Team West Prevails 4-3 in 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game Presented by Enbridge Gas
OHL Ontario Hockey League

Team West Prevails 4-3 in 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game Presented by Enbridge Gas

Published on January 15, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release


PETERBOROUGH - A sold-out crowd at the Peterborough Memorial Centre saw a closely-matched one-goal game, with the Western Conference prevailing by a score of 4-3 in the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game presented by Enbridge Gas.

Nikita Klepov (Saginaw Spirit) dazzled with a goal and two assists to earn Connor McDavid 97 Award Player of the Game honours for the victors while Peterborough Petes star Adam Novotny put on a show for the home crowd with two goals to earn Player of the Game recognition for the Eastern Conference.

"It was a good game, and a nice experience for everyone," said Klepov after the win. "Our line had some pretty good chemistry. There's a lot of skilled players here and it's always fun to play with new guys."

Novotny had the opportunity to play in front of the Petes faithful, and didn't disappoint.

"It was great to be able to do this in Peterborough," he said. "You have one or two days to get to know each other but we had a great experience and it was a lot of fun."

Klepov wasn't the only Spirit player who turned heads on Wednesday. Egor Barabanov opened the scoring with a quick move in-tight for the Western Conference 8:50 into action before Ryder Cali (North Bay Battalion) responded for the East.

Novotny and Klepov exchanged second period goals to send the game to the third knotted at two.

A well-orchestrated play from Klepov 2:12 into the third period kept the puck in the offensive zone before being sent to blueliner Rylan Singh (Guelph Storm) for a clean shot from the top of the circles that put Team West into the lead 3-2.

Layne Gallacher (Guelph Storm) gave the Western Conference insurance with 5:18 to spare. Novotny's second of the night made it a one-goal game, but that's as close as the Eastern Conference would come in a 4-3 final.

"I thought it was going to be a fast and physical game right from the get-go, and that's what it was," said Singh, who finished the night with a goal and an assist. "There was a lot of skill and a lot of contact and it was a lot of fun to be a part of."

In addition to the contributions of Klepov and Barabanov, Spirit goaltender Stepan Shurygin turned aside 15-of-16 shots in the win.

A capacity crowd of 3,697 at the PMC took-in the action. Team East outshot Team West by a tally of 37-28.

Officials for the game included referees David Elford and Hayden Verbeek along with linesmen Gage Argue and Owen Robertson. Pre-game ceremonies included a moment of silence for the late former OHL Commissioner David Branch, who passed away on January 4th at the age of 77.

The 2027 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game will be held on January 20, 2027 at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 15, 2026


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