weeks prior, with training camp beginning the week before.
The WHL champion Everett Silvertips, who placed second in the Memorial Cup tournament, will face the heavy task of paring down their roster. Anders Miller, who was picked up by the Tips in a trade with Calgary this past year, has committed to Lake Superior State University as an overage player in the WHL. That leaves Raiden LeGall, who would also be 20, in a position where the Tips may either have to deal him or release him, with a glut of nine other players looking to turn 20 in 2026 and 21 in 2027.
The Ontario Hockey League has released its opening-night schedule, which will run from September 18 through the 20th. The Sarnia Sting will have the latest home opener, beginning on October 2.
The Guelph Storm, hosts of the 2027 Memorial Cup, have made significant changes to their roster ahead of training camp. The Storm traded for Owen Griffin, a Carolina Hurricanes draft choice, giving up two players, a goaltender and a forward, plus four picks: second- and third-round selections in 2027 and second- and fourth-round selections in 2028. One pick per year was originally acquired from other teams.
The Storm also acquired two picks from Flint for an import forward. In doing so, Guelph picked up two import players, Vladimir Dravecky and the rights to Adrian Bartovic, whom they hope to sign to a standard OHL player contract soon. The Storm gave up a second-round pick this year, third- and fourth-round picks in 2028, a fifth-round pick in 2029, and a conditional 12th-round pick in 2028.
The final Guelph trade saw them acquire Ethan Czata, a Tampa Bay Lightning second-round NHL draft selection, and a conditional 15th-round pick in 2027 from the Niagara IceDogs. In return, they gave up defenseman Zach Nash, forward Carter Lewandowski, third- and fifth-round picks in 2026, as well as a second-round pick in 2028 and a fourth-round pick in 2029. Most of the picks are split between their own stockpile and acquisitions from other teams along the way.
They will probably look at a few housekeeping deals as they move toward the trade deadline. Still, they are positioning themselves to be a force at the Memorial Cup, unlike Kelowna, which made a few deals but was heavily outmatched and scored only two goals in the tournament.
Until these trades, they had just five players entering the 2026 season at age 19, but they will have to pare down next year (2027) with a glut of players, as expected when teams go all in.
The QMJHL announced that, on the heels of a successful home-and-home interleague series between the OHL and QMJHL, they are doing it again. Last season, the Gatineau Olympiques and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies faced off against the Ottawa 67’s and the Sudbury Wolves, respectively, in a home-and-home series. This year, the number of teams involved has doubled.
Those same two matchups will return this season, while the Val-d’Or Foreurs will face the North Bay Battalion, and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada will go head-to-head with the Kingston Frontenacs. Six games will take place in November, two in January, and one in February. They will count as regular-season games in the standings and should provide excitement because of the rarity of these matchups.
Rimouski, on the heels of a second-to-last-place finish in the standings last year, traded for a couple of players and a significant amount of draft capital. The Saint John Sea Dogs made the biggest splash, trading a 2009-born player and five draft picks from 2027 through 2028 for a 2007-born goaltender, a 2025 fourth-round Buffalo Sabers NHL selection, and a second-round pick in 2026. Saint John finished third from last in its division the previous season.
With the window now closed until after camps begin, the import selections will happen soon, and with that, camps can start in late August.
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