Three Senators Prospects Taking Centre Stage In 2026 OHL Final
As the Kitchener Rangers take a 2-0 lead into Barrie for Game 3 of the OHL Final on Sunday, three Senators prospects will again play important minutes.
Senators fans who like to keep tabs on their team's prospect pipeline will find plenty to watch in this year’s OHL Final between the Barrie Colts and Kitchener Rangers. That's because three of them are Senators prospects, all playing big roles for their teams. The Rangers have forward Luke Ellinas ( #104 overall 2024 NHL Draft ) and defenseman Matthew Andonovski #140 overall 2023 NHL Draft , while on the Colts' side, it's defenseman Gabriel Elliason ( #39 overall 2024 NHL Draft ).
The 21-year-old Andonovski made headlines on Friday night with the game-winning overtime goal to give Kitchener a 4-3 victory and a 2-0 series lead. After battling injuries in AHL Belleville, Andonovski was sent back to junior in January to get some playing time. THN's Steve Warne talks with Drake Batherson about his contractual status.
Since returning, he's shown a little more offensive swagger in his game with 14 points in 24 games to close the regular season and 7 points in 16 playoff games. Ellinas is a 20-year-old forward who's played three seasons with the Rangers and seems to save his best for the playoffs. But this season has felt like a replay of the Josh Norris story.
Ellinas had offseason shoulder surgery in 2025, but just six games into his return last fall, he hurt the shoulder again and missed the rest of the regular season. He just returned for Kitchener's clinching game in the Conference Final and has played the first two games of the OHL Final. He has 3 points in his 3 playoff games.