Kitchener Rangers Win Wayne Gretzky Trophy as Western Conference Champions
OHL Ontario Hockey League

Kitchener Rangers Win Wayne Gretzky Trophy as Western Conference Champions

Published on May 1, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release


KITCHENER - The Kitchener Rangers fell behind the Windsor Spitfires 3-0 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Championship Series presented by Nissan, but resilience won the day as the Blueshirts battled back to prevail on an overtime winner off the stick of Dylan Edwards. The Rangers came out on top 5-4, capturing their first Wayne Gretzky Trophy as the OHL's Western Conference Champions since 2008.

Edwards' winner came on assists from Luca Romano and Cameron Reid with 2:27 remaining in overtime, capping-off a back-and-forth game as Kitchener wrestled away the momentum and emerged victorious in front of a Friday night crowd of 7,370 at The Aud.

"It's probably the biggest goal I've scored," Edwards remarked. "It was a nice play by Romano, he took it to the net and the rest happened."

The goal came on Kitchener's 48th shot of the night and marked Edwards' 11th of the postseason. Sam O'Reilly's OHL playoff-leading 14th goal along with a tying marker from defenceman Carson Campbell levelled the score at four in the third period, sending the game to overtime.

Trailing 3-0 in the first period, Luke Ellinas' goal in his first game action since November sparked the Kitchener comeback, a momentum shift that didn't go unnoticed by coach Jussi Ahokas.

"The team really showed character in how they came back," said Ahokas. "Ellinas coming back, it was a huge goal, he played a great game."

"I'm really happy for the boys and how they battled through it. We didn't stop believing," Ahokas added. "It was a tough series, Windsor's a great team. When you can finish it off in five games I think the better team came through."

Christian Humphreys also scored for the Rangers, helping them rebound from a dreadful start that saw them trailing by three goals just beyond the midway point of the first period. Captain Cameron Reid finished the night with two assists.

Windsor goalscorers included Anthony Cristoforo, Cole Davis, AJ Spellacy and overage blueliner Wyatt Kennedy, who ended the night with a goal and two assists. Veteran netminder Joey Costanzo stopped 43-of-48 in his final OHL matchup, one that tied a Windsor Spitfires franchise record, his 27th career playoff game.

"It's sad. You go to war with these players every single day. You have your ups, your downs," said Spitfires head coach Greg Walters. "They gave everything they had and five-on-five we outscored them 13-9 in the series. We just couldn't find a way to score some power play goals and special teams were the difference."

The Rangers improve to 12-2 in the 2026 OHL Playoffs, advancing past the Saginaw Spirit in four games, the Soo Greyhounds in five and now the Windsor Spitfires in five. It marks the third time the Rangers have won the Wayne Gretzky Trophy since it was first introduced in 1999, following previous Western Conference titles in 2008 and 2003, both years Kitchener went on to win the OHL Championship.

Special teams were ultimately the difference in the series, with Kitchener going 6-for-15 (40%) on the power play while killing-off 19 of Windsor's 20 power play opportunities.

OHL Vice President of Hockey Operations James Boyd presented the Wayne Gretzky Trophy to Rangers captain Cameron Reid.

The Rangers now await the winner of an Eastern Conference Championship Series matchup between the Brantford Bulldogs and Barrie Colts, with the Bulldogs carrying a 3-2 series lead into Saturday's Game 6 matchup at Sadlon Arena in Barrie.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from May 1, 2026


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