Brantford Bulldogs Crowned 2026 OHL Regular Season Champions
Published on March 20, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release
BRANTFORD - Defenceman Owen Protz (Montreal Canadiens) scored the deciding goal with 1:39 remaining in the third period of a back-and-forth affair, giving the Brantford Bulldogs a 6-5 win over the North Bay Battalion to capture the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as 2026 OHL Regular Season Champions.
Brantford captain Jake O'Brien (Seattle Kraken) made Bulldogs history in the win, scoring twice while adding two assists to pass Patrick Thomas and become the club's all-time leading scorer with a total of 255 points (73-182- 255) over 180 regular season games. The four-point output vaulted O'Brien into second in OHL scoring with 93 points (28-65- 93) on the season.
Riding an 11-game point streak, the 48-9-8-2 Bulldogs earn their second Hamilton Spectator Trophy (2026, 2022) and are now within one point of the club record of 107 points established in 2021-22. They approach the finish line of a remarkable season that has seen just one regulation loss on home ice. They started the 2025-26 season with a run of 23 consecutive games without a regulation loss.
Led by Head Coach Jay McKee, the Bulldogs boast the OHL's best power play on record since the league started tracking the statistic in 1997-98, one operating at an impressive 35.1%. It went 3-for-4 in Friday's win. Brantford also leads the OHL with 295 goals scored, boasting the league's leading goal scorer in Chicago Blackhawks prospect Marek Vanacker, who has lit the lamp 47 times.
The Bulldogs feature tremendous depth, featuring six different players with at least 28 goals in their lineup including Vanacker, O'Brien, rookie star Caleb Malhotra, Minnesota Wild prospect Adam Benak, first-year standout Cooper Dennis and overage veteran Charlie Paquette (Dallas Stars).
The Bulldogs wrap-up their season schedule on Sunday afternoon in Brampton before embarking on a first round playoff series against the Sudbury Wolves that will begin on Friday, March 27 at the TD Civic Centre.
The Hamilton Spectator Trophy was first presented to the Ontario Hockey Association in the 1957-58 season. Winners have gone on to capture the OHL championship 27 times and the Memorial Cup 12 times. The 2025 London Knights completed the trifecta, emerging as Memorial Cup champions last spring in Rimouski, Quebec.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 20, 2026
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- Frontenacs' Winning Streak Ends at Six, Lose, 4-2, to Peterborough - Kingston Frontenacs
- Brantford Bulldogs Crowned 2026 OHL Regular Season Champions - OHL
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