OHL Stock Watch: Jake O’Brien, Adam Benák shining for all-in Brantford Bulldogs
Since the OHL season began back on September 18th, there have been an impressive 13 trades made across the league. Most have been depth-player swaps, but there were a couple of fascinating and notable moves, including two that will be covered later in this article.
The Brantford Bulldogs remain at the top of the league, followed closely by the Windsor Spitfires. There is more parity out west, with the Kitchener Rangers, Owen Sound Attack, London Knights, and Soo Greyhounds all within just a few points of each other. Meanwhile, the Ottawa 67’s have continued their strong start to the campaign, with the second-most wins in the east.
Let’s take a look at the OHL’s most notable performers over the last month, starting with the team who remains undefeated in regulation.
Stock Rising 📈
The Brantford Bulldogs
If there was any doubt that the Bulldogs would be the OHL’s team to beat this season, that went out the window almost immediately. Brantford pushed their trade chips all-in and acquired defenders Ben Danford (Toronto) and Zack Sandhu from the Oshawa Generals in exchange for a staggering nine draft picks, as well as 2026 NHL Draft eligibles Aiden O’Donnell and Luca Diplacido.
Most importantly for the Bulldogs, Danford and Sandhu bring valuable playoff experience. The defenders played in the OHL championship series in both of the last two seasons and now look poised to return there a third straight year.
If it wasn’t before, the Bulldogs’ blueline is now utterly stacked. Add Danford and Sandhu to the likes of NHL-drafted prospects Owen Protz (Montreal), Adam Jiříček (St. Louis), and Edison Engle (Winnipeg), plus 2026 draft-eligible Vladimír Dravecký, and defence cores don’t get much better – or deeper.
Brantford’s trio of Jake O’Brien (Seattle), Marek Vanacker (Chicago), and Adam Benák (Minnesota) has been nearly unstoppable, too. Until this past weekend when Benák was moved to the second line to spread the wealth, the trio was one of the most dangerous lines in the league, destroying defensive zone structure with intricate passing plays (especially on the power play).
Dynamic playmaker O’Brien has all but toyed with the opposition, racking up points at an impressive rate. Vanacker has mostly served as O’Brien’s finisher, but Benák is more than capable of ripping pucks past goaltenders too.
Top to bottom, the Bulldogs are the deepest team in the league. Sam McCue (Toronto) and Caleb Malhotra (2026) anchor their middle six. Factor in netminder Ryerson Leenders’ (Buffalo) 8-0-1 record, and it appears that everyone is on the rise in Brantford.
Brady Martin, C, Soo Greyhounds (Nashville Predators)
Perhaps Brady Martin’s three-game stint in the NHL didn’t go exactly to plan, after an impressive training camp and preseason that saw him earn a spot on the Nashville Predators’ opening night roster.
Despite starting the year as Nashville’s first-line centre, Martin only averaged 10-12 minutes of ice-time. When he was healthy scratched when Nashville played in Toronto, which would have been as close to a homecoming game for him as possible, it became clear that the Predators would eventually send Martin back to the OHL.
Martin hit the ground running back in the Soo. He was named captain ahead of his season debut and currently has eleven points in seven games. Most encouraging, he looks like an even stronger, more confident version of the player he was a season ago.
Martin’s combination of manipulation and relentless physicality has allowed him to dominate his shifts, impose his will, and make defenders look helpless. Look no further than this highlight-reel goal, where he powered easily past a defender before roofing the puck from between his own legs.
While the Predators may have surprised many by selecting Martin fifth overall back in June, he’s looked every part of a legitimate top prospect so far. Expect him to continue his impressive play and be one of the OHL’s top players all season.
Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor Spitfires (2026 NHL Draft)
Ethan Belchetz started the year as the fifth-ranked prospect on Elite Prospects’ 2026 NHL Draft September ranking. A month into the season, it looks like he has already played himself into top-three conversation.
No one is ousting Gavin McKenna from the top spot, but Belchetz is unquestionably the OHL’s best draft-eligible prospect right now. The perfect combination of power and finesse, the 6-foot-5 winger creates advantages and manipulates defenders with his playmaking vision and handling ability, all while making opponents’ lives miserable with his bruising physicality.
Belchetz is a dangerous dual-threat creator who can thread the needle through tight seams and also rifle pucks into the back of the net. With eight goals and 16 points in the last month, including five multi-point games, he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. He’ll certainly be a player to watch later this month at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge.
Honourable Mentions: Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings), Kashawn Aitcheson (New York Islanders), Carter George (Los Angeles Kings), Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers), Kieron Walton (Winnipeg Jets), Harry Nansi (Toronto Maple Leafs), Tristan Delisle (2026 NHL Draft re-entry), Christian Humphreys (Colorado Avalanche), Nathan Villeneuve (Seattle Kraken), Dima Zhilkin (2027 NHL Draft), Levi Harper (2027 NHL Draft)
Stock Steady ↔️
Cameron Reid, D, Kitchener Rangers (Nashville Predators)
After being selected in the first round by the Predators, Cameron Reid is nearly a point-per-game player so far this season with the Rangers.
Reid mostly played a quiet, understated two-way game last year, with his dynamism only appearing in flashes. Now, he’s a fearless activator who dictates and controls play from the back end. Dominant on breakouts, Reid can shake pressure with quick feints and explode past coverage to take pucks into high-danger areas.
It’s no surprise that Reid leads all Kitchener blueliners in scoring this season. His growth into a defender who creates advantages and manipulates consistently, rather than remaining one who sits back and allows plays to come to him, has been the biggest difference so far. It bodes well for his long-term projection and upside.
Braidy Wassilyn, LW, London Knights (2026 NHL Draft)
After being injured during a preseason game and missing the first few weeks of the season, Braidy Wassilyn returned to action in mid-October with the Niagara IceDogs. While he flashed dynamic skill, play-driving ability, and off-puck awareness, it was clear that he needed some time to get back up to speed.
Then came the unexpected trade. The IceDogs dealt Wassilyn to the London Knights in a one-for-one player swap, a move that now looks like it was the best possible outcome for him.
In six games with Niagara, Wassilyn had just five points. But in six games with London, he’s already eclipsed that point total. He picked up two assists in his first game with the Knights and is currently riding a four-game goal-scoring streak. He’s now on pace for a near-40-goal, 72-point season.
Confidence has been the biggest difference for Wassilyn in London. He’s now consistently driving play, using his off-puck positioning to move into lanes, and beating goaltenders cleanly with his lethal release. If he continues this run of production and improves on his defensive zone scanning habits, he could very well play himself into a top-64 selection next June.
Stock Falling 📉
Noah Read, C/LW, Niagara IceDogs (Anaheim Ducks)
When we ranked Noah Read 97th overall in the Elite Prospects 2025 NHL Draft Guide, we were banking on him having a breakout draft-minus-one season, given his intelligent details and transition game. The Anaheim Ducks were likely hoping for the same when they selected Read in the third round last June.
But despite playing top-six minutes, Read had just one goal and two points in his first ten games with the Knights. Eventually, he was traded to the IceDogs in the other half of the Wassilyn deal, with the hope that returning to his hometown team could provide the change in scenery he needed.
While it took some time for Read to get going with his new team, his game is trending in the right direction. He recorded his first point with the IceDogs in his third game, and scored a goal in his fourth. However, he is still only on pace for 18 points this season, which would be a disappointing drop-off from his draft-year production of 26 points.
Perhaps Read just needs more time to adapt to his new surroundings and the IceDogs’ system. At the moment, he’s playing a much more defensive, off-puck game in Niagara, focused on using his speed and positioning to outwork players, neutralize rushes, and create turnovers. But unless his production improves, it may be a difficult draft-plus-one season for the Ducks’ third round pick.
