OHL Announces Finalists for General Manager of the Year Award
OHL Ontario Hockey League

OHL Announces Finalists for General Manager of the Year Award

Published on April 20, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release


TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, presented annually to the OHL General Manager who best excelled at his role during the regular season.

Marty Williamson of the Barrie Colts and Dave McParlan of the Flint Firebirds were the front-runners in the voting process carried-out by OHL General Managers. The winner will be determined by a panel consisting of accredited OHL media members, as well as a representative from NHL Central Scouting.

Here's some information on this year's finalists:

Marty Williamson (Barrie Colts) - 45-14-5-4, 99 Pts., 1st Central Division

In his first season exclusively focused on managerial duties, Marty Williamson helped push the Barrie Colts to the next level with key additions at the OHL trade deadline, bringing in veterans Parker von Richter and Mason Zebeski from the Brampton Steelheads as well as Ben Wilmott from the London Knights. The Colts cruised to their second straight Central Division title, finishing 19 points ahead of second place North Bay under first-year Head Coach Dylan Smoskowitz. Led by previous Williamson acquisitions in Cole Beaudoin, Kashawn Aitcheson and Emil Hemming, the Colts led the OHL with 24 road wins, and were 31-1-1-1 in games where they scored first.

Dave McParlan (Flint Firebirds) - 44-17-4-3, 95 Pts., 2nd West Division

The Flint Firebirds turned-in the best season in their 10-year history, with 44 wins, 95 points and 199 goals-against setting new benchmarks. General Manager Dave McParlan brought in several names who turned into key pieces for Flint, most notably offseason goaltending addition Mason Vaccari from the Kingston Frontenacs who helped them make a 32-point improvement in the standings. The Birds benefitted from McParlan's deadline addition of Winnipeg Jets prospect Kevin He from the Niagara IceDogs, who joined Jacob Battaglia, Ihnat Pazii and Brady Smith as in-season trade pick-ups. The Flint program also saw productive returns on McParlan's signing of 2007-born former draft picks Dryden Allen and Luka Graziano on the blueline along with first-year 2006-born 20-goal scorer Darian Anderson. The Firebirds boasted the Western Conference's best road record under Head Coach Paul Flache, and gave the Flint faithful plenty to cheer about in 2025-26.

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