Breaking down the top performers in Ontario U16's prep school circuit in 2025-26
2025-26 marked the first time that Hockey Canada-accredited prep programs competed in the U16 Ontario circuit, and it was a season to remember for all of them.
The three main prep school programs which competed this year, Upper Canada College (UCC), The Hill Academy, and BioSteel Sports Academy, all saw massive success in some of the biggest U16 tournaments.
All three schools earned the opportunity to play in the annual, prestigious OHL Cup tournament, where The Hill defeated BioSteel in a ‘win-and-you’re-in’ wildcard game to join UCC and 23 other teams in the main tournament.
What makes these prep programs so interesting is how their training, practices and schedules differ from standard travel teams in this age group. The schooling, on-ice practices, strength and conditioning, and off-ice video sessions are all integrated to ensure that the entire team is able to work through everything together.
From a recruiting standpoint, this is an incredibly powerful pitch. It does a great job replicating what life will be like in junior hockey at the next level. As a result, more players could join prep school teams to further their development, likely allowing prep schools to field highly competitive U16 teams in Ontario for years to come.
Upper Canada College
Of the three prep programs in this piece, UCC had the best season. Though they did not come away with hardware in any of the big showcase tournaments throughout the season, they performed well and were one of the last teams standing at elite events with very strong fields.
UCC emerged as finalists in their first two tournaments of the season, losing an overtime heartbreaker to the Don Mills Flyers in the finals of the Wendy Dufton Memorial tournament in October, and being defeated by an extremely potent Detroit Honeybaked squad at the Whitby Silver Stick a month later. They also earned a quarter-final berth at the Toronto Marlboros Holiday Classic, where their tournament ended at the hands of their prep school rivals at The Hill, a teaser for the eventual best-of-five Prep Hockey Championship series between the two schools in the spring.
The series was tight for all five games, so it was fitting to see the deciding fifth game need overtime, where depth forward Cameron List buried the series-clinching goal. It gave UCC momentum as they headed to the OHL Cup. They went undefeated through pool play and eventually fell in the semifinals to GTHL powerhouse Toronto Jr. Canadiens.
Here are UCC’s top performers from this season, and top names to watch for the 2026 OHL Priority Selection.
Cole Guizzetti - C - 5-foot-6, 136-lbs
Despite his smaller frame, Cole Guizzetti possesses strength that is elite for this age group. Bigger players have taken runs at him all season long, and he has the lower-body power and strength to not only embrace physical contact but bounce off checks and remain balanced through the completion of plays. Guizzetti’s toolkit is endless. He’ll beat players in a straight line with his speed, or in the small area game with his hands and smarts. Guizzetti debuted at 25 on our staff’s midseason ranking, but his constant desire to drive through contact to the net and his continued production in the second half against big-time competition should see him move up our final board.
Logan Prud’homme - C - 6-foot-7, 216-lbs
Logan Prud’homme stands out to anyone who scouts him immediately because of his size, but what makes him such an intriguing player is how skilled and smart he is at his height. His reach is obviously an asset, which makes protecting pucks in the offensive zone a major part of his game, but he can also work to create space in tight areas and get through defenders. His biggest asset this season, though, has been his shot. Few can catch and release better than Prud’homme, and his radius to receive passes that aren’t right on a tee is massive. His 44 goals across 69 games this season led the way for UCC and should help him hear his name called very early at the draft.
Christian Del Buono - C - 5-foot-11, 166-lbs
Other names on this UCC squad have gotten more fanfare, and rightfully so, but Christian Del Buono has flown under the radar. His motor is his calling card, always moving his feet, drawing penalties and making sure that the compete level never wavers. Del Buono possesses a feel for the game that allows him to be around the puck at every juncture in the game. Whether that be in the offensive or defensive zone, he always positions his body to be in the best possible spot to pick up a puck or receive a pass, and this has gotten him some prime scoring looks. Del Buono finished the campaign with 40 goals across 67 games and showed he was one of the more prolific hashmarks and down-low scoring threats in the loop.
Max Fransen - LD - 5-foot-11, 192-lbs
Max Fransen’s calling card is his steadiness. He’s the number one defender on this UCC back end and logs a ton of minutes against other teams’ top units, while being relied upon offensively with his shot and ability to join and take over games off the rush. At his best, which he has been for most of the second half, Fransen is a beast on retrievals, pulling pucks off the wall with ease and converting them into crisp breakout passes. Defending the rush, he reads attackers' shoulders well and shrinks gaps to eliminate puck carriers with elite timing. He looks to be a strong contributor at the OHL level from an offensive standpoint. While his ability to defend at this level is great, he may encounter growing pains on the defensive side as a rookie. When our final board drops, he should rise from 38, where he was at the midterm.
Jay Nimchonok - RD - 6-foot-2, 200-lbs
Without sugarcoating it, Jay Nimchonok is a total pain to play against. While he is so good at eliminating attackers’ time and space with his physicality, what makes him an elite prospect is his ability to use those tools with the goal of gaining possession of the puck and kick-starting transition. Nimchonok uses his shorter crossovers to time his hits while defending entries, which allows him to make quick changes in pace as he closes in on the attacker. While his offensive ceiling may be limited at the next level, he still put up a respectable 34 points across 66 games this season. Even if he is not relied upon to produce at the next level, he moves the puck effectively, and his first pass is good enough that he won’t be pigeon-holed on a 3rd pairing. There is top-four shutdown potential here.
The Hill Academy
Despite not having the tournament success that many may have expected, The Hill was always a tough matchup and a team that others didn’t want to see in their groups.
Like UCC, Hill Academy started its tournament schedule at the Wendy Dufton. They fared well in the group stage, but would fall in the round of 16 at the hands of the Credit River Capitals. From there, they headed to Whitby for the Silver Stick, but weren’t able to advance to the quarter-finals.
The Hill showed incredibly well at the Marlies Holiday Classic, knocking off their prep counterpart UCC in the quarter-finals before dropping the semifinal to the host Toronto Marlboros. Hill Academy just seemingly couldn’t get past Honeybaked as their tournament schedule continued. They lost to the loaded Honeybaked squad in the semifinals at the Oakville Winter Classic and then again a few weeks later down south at the Florida Exposure Cup.
Here are some of Hill Academy's top performers that OHL fans should keep an eye on heading into the draft.
Tanner Adams - C - 6-foot-0, 202-lbs
Of every single player available for the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Tanner Adams may be the most OHL-ready at this juncture. Adams has one of the most interesting toolkits in this class, where he combines heavy speed with a willingness to engage physically in every inch of ice. While at times it feels like Adams hits to kill, he’s often just leveraging his frame to create time and space for himself and his linemates. While Adams’ calling card offensively has been his ability to beat goaltenders clean from distance with his rocket of a shot, he has shown the wherewithal during the year to use his playmaking as an asset since he can attack downhill and push defenders deep into their own zone. He debuted at number three on our midseason Top 50 list, and should remain there in some capacity when our final board is put together shortly.
Finley Merrill - C - 5-foot-10, 149-lbs
As far as risers go for this OHL draft class, there may be no bigger one than Finley Merrill. The 5-foot-10 centre has added some height in the last few months, which, paired with his skill set, makes him one of the most exciting prospects in this age group. He pairs a high compete level with the ability to score and create offence in many different ways. Consistent in all my viewings of Merrill is his desire and ability to drive the inside lanes to create prime shooting opportunities or drag pressure into the middle lane. This allows him to read the play and either take high-quality shots from the hashmarks and down, or pass back to the outside of the offensive zone dots to a teammate with time and space, or a one-timer look. Merrill came in at 48 on our initial list, but he’s flown up my personal list, and should be higher on our final board.
Xavier Carroll - C - 5-foot-10, 162-lbs
Xavier Carroll’s elite speed gives him versatility in a lineup. He creates a ton of offensive chances and finds himself in lots of odd-man scoring chances, all thanks to his feet. When you pair the skating with his motor, there is a base for an interesting package. Offensively, he likes to attack wide and beat defenders back to the middle. When attacking the interior, he is willing to take on contact and play through it. Throughout the year, there has been some concern from me about forcing plays and maybe not seeing the ice at an incredibly high level, but Carroll’s speed and motor should allow him to play lower in the lineup and be a player who can contribute on a penalty kill. While he may not hear his name called super early, there is a place in the OHL for Carroll’s skill set.
Brayden Jaravata - LD - 5-foot-11, 172-lbs
Brayden Jaravata is one of the most energetic and exciting defencemen to watch in this class. Every time he has the puck in his own end, it leaves viewers on the edge of their seats, wondering what dynamic move may be coming next. He pairs head and shoulder fakes with quick cuts to create time and space, and, ultimately, high-end scoring chances. Off the puck, he rotates well in the offensive zone and is a threat to activate at every turn. He finished the year with 12 goals and 40 points across 63 games played, and given his offensive ceiling, physical brand of defending, and dynamic skating, we should see him taken in the first few rounds of this year’s OHL Draft.
Shayden Hintenberger - LD - 6-foot-3, 191-lbs
While his results have been somewhat inconsistent throughout the year, Shayden Hintenberger has the tools to be a dominant, all-situations defenceman at the next level. Hintenberger’s biggest trait is his athleticism. He makes cuts and plays with his hands that most people of his size have zero chance of pulling off. He also showed his compete and toughness late in the year when he dropped the gloves with top prospect Adrian Sgro at the OHL’s Futures Camp. If Hintenberger can simplify his game and move pucks more quickly, there is a dominant OHL defenceman there. Where he lands on draft day will depend heavily on a team counting on the upside, but he is a sneaky contender to go higher than people might expect.
BioSteel Sports Academy
Of the three prep teams discussed in this piece, BioSteel Sports Academy was the only team to come away with a tournament win, and they actually ended up winning two. Although the tournaments they won didn’t feature loaded fields, there were still very quality teams in both events, and the achievements should definitely not be overlooked.
In mid-December, BioSteel Academy competed in the Gold Puck tournament, where they went undefeated through the group stage before knocking off the North Shore White Caps in the semifinals and the Eastern Ontario Wild in a 6-5 barn-burner in the finals.
A month or so later, they played at the Steve Richey Tournament of Champions. The group stage saw them win two and tie two, which was enough to punch their ticket to the playoff round. Three tight one-goal victories saw them earn a spot in the tournament final, where they prevailed as champions after a 3-0 shutout victory over the York-Simcoe Express.
Here are two names to watch as the 2026 OHL Priority Selection inches closer.
Shayne Keefe - RW - 5-foot-10, 161-lbs
No one on this BioSteel team thinks the game like Shayne Keefe can, and sometimes, it can affect the results of Keefe’s plays. In my viewings, the plays that Keefe creates die because his teammates simply aren’t recognizing space or coverage correctly. Defensively, he will never cheat you for effort, and I have been impressed to watch him close out on the defence up top in his own zone. Although Keefe scored 37 goals in 63 games this season, I see him more as a playmaker down the road and into junior hockey. As an Illinois native who was selected by the Chicago Steel 71st overall in this year’s USHL Futures Draft, it remains to be seen where Keefe will report. Regardless of where he ends up, a junior team will be getting a highly competitive, 200-foot forward who can make plays.
Kayden Cook - RD - 6-foot-1, 208-lbs
Wire-to-wire, Kayden Cook was BioSteel’s top defender. He’s a physical specimen who uses his size to drive his physical play and possesses a heavy shot from the back end. His sturdy skating base allows him to keep up with attackers on entries, where he defends without crossovers, and uses good angling techniques to make sure he never gets beat to the inside. On retrievals, he uses his size and strength to fend off forecheckers before looking for the next pass up the ice to spring transition. If there’s one area for Cook to improve, it would be his decision-making when turning up ice and looking for an outlet. He sometimes misses his winger's routes through the middle and is forced to over-handle the puck. When set up in the offensive zone, his shot is a massive threat, as displayed by his 13 goals in 53 games. Just on his frame alone, expect to see Cook taken in the mid rounds of this year's draft.