The Kids Chose Violence: An Evening With The OHL's Top NHL Draft Prospects

The OHL held the first-ever Connor McDavid Top Prospects Game on Wednesday in Brantford, the home of Wayne Gretzky. But based on the elite chaos that fans were treated to, this year's crop of NHL draft hopefuls played more like the Tkachuk brothers.

Sure, prospect games can be competitive, but these OHLers finished every check and looked like they hated each other. There were three fights in the game and another attempted tilt that was broken up by the refs before the players could engage.

"I assumed there would be at least one fight, but it was definitely pretty rowdy out there," said Team West's Michael Misa. "That's what you live for, those hockey games are fun to be in."

Misa, one of the top prospects overall for the 2025 NHL draft, didn't drop the gloves himself, but another potential top-four selection, Porter Martone did. Joking that his Brampton Steelheads coaches would prefer he used his hands for scoring, the Team East power forward wasn't making any apologies.

"They kinda tell me not to fight, but it's a part of my game," Martone said. "I got in the heat of the moment there."

The legions of NHL scouts in attendance were treated to a game that seemed more akin to a playoff contest than a prospect showdown and frankly, it was a perfect environment for kids to show off what they'll have to bring at the next level if they want to be full-time NHLers.

"All the guys knew it was going to be a physical game," said Team East's Ethan Szata. "Everyone prepared for it, and I thought we did that perfectly. That's usually a part of my game and I thought I showed it well."

Related: 2025 NHL Draft Rankings: Ferrari's Pre-World Juniors Top 64

With that in mind, here are some of the players that caught my eye on Wednesday night.

Porter Martone, RW, Brampton: For my money, Martone is the top forward in the draft right now thanks to his power game and he showed a bit of everything in Brantford. Not only did he win a fight against Quinn Beauchesne, but he made a bunch of great offensive plays, culminating in the game-winning goal in overtime.

Michael Misa, C, Saginaw: While he didn't dominate proceedings, Misa also didn't need to stand out: We know how good he is. That being said, the patience he showed with the puck before threading a perfect pass to Jack Nesbitt for a tap-in goal was a pretty good demonstration of the elite skill Misa brings to the table.

Jake O'Brien, C, Brantford: As captain of Team East and the best hometown player on the roster, it's not a shock that O'Brien was named his squad's player of the game. But he did earn it, playing smart, two-way hockey and generating a lot on a line with Martone. O'Brien set up the game-tying goal in the third period and Martone's OT winner.

Cameron Reid, D, Kitchener: Team West's player of the game, Reid had three assists on the night, meaning there was only one goal he didn't contribute on. An offensive defenseman who can clearly get results, I couldn't help but think of Cole Hutson's world juniors performance when it came to Reid.

Kashawn Aitcheson, D, Barrie: I'm actually shocked Aitcheson didn't fight in the game, but it may have been because there were no takers. Otherwise, Aitcheson showcased the rest of his skills suite, playing the physical two-way game that has made him one of the most entertaining prospects to watch in this year's draft class.

Jack Nesbitt, C, Windsor: This was a fantastic game for Nesbitt, whose 6-foot-4 frame is an obvious selling point for the future. The Spitfires pivot displayed some deft puckhandling skills during the game and had a goal off a great Misa set-up. Nesbitt also dropped the gloves with Evan Passmore (a tough customer), though it was more of a wrestling match.

Shamar Moses, RW, North Bay: Moses has been awesome for the Battalion since being traded from Barrie and he showed off some of that upside in Brantford. He had Team East's first goal of the game off a nice deflection and had another shift later in the game where he hit everyone in sight.

Luca Romano, C, Kitchener: Romano kicked off the game with an opening snipe over goalie David Egorov and had a very impressive showing overall. His IQ and anticipation led to a great break-up on the penalty-kill, too.

Brady Martin, C, Sault Ste. Marie: Like Moses, Martin had a nice deflection goal and showed off his two-way game throughout the evening. A steal led to an offensive chance the other way for his Team West squad.

Jack Ivankovic, G, Brampton: The only netminder who didn't surrender a goal in the game, Ivankovic was poised and ready, particularly when the game went to 3-on-3 in overtime. His best stops came on uncontested efforts by Misa and Beauchesne.

Filip Ekberg, C, Ottawa: To be sure, Ekberg is a smaller, slight kid at 5-foot-10, 166 pounds. That's not going to help his draft placement with NHL teams, but he does have quick wheels and he's hard on pucks thanks to his defensive stick.

Evan Passmore, D, Barrie: At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds already, Passmore has more than enough size and mass to be an NHL defenseman right now - and he's only going to get stronger as time goes on. Along with fighting Nesbitt, Passmore stood out as an eraser for Team East. Play physical, get the puck out of your end; that's the Passmore way.

Lirim Amidovski, RW, North Bay: One of the pleasant surprises on the night, Amidovski had a wicked snipe on a partial breakaway and played well enough that he was elevated to the top line with Martone and O'Brien by the end of the night. Numbers in North Bay haven't stood out, but maybe this is the spark for something.

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