2026 GMHL All-Star Event Shines in Wasaga Beach

The 2026 GMHL All-Star Event was a standout celebration of the league’s top talent, hosted in Wasaga Beach by the Wasaga River Dragons franchise in just their second year of existence. The event brought together All-Stars and Top Prospects from across the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League for a day filled with high-end skill, competitive spirit, and a showcase atmosphere that highlighted the league’s continued growth. Carlos Verde served as host and provided play-by-play coverage throughout the day, delivering energy and insight that helped bring the event to life for fans in attendance.

 

For the second straight year, the GMHL continued its draft-style roster selection following the league’s announcement of All-Stars and Top Prospects. Once selected, players were drafted by the respective coaches to form the Dark Jersey and White Jersey All-Star Teams, moving away from traditional divisional formats and creating balanced, competitive lineups across all events. The draft format once again added intrigue and excitement, reinforcing the All-Star Event as both a celebration and a true competition among the league’s best.

 

On the ice, the results mirrored one another. In both the All-Star Game and the Top Prospect Game (with full scoring updates to be provided), Team White emerged victorious by identical 6–4 final scores, capping off a memorable event weekend with consistent, hard-fought wins in both showcase matchups.

 

 U18 Top Prospects Game

The day began with the U18 Top Prospects Game, where Team White Jersey edged out Team Dark Jersey in a thrilling 6-4 contest. While there was no official MVP of the game named, for the second year in a row a young Lynx player stood out as Saveliy Kornev, scored and dished a pair of assists in the win.

Goals Summary:

First Period:

• Team Dark Jersey: Arsenii Ovakimyan (Bradford Rattlers), assisted by Samir Kurbanov (Knights of Meaford).

Second Period:

• Team White Jersey: Sergey Tsarev assisted by Kornev and Adam Dobrecky (Bradford Rattlers)
• Team Dark Jersey: Blaise O’Neill (Toronto Flyers) assisted by Rhys Jones (Niagara Predators)

Third Period:

• Team Dark Jersey: Jones from Henry Russell (Toronto Flyers)
• Team White Jersey: Kornev, assisted by Dobrecky and Tsarev
• Team White Jersey: Dobrecky assisted by Jayden Allen(Northumberland Stars).
• Team White Jersey: Austin Roberts (North York Renegades) Unassisted
• Team White Jersey: Tamerlan Kamalov (North York Renegades) Unassisted
• Team Dark Jersey: Russell (Penalty Shot)
• Team White Jersey (Empty Net): Brendan Collins (Northumberland Stars) assisted by Tsarev and Kornev

 

Goaltenders:

Team White: Nicholas Guy, Niagara Predators (1 Goal Allowed) and Nooa Kokko, Wasaga River Dragons (W, 3 Goals Allowed)

Team Dark: Grant Banfield, Northumberland Stars (1 Goal Allowed), and Terry Bradley, West Nipissing Lynx (L, 4 Goals Allowed)

 

All-Star Skills Competition

 

Next came the All-Star Skills Competition, which showcased the players' individual talents in four unique events:

• Fastest Skater: Gabriel Mamedov (Bradford Rattlers).
• Hardest Shot: Alexis Paradis (Tottenham Railers).
• Accuracy Competition: Isac Karlsson (Bradford Rattlers)
• Breakaway Challenge: Team White Jersey
• 10 Puck Challenge: Team Dark Jersey

 

U21 All-Star Game

 

The marquee event of the day also saw Team White Jersey defeat Team Dark Jersey 6-4. Once again while no MVP was officially named Rattlers forward Gabriel Mamedov looked sharp in defeat as the only player in either game to score multiple goals, potting a pair.

Goals Summary:

First Period:

• Team Dark Jersey: Matus Trokan (Knights of Meaford) Unassisted
• Team White Jersey: Dawson Hettiarachchi (Northumberland Stars) assisted by Tristan Miron (Northumberland Stars) and.
• Team White Jersey: Miron assisted by Hettiarachchi
• Team White Jersey: Graham Rooney (Wasaga River Dragons) assisted by Yenri Jibb (Durham Roadrunners) and Timofei Ergardt (Durham Roadrunners).

Second Period:

• Team Dark Jersey: Gabriel Mamedov assisted by Trokan and Jessie Aitken (Durham Roadrunners).
• Team White Jersey: Artur Kharisov (Wasaga River Dragons) assisted by Lorenzo Sullivan (Bradford Bulls) and Rooney.

Third Period:

• Team Dark Jersey: Mamedov assisted by Zennon Edwards (Northumberland Stars) and Isac Karlsson (Bradford Rattlers)
• Team Dark Jersey: Edwards assisted by Matvei Munits (Bradford Rattlers)
• Team White Jersey: Tighe Frazee (Tottenham Railers) Unassisted
• Team White Jersey (Empty Net): Max Lindholm (Wasaga River Dragons) assisted by Sullivan

Goaltenders:

• Team White: Brody Pritchard, Wasaga River Dragons (2 Goals Allowed) and Nick Mayne, Northumberland Stars (W, 2 Goals Allowed)

  Team Dark: Patrik Cullin, Bradford Rattlers (3 Goals Allowed), and Vladimir Vovchuk, North York Renegades (L, 2 Goals Allowed)

Closing Thoughts

The GMHL All-Star Event celebrated the incredible talent and dedication of players across all levels. From thrilling matchups to awe-inspiring skills, the day highlighted the league's brightest stars. Congratulations to all participants, and special thanks to the host Wasaga Beach, staff, and volunteers who made this event possible. Here’s to the rest of an exciting 2025-2026 season.