OHL Announces Top Performers of the Week for September 25-28, 2025
OHL Ontario Hockey League

OHL Announces Top Performers of the Week for September 25-28, 2025

Published on September 29, 2025 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release


TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League today announced Top Performers of the Week for regular season games from Thursday, September 25 and Sunday, September 28, 2025.

IceDogs' Ethan Czata named Cogeco OHL Player of the Week

Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Czata of the Niagara IceDogs is the Cogeco OHL Player of the Week, recording five points over a pair of road wins.

Czata returned from Lightning training camp to help the IceDogs defeat the Saginaw Spirit 5-4 in a shootout on Friday night, recording an assist before scoring twice in a span of 2:29 to close-out the second period. He'd convert in the shootout to help Niagara pick-up two points before factoring into another win on Saturday, registering a goal and an assist as the IceDogs blanked the Flint Firebirds 4-0.

An 18-year-old from Brampton, Czata returns for his third season in Niagara coming-off 21 goals, 34 assists and 55 points over 68 games in 2024-25. Internationally, he's helped Canada win gold at both the World U18 Hockey Championship and Hlinka-Gretzky Cup as well as the World U17 Hockey Challenge. Czata was chosen by Tampa Bay in the second round (56th overall) this past summer and signed an entry-level deal with the Lightning on July 22nd. He was originally Niagara's first round (fifth overall) pick in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection.

Also considered for the award this week, Soo Greyhounds forward Jordan Charron recorded six points (4-2--6) over three games as the Hounds won a pair of games on the road.

2025-26 Cogeco OHL Player of the Week

Sept. 18-21: Cole Davis (Windsor Spitfires)

Sept. 22-28: Ethan Czata (Niagara IceDogs)

Spitfires' Joey Costanzo named Mary Brown's Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week

Joey Costanzo of the Windsor Spitfires is the Mary Brown's Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week, going 2-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average, a .980 save percentage and one shutout.

Costanzo turned in a 17-save shutout on Thursday as the Spitfires defeated the Sudbury Wolves 4-0 at the WFCU Centre. He was back in the crease on Saturday night in Barrie, earning second star honours with 31 saves as the Spitfires defeated the Colts 3-1. Barrie outshot Windsor 20-3 in the third period, with Costanzo turning aside 19 of those attempts.

A 20-year-old from Toronto, Costanzo is embarking on this fifth OHL season, coming off a 2024-25 campaign that saw him go 34-10-3-1 with a 2.94 goals-against average and .892 save percentage over 51 games. His 73 career wins as a Spitfire are the third-most in franchise history behind Michael DiPietro and Andrew Engelage. Costanzo recently attended Philadelphia Flyers training camp. He was Niagara's second round (23rd overall) pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection.

2025-26 Mary Brown's Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week

Sept. 18-21: Jason Schaubel (Kitchener Rangers)

Sept. 22-28: Joey Costanzo (Windsor Spitfires)

Bulldogs' Caleb Malhotra named OHL Rookie of the Week

NHL Draft eligible Brantford Bulldogs forward Caleb Malhotra is the OHL Rookie of the Week, recording five points in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Sudbury Wolves.

Malhotra teamed-up with fellow newcomer Cooper Dennis at the TD Civic Centre, scoring twice while adding three assists as the Bulldogs beat Sudbury to improve to 2-0-1-0 on the season. The 6-foot-2, 182Ib. centreman scored the deciding goal on the power play with 2:55 remaining in the second period and would later set up Adam Benak's first OHL goal on the penalty kill late in the third.

Malhotra, from Toronto, is Brantford's early-season scoring leader with eight points (3-5--8) through his first three games. The Bulldogs acquired Malhotra from the Kingston Frontenacs in a trade on Sept. 12, 2024 after he was originally selected eighth overall by Kingston in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection. Malhotra spent 2024-25 with the BCHL's Chilliwack Chiefs, producing 26 points (8-18--26) over 44 games. The Vaughan Kings AAA graduate is committed to Boston University (NCAA).

2025-26 OHL Rookie of the Week

Sept. 18-21: Thomas Vandenberg (Ottawa 67's)

Sept. 22-28: Caleb Malhotra (Brantford Bulldogs)

Rangers prospect Alex Forrest named GOHL Prospect of the Week

Kitchener Rangers defence prospect Alex Forrest of the Cambridge RedHawks is the GOHL Prospect of the Week, recording five points over his first two games in the GOHL.

The 16-year-old defenceman found the back of the net in his GOHL debut on Thursday, helping the RedHawks defeat the host Ayr Centennials 7-3. He helped Cambridge hang-up a crooked number at home against the Welland Jr. Canadians on Saturday, posting four assists in a 15-2 triumph as the RedHawks improved to a perfect 6-0 to start the year.

A native of Grimsby, ON, Forrest was chosen by the Rangers with the second round (24th overall) pick of the 2025 OHL Priority Selection. The 5-foot-11, 157Ib. left-shot blueliner recorded one assist over five preseason games with Kitchener and appeared in the club's first two games of the regular season. He registered 39 points (10-29--39) over 34 games with the OMHA's Oakville Rangers U16 AAA team last season, before joining the GOHL's St. Catharines Falcons to post four points (1-3--4) over 13 games during their playoff run last spring.

2025-26 GOHL Prospect of the Week

Sept. 10-21: Brendan Gerber (Elmira Sugar Kings/London Knights)

Sept. 22-28: Alex Forrest (Cambridge RedHawks/Kitchener Rangers)

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from September 29, 2025


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