190 CHL Alumni to Compete in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Published on April 18, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release
TORONTO, ON - As the National Hockey League (NHL) post-season begins today, 190 alumni from the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) are set to compete in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs (click here for the full list). Those 190 CHL alumni account for more than 45% of the 417 players taking part in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, giving the CHL the largest representation of any development hockey league in the world.
In total, 86 graduates have come through the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), 65 through the Western Hockey League (WHL), and 40 through the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Notably, one alumnus - Rodrigo Abols - played in two Member Leagues, the WHL and QMJHL, and is therefore included in both league totals.
All 16 NHL clubs competing in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs feature at least eight CHL alumni on their rosters. The Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Vegas Golden Knights lead the way with 15 CHL graduates each; the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Pittsburgh Penguins follow with 14 apiece, while the Ottawa Senators have 13.
Among the CHL's 61 clubs, 57 are represented on NHL rosters for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, led by the London Knights (OHL) with 11 alumni. The Erie Otters (OHL) and Kelowna Rockets (WHL) rank next with eight alumni each, while the Barrie Colts (OHL), Owen Sound Attack (OHL), Windsor Spitfires (OHL), and Portland Winterhawks (WHL) each have seven. Among QMJHL clubs, the Moncton Wildcats and Rimouski Océanic lead the way with six alumni apiece.
Since 2014, 156 of the 294 players to have had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup - 53% overall - have come through the CHL. That total includes 10 members of last year's championship-winning Florida Panthers, who continued a dominant trend by becoming the seventh consecutive Stanley Cup champion to feature at least 10 CHL alumni on its roster.
Over the course of the 2025-26 season, 478 alumni from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL played at least one NHL game, accounting for 46.1% of the 1,038 players who appeared in the league - the highest share of any development league in the world. That followed Opening Night of the 2025-26 campaign, when 402 CHL graduates were named to NHL rosters, representing nearly half of the players across the league's 32 teams.
Quick Facts
10 CHL alumni will serve as captains for their respective NHL clubs in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including Minnesota Wild defenceman Jared Spurgeon (Spokane Chiefs / WHL), Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers / OHL), and Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL).
Over the last 30 years, 12 of the 18 captains to have lifted the Stanley Cup played in the CHL, including CHL Top 50 selections Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins / Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL), Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim Ducks / Kamloops Blazers / WHL), and Scott Stevens (New Jersey Devils / Kitchener Rangers / OHL).
Since the CHL's inception in 1975-76, 21 of the 28 captains to have hoisted the Stanley Cup have been developed in the WHL, OHL/OHA, or QMJHL.
Of the 16 head coaches leading teams into this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, 10 have either coached and/or played in the CHL, including Travis Green (Ottawa Senators), Joel Quenneville (Anaheim Ducks), and André Tourigny (Utah Mammoth)
Among the players competing in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are seven CHL alumni who have been named to the CHL's Top 50 Players list from the league's first 50 years (since 1975-76): Carolina Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL), Edmonton Oilers forwards Connor McDavid (Erie Otters / OHL) and Leon Draisaitl (Prince Albert Raiders & Kelowna Rockets / WHL), Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty (Guelph Storm / OHL), Tampa Bay Lightning forward Corey Perry (London Knights / OHL), and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby (Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL).
2025-26 Regular Season Highlights
With 138 points (48G-90A) in 82 games, McDavid (Erie Otters / OHL) extended the streak of CHL alumni winning the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer to 13 consecutive seasons, dating back to 2013-14. McDavid's six career Art Ross Trophies are tied for the second most in NHL history, behind only Soo Greyhounds (OHL) grad Wayne Gretzky.
With an NHL-best 53 goals in 2025-26, MacKinnon (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL) became the third different CHL alumnus in the last four years to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy. He also became just the third player in Avalanche franchise history to record multiple 50-goal seasons, joining fellow CHL alumni Michel Goulet (Québec Remparts / QMJHL) and Joe Sakic (Swift Current Broncos / WHL).
With the Colorado Avalanche allowing an NHL-low 203 goals in 2025-26, goaltenders Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth Whalers / OHL) and Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie Colts / OHL) captured the William M. Jennings Trophy. They are the first CHL-developed goaltending tandem to win the award since Marc-André Fleury (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles / QMJHL) and Robin Lehner (Soo Greyhounds / OHL) in 2020-21.
Wedgewood (Plymouth Whalers / OHL) finished the season atop the NHL in both goals-against average (2.02) and save percentage (.921), leading the league by a sizable margin in each category.
New York Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters / OHL) set the NHL benchmark for most points by an 18-year-old defenseman (59), tied the single-season NHL record for most goals (23) by a rookie defenseman and became the first defenseman in more than 90 years - and fourth in NHL history - to lead all NHL rookies in goals (tied or outright).
Schaefer shared the NHL rookie lead in goals with fellow OHL alumnus Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks (Oshawa Generals / OHL), as each scored 23 times.
Crosby (Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL) extended his NHL record by averaging a point-per-game or better for the 21st time in his 21-season career, ahead of second-place and OHL alumnus Wayne Gretzky (19).
Colorado Avalanche defenceman Brent Burns (Brampton Battalion / OHL) became just the second player in NHL history to play 1,000 consecutive games.
Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane (London Knights / OHL) reached 500 goals and 1,400 points during the same campaign in which he became the all-time leader for points by a U.S.-born player.
Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound Attack & Guelph Storm / OHL) became the first Montreal Canadiens player to record a 100-point season since 1985-86, while Mark Scheifele (Barrie Colts / OHL) joined WHL alumnus Marian Hossa (Portland Winterhawks) as the only players in Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise history to reach the 100-point mark.
Of the 32 skaters who led their team in scoring during the 2025-26 regular season, 14 of them are CHL alumni, including Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard (Regina Pats / WHL), Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat (Erie Otters / OHL), and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL).
Seven of the NHL's top 10 scorers in 2025-26 are CHL graduates, including the league's top three point-getters: McDavid, Nikita Kucherov (Québec Remparts & Rouyn-Noranda Huskies / QMJHL), and MacKinnon. The other CHL alumni in the top 10 are Scheifele, Suzuki, Draisaitl, and Jason Robertson (Kingston Frontenacs & Niagara IceDogs / OHL).
Six of the NHL's top 10 goal-scorers in 2025-26 are CHL alumni: MacKinnon, McDavid, Robertson, Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Kucherov, and Steven Stamkos (Sarnia Sting / OHL).
Complete list of the 190 CHL alumni competing in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
* denotes player who is injured and/or non-roster
Anaheim Ducks (11)
John Carlson (London Knights / OHL), Radko Gudas (Everett Silvertips / WHL), Jansen Harkins (Prince George Cougars / WHL), Tyson Hinds (Shawinigan Cataractes, Rimouski Océanic & Sherbrooke Phoenix / QMJHL), Ross Johnston (Moncton Wildcats, Victoriaville Tigres & Charlottetown Islanders / QMJHL), Mason McTavish (Peterborough Petes & Hamilton Bulldogs / OHL), Pavel Mintyukov (Saginaw Spirit & Ottawa 67's / OHL), Petr Mrazek (Ottawa 67's / OHL)*, Beckett Sennecke (Oshawa Generals / OHL), Jeffrey Viel (Sherbrooke Phoenix & Acadie-Bathurst Titan / QMJHL), Olen Zellweger (Everett Silvertips & Kamloops Blazers / WHL)
Boston Bruins (8)
Jonathan Aspirot (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL), Morgan Geekie (Tri-City Americans / WHL), Tanner Jeannot (Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL), Henri Jokiharju (Portland Winterhawks / WHL), Mark Kastelic (Calgary Hitmen / WHL), Fraser Minten (Kamloops Blazers & Saskatoon Blades / WHL), Pavel Zacha (Sarnia Sting / OHL), Nikita Zadorov (London Knights / OHL)
Buffalo Sabres (14)
Zach Benson (Winnipeg ICE / WHL), Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants / WHL), Sam Carrick (Brampton Battalion / OHL), Colten Ellis (Cape Breton Eagles, Rimouski Océanic & Charlottetown Islanders / QMJHL), Tyson Kozak (Portland Winterhawks / WHL), Peyton Krebs (Kootenay/Winnipeg ICE / WHL), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Beck Malenstyn (Calgary Hitmen & Swift Current Broncos / WHL), Ryan McLeod (Mississauga Steelheads & Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Tanner Pearson (Barrie Colts / OHL), Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67's / OHL), Luke Schenn (Kelowna Rockets / WHL), Logan Stanley (Windsor Spitfires & Kitchener Rangers / OHL), Conor Timmins (Soo Greyhounds / OHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (10)
William Carrier (Cape Breton Eagles & Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL), Jalen Chatfield (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Nicolas Deslauriers (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies & Gatineau Olympiques / QMJHL), Nikolaj Ehlers (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL), Taylor Hall (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Seth Jarvis (Portland Winterhawks / WHL), Jordan Martinook (Vancouver Giants / WHL), Jordan Staal (Peterborough Petes / OHL), Logan Stankoven (Kamloops Blazers / WHL), Andrei Svechnikov (Barrie Colts / OHL)
Colorado Avalanche (9)
Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie Colts / OHL), Brent Burns (Brampton Battalion / OHL), Nazem Kadri (Kitchener Rangers & London Knights / OHL), Parker Kelly (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL), Brett Kulak (Vancouver Giants / WHL), Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers / OHL), Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL), Nicolas Roy (Chicoutimi Saguenéens / QMJHL), Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth Whalers / OHL)
Dallas Stars (15)
Nathan Bastian (Mississauga Steelheads / OHL), Jamie Benn (Kelowna Rockets / WHL), Maverick Bourque (Shawinigan Cataractes / QMJHL), Micheal Bunting (Soo Greyhounds / OHL), Kyle Capobianco (Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Matt Duchene (Brampton Battalion / OHL), Adam Erne (Québec Remparts / QMJHL), Radek Faksa (Kitchener Rangers & Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads / OHL), Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Tyler Myers (Kelowna Rockets / WHL), Alexander Petrovic (Red Deer Rebels / WHL), Jason Robertson (Kingston Frontenacs & Niagara IceDogs / OHL), Tyler Seguin (Plymouth Whalers / OHL)*, Sam Steel (Regina Pats / WHL)
Edmonton Oilers (15)
Evan Bouchard (London Knights / OHL), Colton Dach (Saskatoon Blades, Kelowna Rockets & Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL), Jason Dickinson (Guelph Storm / OHL), Leon Draisaitl (Prince Albert Raiders & Kelowna Rockets / WHL)*, Adam Henrique (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), Connor Ingram (Kamloops Blazers / WHL), Tristan Jarry (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL), Max Jones (London Knights, & Kingston Frontenacs / OHL), Curtis Lazar (Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL), Connor McDavid (Erie Otters / OHL), Connor Murphy (Sarnia Sting / OHL), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Red Deer Rebels / WHL), Darnell Nurse (Soo Greyhounds / OHL), Josh Samanski (Owen Sound Attack / OHL), Matthew Savoie (Winnipeg ICE, Wenatchee Wild & Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL)
Los Angeles Kings (9)
Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Cody Ceci (Ottawa 67's & Owen Sound Attack / OHL), Brandt Clarke (Barrie Colts / OHL), Drew Doughty (Guelph Storm / OHL), Joel Edmundson (Moose Jaw Warriors & Kamloops Blazers / WHL), Mathieu Joseph (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL), Darcy Kuemper (Red Deer Rebels / WHL), Scott Laughton (Oshawa Generals / OHL), Jacob Moverare (Mississauga Steelheads / OHL)
Minnesota Wild (10)
Zach Bogosian (Peterborough Petes / OHL), Robby Fabbri (Guelph Storm / OHL),Nick Foligno (Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Marcus Foligno (Sudbury Wolves / OHL), Ryan Hartman (Plymouth Whalers / OHL), Daemon Hunt (Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL), Micheal McCarron (London Knights & Oshawa Generals / OHL), Jacob Middleton (Owen Sound Attack & Ottawa 67's / OHL), Jared Spurgeon (Spokane Chiefs / WHL), Yakov Trenin (Gatineau Olympiques / QMJHL)
Montreal Canadiens (12)
Josh Anderson (London Knights / OHL), Zachary Bolduc (Rimouski Océanic & Québec Remparts / QMJHL), Alexandre Carrier (Gatineau Olympiques / QMJHL), Kirby Dach (Saskatoon Blades / WHL), Phillip Danault (Victoriaville Tigres & Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL), Noah Dobson (Acadie-Bathurst Titan & Rouyn-Noranda Huskies / QMJHL), Brendan Gallagher (Vancouver Giants / WHL), Kaiden Guhle (Prince Albert Raiders & Edmonton Oil Kings / WHL), Samuel Montembeault (Blainsville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL), Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound Attack & Guelph Storm / OHL), Joe Veleno (Saint John Sea Dogs & Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL), Arber Xhekaj (Kitchener Rangers & Hamilton Bulldogs / OHL)
Ottawa Senators (13)
Mike Amadio (Brampton/North Bay Battalion / OHL), Drake Batherson (Cape Breton Eagles & Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL), Thomas Chabot (Saint John Sea Dogs / QMJHL), Nick Cousins (Soo Greyhounds / OHL), Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL), Warren Foegele (Kingston Frontenacs & Erie Otters / OHL), Claude Giroux (Gatineau Olympiques / QMJHL), Ridley Greig (Brandon Wheat Kings / WHL), Hayden Hodgson (Erie Otters, Sarnia Sting & Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Kurtis MacDermid (Owen Sound Attack & Erie Otters / OHL), James Reimer (Red Deer Rebels / WHL), Jordan Spence (Moncton Wildcats & Val-d'Or Foreurs / QMJHL), Lassi Thomson (Kelowna Rockets / WHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (12)
Rodrigo Abols (Portland Winterhawks / WHL & Acadie-Bathurst Titan / QMJHL)*, Denver Barkey (London Knights / OHL), Sean Couturier (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL), Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters / OHL), Christian Dvorak (London Knights / OHL), Tyson Foerster (Barrie Colts / OHL), Noah Juulsen (Everett Silvertips / WHL), Travis Konecny (Ottawa 67's & Sarnia Sting / OHL), Porter Martone (Sarnia Sting & Mississauga/Brampton Steelheads / OHL), Travis Sanheim (Calgary Hitmen / WHL), Owen Tippett (Mississauga Steelheads & Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Garrett Wilson (Windsor Spitfires & Owen Sound Attack / OHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (14)
Justin Brazeau (North Bay Battalion / OHL), Sidney Crosby (Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL), Connor Dewar (Everett Silvertips / WHL), Samuel Girard (Shawinigan Cataractes / QMJHL), Ryan Graves (Prince Edward Island Rocket, Charlottetown Islanders, Val-d'Or Foreurs, Québec Remparts / QMJHL), Caleb Jones (Portland Winterhawks / WHL)*, Ben Kindel (Calgary Hitmen / WHL), Kris Letang (Val-d'Or Foreurs / QMJHL), Anthony Mantha (Val-d'Or Foreurs / QMJHL), Rickard Rakell (Plymouth Whalers / OHL), Arturs Silovs (Barrie Colts / OHL), Stuart Skinner (Lethbridge Hurricanes & Swift Current Broncos / WHL), Ilya Solovyov (Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Parker Wotherspoon (Tri-City Americans / WHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (14)
Oliver Bjorkstrand (Portland Winterhawks / WHL), Erik Cernak (Erie Otters / OHL), Anthony Cirelli (Oshawa Generals & Erie Otters / OHL), Charle-Edouard D'Astous (Rimouski Océanic / QMJHL), Gage Goncalves (Everett Silvertips / WHL), Yanni Gourde (Victoriaville Tigres / QMJHL), Brandon Hagel (Red Deer Rebels / WHL), Nikita Kucherov (Québec Remparts & Rouyn-Noranda Huskies / QMJHL), Nick Paul (Brampton/North Bay Battalion / OHL), Jakob Pelletier (Moncton Wildcats & Val-d'Or Foreurs / QMJHL), Corey Perry (London Knights / OHL), Brayden Point (Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL), Darren Raddysh (Erie Otters / OHL), Scott Sabourin (Oshawa Generals / OHL)
Utah Mammoth (9)
Micheal Carcone (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL), Lawson Crouse (Kingston Frontenacs / OHL), Sean Durzi (Owen Sound Attack & Guelph Storm / OHL), Dylan Guenther (Edmonton Oil Kings & Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL), Barrett Hayton (Soo Greyhounds / OHL), Liam O'Brien (Rimouski Océanic & Rouyn-Noranda Huskies / QMJHL), Mikhail Sergachev (Windsor Spitfires / OHL), MacKenzie Weegar (Halifax Mooseheads / QMJHL), Kailer Yamamoto (Spokane Chiefs / WHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (15)
Rasmus Andersson (Barrie Colts / OHL), Ivan Barbashev (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL), Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips / WHL), Adin Hill (Portland Winterhawks / WHL), Brett Howden (Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL), Keegan Kolesar (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL), Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets / WHL), Jeremy Lauzon (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies / QMJHL), Mitch Marner (London Knights / OHL), Brayden McNabb (Kootenay Ice / WHL), Brandon Saad (Saginaw Spirit / OHL), Akira Schmid (Lethbridge Hurricanes / WHL), Colton Sissons (Kelowna Rockets / WHL), Mark Stone (Brandon Wheat Kings / WHL), Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds / WHL)
Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 18, 2026
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