Hello fellow Red division members! Life returns to normal the weekend of Sept. 18-20, when the Burlington Oldtimers Hockey Club Red division schedule gets underway and we can all look forward to getting home after midnight a couple times per week.
We are extremely fortunate to have a special guest writer for the upcoming season, and hopefully for many more! His first assignment was to recap the draft and provide his deep, intellectual insights on what to expect for the 2026-27 season. Sit down, grab a cold one, and enjoy...
Just like the modern-day NHL, it looks like parity and competitive balance are here to stay, based on the roster selections coming out of the annual June draft. Here’s a look at what to definitely expect this season:
Senators
Captain Mark Goulet, who has reached the championship final every season he's played (or something like that) altered the makeup of the defending champions’ roster by adding guys “hard to play against,” including a couple Bulls-in-a-China-shop named Graham McCullogh and Mark Mallett up front, as well as shift disturber Harrison Hristopoulos. On the blue-line, Norris Trophy candidates Drew Higgins and Kyle Scott were somehow both retained, and there is additional blue-line truculence in JP Hatala, a nice guy who honestly hasn’t deserved any penalty he’s ever been assessed. Ever.
Goulet also welcomes back speedy forward Paul Kuno as a returnee, guaranteeing the Senators another winter weekend getaway at the Kuno Cottage, where they can all enjoy themselves while listening to a vinyl record collection highlighted by Air Supply, Genesis and Chicago and pour a drink every time a good song comes on.
Canadiens
“If you can’t beat ‘em … steal their goalie.” The Canadiens were thwarted in the 2025-26 playoffs and final by goaltender Graeme Millar, who will now don the bleu-blanc-et-rouge. He better be ready to backstop some good old-fashioned Canadiens’ firewagon hockey, because captain Jamie Lawrence, a sneaky scorer himself, has added perennial scoring leader Paul Greenlee and wily veteran Tim Fisher to an offence already featuring young phenom Mike Karauskas and fellow Calder candidate Ben Mercer. The blue-line looks solidified with additions of Jeremy Penrose and Brett Halstead, although Halstead has kept new teammate and pool convener Rob Allan busy the last couple seasons.
Leafs
In his third go-round as a team captain, Mike Moes, a top Red division player for many years, showed up to the draft in crutches and convinced fellow captains his best days are behind him, in order to finally get himself a first-round draft pick. Sneaky move - early candidate for GM of the Year.
Steve Wilkins and Cory Flynn bring additional scoring punch, while the forward group also features the league’s two best back-checkers, Todd Schultz and Rob Dionne, the league’s top neutral-zone water skier the past few years. (Calling someone a “good back-checker” is also code for “good players with bad hands who can’t score.”) On the blue-line, veteran Frank Goodrum is entering his 27th season and seeking his 12th championship in Red division, having started in the league as a 35-year-old in 2000, back in the days of dial-up Internet. Not only is Goodrum among the all-time games-played leaders, he also joins Gord Kluzak and Ron Greschner among the all-time games-missed leaders. It should make for a good dressing room, since goaltender Dave Zavitz and Schultz are both among the Red division all-time leaders in DROL (Dressing Room One-Liners).
Oilers
Oilers captain Chris Falco might be a few years Goodrum’s senior, but his crafty wizardry enables him to still put up big numbers. Falco could again be among the leaders this season playing alongside young playmakers like Brandon Marsh and Brent Garbutt. Forward Glen Cameron (“Cammy”) is also entering his 23rd or 24th or 25th straight year in Red division, going toe-to-toe with Frank chasing Patrick Marleau’s all-time games-played record. Falco also grabbed returning goaltender John Marini in the draft. A perennial Vezina Trophy candidate, Marini is a happy wanderer who can serve as a de facto third defenceman at times, so those young studs on the blue-line like Steve Turner, Matt Mcintosh and David Holmes can probably relax and not play too hard.
Flames
Captain Marc Brennan was able to lock up key returnees in future Norris Trophy winner Mike Dunlop on the blue-line and forwards Brad Panzer and Nick Moskal up front, while also snapping up super veterans Troy Pocaluyko and Dwayne Nedelko. A sneaky good team, especially considering the addition of forward Duncan Long, the championship-game MVP for the Senators who set a single-season record with 238 toe-drags last season. Defencemen Mitch Ross and Jeremy Okolisan have combined for a total of zero toe-drag attempts in their careers but they won’t make it much fun hanging around in front of Darryl Muscat’s net.
Canucks
Speaking of toe-drags, first-year captain Vic Bayliss and his assistant Michael Taylor have assembled a solid roster, highlighted up front by Charlie Crisci, who can also stickhandle in a phone booth. Veterans James Rolph, Terry Fehrman and Corey Newport will be hard to stop and should raise the club’s puck-possession and Corsi numbers. On the blue-line, young stud Andrew Blakeley complements steady veterans Mike Halstead, Chris Fulton and Bryon Moore pretty well. This looks like not only a solid club on the ice, but they should also be among the league leaders all season in BAH (Beers at Hector’s).
Good luck to everyone, have fun out there.
