Meet the former OHL'ers who have a chance at the 2026-27 NHL Calder Trophy
Updated: 5 days ago
The NHL rookie class this season is absolutely loaded and the anticipation for who will win Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie is already on. The Ontario Hockey League has a great group of former players who will look to get their feet in the door and solidify themselves as NHL players this year.
Last season, 2025 1st Overall pick, Matthew Schaefer, took home the Calder Trophy after a marvelous rookie year with the New York Islanders. Schaefer played his junior career with the Erie Otters and if a former OHL player can win the Calder this year, it'll be the first time since 2010-11 and 2011-12 that the OHL has produced back-to-back Calder Trophy winners (Jeff Skinner 2010-11 and Gabriel Landeskog 2011-12).
The Favourite: Porter Martone - Philadelphia Flyers
A 6th overall pick in 2024, Porter Martone will enter the 2026-27 season as one of the favourites to win the Calder Trophy, alongside Toronto's Gavin McKenna and Washington's Cole Hutson.
Martone played the 25-26 season at 4 different levels. Beginning in the NCAA with Michigan State where he put up 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points in just 36 games, along with 78 penalty minutes. In between his college season, Martone represented Canada at the World Junior Championship in Minnesota where he was the Captain and had 6 goals and 9 points.
Concluding his NCAA season, Martone signed his entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. Martone started his NHL career shot out of a cannon, with 10 points in 9 games, and 5 points in 10 playoff games. Following his NHL season, Martone then represented Canada again, this time at the World Championships. On a star studded roster that included Sidney Crosby and Macklin Celebrini, Martone mainly played a 4th line role, putting up 1 goal and 5 points throughout the course of the tournament.
Martone is projected to play 1st line minutes this season with the Flyers where he should be put in a good position to put up a handsome number of points. Martone's offensive instincts are elite, and the league will be put on watch this season
The Challenger: Ilya Protas - Washington Capitals
Ilya Protas will join his older brother Aliaksei as a full time NHLer this season. A unique aspect for them both, is that they will get to play together on the Washington Capitals. Ilya was a 3rd round selection in 2024 and stands in at 6'5 225 pounds. The center spent his draft plus-1 season in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires and absolutely lit the league on fire. Scoring 50 goals and 124 points in just 61 games.
He took that year and ran with it as a first year pro with the Hershey Bears in the AHL last season, scoring 29 goals and 69 points in 66 games, winning rookie of the year. Protas earned a 4-game look at the NHL at the end of the season where he put up 4 points.
Despite the size, that's not what stands out about Protas' game. His talent and skill level drives him to a level that most players can only dream of. Because of his skill, he has been one of the biggest prospect risers in the past few years and his impact this season playing with his brother should be effective.
Protas has the safest NHL role of anyone on this list, and is commonly projected as the Capitals 3rd line center. To make a serious run at the Calder trophy, Protas will need to be at least half a point per game while playing a hard role for the Capitals on their checking line.
The Dark Horse: Brady Martin - Nashville Predators
When Brady Martin was selected 5th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2025, he wasn't at the draft to be welcomed on stage by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Instead, Martin was working on his family's farm in Elmira, Ontario. When reporters finally got the chance to speak to Martin, he had a simple answer. "The cows don't care if you're drafted sixth or sixteenth. The morning milking starts at 5:30 AM." Martin went to Predators training camp and was very impressive, earning him a spot on the opening night roster for the Preds.
Martin played 3 games with Nashville before going back to the OHL to play with the Soo Greyhounds. Martin's regular season was limited to 24 games after getting injured while representing Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championship. Martin played 6 games, scoring 4 goals and 8 points. He finished his OHL career with the Soo playing 10 playoff games and scoring 10 points. Martin played 3 playoff games with the Nashville Predators AHL affiliate, Milwaukee, scoring 1 goal in 3 games.
The Predators don't have a real direction this season. Their roster isn't bad, but isn't good enough to truly contend for a playoff spot. Martin will get a chance to play in the Predators' top 9 and on the power play and his role should only elevate throughout the course of the season. It's worth noting that Brady Martin is AHL eligible, with the new rule allowing one CHL 19 year old player to play in the American Hockey League. If things are looking grim for the Predators, it may be wise to let him develop and play more minutes in the minors.
The Wildcard: Sam O'Reilly - Tampa Bay Lightning
Sam O'Reilly leaves the OHL as one of the winningest players in league history. O'Reilly spent every season in his career as OHL league champion, winning two in London and one in Kitchener in 2026, becoming only the third player in OHL history to accomplish that feat. O'Reilly was both the regular season and playoff MVP in 2026, as well as the Memorial Cup MVP. The 2025-26 OHL coaches poll had O'Reilly as the Western Conference's smartest player, best on faceoffs, and best defensive forward. O'Reilly also represented Canada at the World Junior Championships in 2026, scoring 4 goals and 8 points across 7 games.
O'Reilly was drafted 32nd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2024 but was traded in a 1-for-1 trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Isaac Howard. The path to the NHL this season for O'Reilly isn't as clear as Martone or Protas. It will take a strong camp for O'Reilly to work his way onto the opening night roster for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Especially as the Lightning are not a team concerned about giving their players time to develop in the AHL. The opportunity is there, however, for O'Reilly to make the roster if he impresses at training camp.
The Bottom Line
The OHL has produced some great players in the past few years that will have a chance to show off at the NHL level this season. Between Martone, Protas, Martin, and O'Reilly, the opportunity exists for the OHL to go back-to-back in the Calder Trophy award race. Those four aren't the only players in the mix. Longshots include Quentin Musty, Nikita Klepov, and Jake O'Brien. This rookie class will be a treat to watch, as prospect tournaments have been taking place over the past weekend.
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