OHL Clubs Recognized with 2024-25 Business Awards
June 19, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release
Mono, ON - The Ontario Hockey League handed out its annual business awards to close out the 2025 OHL Business Meetings held on Tuesday and Wednesday at Hockley Valley Resort.
New this season, the OHL expanded its list of annual business awards from two up to 10, covering a range of different categories. The players and coaches are always working hard to bring about results on the ice, but there's a large group of dedicated employees across the league seeking to enhance the OHL experience for players and fans alike. Here's a recap of which teams left the annual Business Meetings with hardware recognizing their achievements.
Franchise Development Award - Kitchener Rangers
The Rangers, led by Chief Operating Officer Joe Birch, Vice President of Operations Adam Bramhill and team, were high achievers across the board in 2024-25, finishing second in overall ticket sales, with a 5% increase from the season previous. Kitchener also placed second in overall corporate sales, seeing a 13.7% increase in their success in that area. Other positive metrics included a 14.3% increase in website page views and a 29.4% jump in followers across their Instagram, Facebook and X social media platforms. On the ice, the Rangers exceeded expectations, finishing with 100 points during the regular season before making their first Western Conference Final appearance since 2018. Previous winners of the Franchise Development Award have included the Sarnia Sting (2023-24) and Guelph Storm (2022-23).
Content Team of the Year Award - Barrie Colts
The Colts maximized their resources and covered the story of a competitive season from day one of training camp to their elimination in the Eastern Conference Final. The Colts produced a season-long docu-series titled "Gates Open" that followed the progress of the team behind the scenes on YouTube. Manager of Social Media & Media Relations Collin Jennings cast the vision and partnered with talented creators in Brennen Suni, Josh Kim, James Spizzirri, Tucker Nadon, Liam Mabley and Amber Weiss. The Ottawa 67's won the inaugural Content Team of the Year Award in 2023-24.
Community Involvement Award - Ottawa 67's
The 67's were a constant presence in the community throughout the season, forming partnerships with local minor hockey associations, running long-term programs through the OSEG Foundation for causes such as blind hockey, Girls on the Run and Indigenous hockey clinics. The club made approximately $200,000 in donations to local charities this past season, with more than 40 local not-for-profit organizations or causes supported financially or through promotion and communication efforts to raise awareness.
Group Sales Ticket Award - Oshawa Generals
The Generals enjoyed another competitive season on the ice, and their loyal fans certainly embraced it. The Gens saw an increase of 23% in their group sales over the course of the season, selling an average of 1,364 per-game, good for the second-highest total in the OHL. Long-standing Director of Ticket Sales and Service Jason Hickman as well as Manager of Ticket Sales and Fan Development Andrew Richard and company continue to do great work in Oshawa.
Game Night Theme Award - Windsor Spitfires
The Spits put on an outstanding Taylor Swift Night on October 26th, with no shortage of creativity sprinkled throughout the game presentation. The Spits won on the ice, defeating the Niagara IceDogs 2-1 while fans in the stands jammed out to their favourite tunes all night long. Two lucky fans won tickets to see Taylor Swift's November show during the Eras Tour in Toronto.
Storytelling Award - Ottawa 67's
Last year's Content Team of the Year continued to contribute to the OHL narrative in 2024-25 as the Ottawa 67's earned the inaugural OHL Storytelling Award, thanks in large part to the written correspondence of Frankie Benvenuti, who has since taken a job with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets. Teams can tell their story through a variety of mediums, and the 67's excelled in the area of written coverage all season long.
Retail Performance Award - Flint Firebirds
The Firebirds placed third overall in gross sales for merchandise in 2024-25, with the highest per capita spend in the OHL, $1.50 more than the second place finisher. Firebirds Director of Marketing Abby Kibler, who was recently promoted from the role of Merchandise Manager, worked tirelessly to maximize the club's footprint in this area.
Unique Content Piece Award - Windsor Spitfires
The Spits' front office certainly doesn't lack creativity. Manager of Brand and Entertainment Remo Agostino has an abundance of great ideas, and one really took off in the opening half of the season when the club signed renowned actor Keanu Reeves to a one-day contract. The news sent the hockey and entertainment world into a frenzy as the "Youngblood" star, who had previously tried out for the Spitfires as a goaltender in his teen years, fulfilled a childhood dream. A signed Keanu Reeves Spitfires jersey was auctioned off, raising $20,000 to benefit the Canadian Mental Health Association's Windsor-Essex County branch.
Schedule Reveal Award - Brantford Bulldogs
The Bulldogs put together an outstanding video game derived schedule reveal, with the creative genius of Digital Media Coordinator Matt Gallant delivering a Pokemon-esque OHL battle to fans this past Monday. As of Friday, the reveal video had racked up 52,000 impressions on X and over 98,000 views on Instagram.
Creative Investment Award - Sudbury Wolves
The Sudbury Wolves stole the show, earning the first-ever Creative Investment Award with their innovative community goal light concept introduced last December. A passion project of Wolves Owner and Governor Dario Zulich, the 120-foot water tower was converted into a dynamic LED display, lighting up whenever the Wolves score a goal, with Nathan Villeneuve's opening marker on December 5th brightening it for the very first time. The goal light has been a feature the entire community can enjoy, being used for seasonal purposes around Christmas time and other local celebrations.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from June 19, 2025
- OHL Clubs Recognized with 2024-25 Business Awards - OHL
- Sarnia Sting Sign Forward Kase Kamzik - Sarnia Sting
- Generals Sign Defenceman Anthony Timmerman - Oshawa Generals
- Petes Announce 2025 Education Fund Award Winners - Peterborough Petes
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