The OHL’s Guelph Storm have made a move to boost their chances of winning a Memorial Cup on home ice. According to an announcement, the Storm have acquired netminder Ben Hrebik from the Barrie Colts.
Although he’s committed to Providence College for his collegiate career, Hrebik had already informed the Colts that he plans to remain in the OHL for the 2026-27 season. After that, Barrie worked on finding him a role on a competitive team.
Guelph finished seventh in the OHL last season, but is already guaranteed to reach the 2027 Memorial Cup as the host team.
Throughout his time with the Colts, Hrebik was solid. Since the end of the 2023-24 season, the 6’2″, 209 lbs netminder has managed a 47-21-8 record in 79 games with a .919 SV% and 2.87 GAA.
Hrebik was eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, but has since gone undrafted in the subsequent years.
Additional minor transactions:
The newly formed Hamilton Hammers have signed a forward from the international free agent market. According to a team announcement, the Hammers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, have signed Max Ellis to a contract for the 2026-27 season.
Ellis spent last season split between the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons and HK Sochi, registering 16 goals and 30 points in 52 games with a -7 rating.
In the other division of the AHL’s Eastern Conference, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms made a pair of signings. The Phantoms, AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, announced the signings of Cooper Wylie and Mikael Robidoux for the 2026-27 season.
Robidoux, 27, is the more accomplished of the two, scoring three goals and 15 points in 58 games between the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison and Reading Royals last season. Additionally, he posted a whopping 163 PIMs, showing what he brings to the table.
Back to the OHL, the Colts made another trade today. Barrie announced they’ve acquired Dylan Tsherna from the Brantford Bulldogs.
It’s a lower-level trade compared to the one they made earlier with the Storm, as Tsherna has recorded only nine goals and 23 points in 112 games with the Bulldogs over the past three years.