OHL Announces Finalists for Coach of the Year
Published on April 8, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release
TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced finalists for the Matt Leyden Trophy, presented annually to the OHL Coach of the Year as voted by the League's General Managers.
Team nominees were required to receive 20% of the vote from General Managers within their own conference to advance to the final ballot as award finalists.
This year's Matt Leyden Trophy finalists include:
Dylan Smoskowitz (Barrie Colts) - 45-14-5-4, 99 Pts., 1st Central Division
Getting off to a remarkable start to his OHL head coaching tenure, Dylan Smoskowitz steered the Colts to 45 wins, the most by a first-year coach in the League since Craig Hartsburg's 47 at the helm of the 1994-95 Guelph Storm. Featuring high profile names in first round NHL Draft picks Cole Beaudoin (Utah), Emil Hemming (Dallas) and Kashawn Aitcheson (NY Islanders), the Colts sprinted to their second straight Central Division title, playing to a 16-3-5-4 record in one-goal games, seeing overtime a league-high 21 times. The Colts were 31-1-1-1 in games when they scored first during the regular season, and led the OHL with 24 road wins.
Paul Flache (Flint Firebirds) - 44-17-4-3, 95 Pts., 2nd West Division
It was a memorable season in Flint as the Firebirds won a record 44 games, finishing with an all-time best 95 points under Head Coach Paul Flache. Though they came up just shy of their first-ever West Division title, the Firebirds flexed their muscle with the Western Conference's best road record of 22-9-1-2. Flint enjoyed plenty of individual success, with captain Nathan Aspinall setting a new single season mark with 61 assists and goaltender Mason Vaccari's 2.70 goals-against average standing out as a new benchmark. The Firebirds finished tied with the Barrie Colts with a season-high 11-game winning streak that spanned from Nov. 5th through the 29th, with the last game in that string seeing Flache become the winningest coach in Firebirds history. He earned his 100th victory behind the Flint bench on Mar. 7th.
Jussi Ahokas (Kitchener Rangers) - 47-14-5-2, 101 Pts., 1st Midwest Division
The reigning OHL Coach of the Year, Kitchener's Jussi Ahokas looks to become the first to earn back-to-back honours since Ottawa's Andre Tourigny in 2019 and 2020. Ahokas' Rangers finished atop the Western Conference standings for the first time since 2008, securing the first back-to-back 100-point seasons in the club's 62-year history. Kitchener led the OHL with 19 shorthanded goals, and outshot their opponents by a margin of 492, the widest in the League. The Rangers finished the season as the OHL's only team to go undefeated in regulation when leading after one period. The Blueshirts won a season-high 14 consecutive home games from Jan. 9th through Mar. 17th.
Dave Cameron (Ottawa 67's) - 47-15-3-3, 100 Pts., 2nd East Division
There's always a team that exceeds everyone's expectations, and according to the OHL's annual pre-season power rankings, that team was the Ottawa 67's in 2025-26. The Barber Poles weren't even ranked on the list filed back in September, assembled based off the votes of the OHL's accredited media members. Dave Cameron's club went on to hit the 100-point mark, getting big contributions from previously unknown commodities in draft-eligible goaltender Ryder Fetterolf, Finnish 32-goal-scorer Jasper Kuhta, offseason recruit Thomas Vandenberg and former 15th round pick Spencer Bowes. The 67's were 38-0 when leading after two periods, and surrendered a league-low 160 goals, setting a new franchise record while reaching the 100-point plateau for the seventh time in their storied history. One of the OHL's longest-tenured coaches, Cameron also won Coach of the Year honours in 2022-23.
Greg Walters (Windsor Spitfires) - 44-15-6-3, 97 Pts., 1st West Division
Greg Walters' West Division champions secured their second straight banner, persevering in the face of late-season injuries to prominent forwards Ethan Belchetz and Nathan Villeneuve. The Spits finished with a league-best 82.8% penalty kill, surrendering a league-low 24.07 shots-per-game. They were also fast starters throughout the campaign, scoring first in a league-high 46 of their 68 games. Walters displayed creativity behind the bench, overcoming injuries with the deployment of talented blueliners Anthony Cristoforo and Carson Woodall in forward roles at various points throughout the season. Walters coached his 400th career OHL contest on Feb. 27th before closing out a second-straight 40+ win season at the helm in Windsor.
The OHL will announce the winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy as Coach of the Year on Thursday, April 16th.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 8, 2026
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- Hopkins and Spada Getting Pro Experience - Guelph Storm
- Alumni Update - Jake Karabela - Guelph Storm
- Greg Walters Named OHL Coach of the Year Finalist - Windsor Spitfires
- Paul Flache Named a Finalist for the Matt Leyden Trophy - Flint Firebirds
- Head Coach Jussi Ahokas Named Finalist for OHL Coach of the Year - Kitchener Rangers
- OHL Announces Finalists for Coach of the Year - OHL
- Previewing the Firebirds' Second Round Playoff Series with the Windsor Spitfires - Flint Firebirds
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