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鈥淚 could be wallowing in it and looking for pity,鈥� said longtime Steelheads GM-coach James Richmond. 鈥淥r I could be working my butt off to try to find guys who want to come in and play. We鈥檙e definitely, definitely not as sexy as we were last year. But I think if we all play together, I think we鈥檒l be OK.鈥�

By far the biggest loss for the Steelheads is right winger Porter Martone, a power forward who likely would have competed for both the scoring championship and MVP honours this season. After leading the Steelheads with 37 goals and 98 points last season, Martone was taken sixth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2025 NHL draft, an event Richmond attended with Martone and his family in June.

At that point, there was every indication that Martone would be signing with the Flyers and returning to Brampton, that is until Michigan State University offered him a spot with a rumoured $300,000 (U.S.) in NIL (name, imaging and likeness) money, compared to the less-than-minimum-wage $470 (Canadian) he would make per month playing for Brampton. Martone could conceivably play his season at Michigan State, then sign with the Flyers late in the season, where he would collect his $97,500 (U.S.) signing bonus and put himself on a quicker track to become an unrestricted free agent in the NHL than if he had stayed in junior hockey.

In other words, it was one of the easiest decisions Martone has ever made.

鈥淎m I angry or upset with Porter Martone?鈥� Richmond said. 鈥淣ot at all. He was a hell of a player for us; he鈥檚 a great kid who comes from a great family. If the player is getting a whole whack of NIL money thrown at them, how can you turn that down? How can one human being judge another by that?鈥�

If that weren鈥檛 enough, the Steelheads were dealt another blow when goalie Jack Ivankovic opted for the University of Michigan. A second-round pick of the Nashville Predators in June, Ivankovic would have been a workhorse in Brampton this season.

The Steelheads were hoping to keep 85-point man Luke Misa as an over-age player, but he jumped to Penn State University. All told, with NCAA exits, NHL signings, players forcing trades and players aging out, the Steelheads lost 15 players from last season 鈥� among them their seven top scorers and both goaltenders. But Richmond is no stranger to playing without his stars. At the midpoint of last season, he had five players away at the world juniors and an additional six regulars injured.

There are teams in the Western Hockey League that have been hit even harder than the Steelheads — the league-champion Medicine Hat Tigers have been pillaged — but there鈥檚 little doubt no team in the OHL has been decimated the way the Steelheads have. With everything so new and so much uncertainty, Richmond believes it will take some time before both major junior hockey and the NCAA adjust to the new normal.

鈥淚 think right now what we鈥檙e seeing is that shiny new toy on the shelf and everybody is rushing out to get the first one,鈥� Richmond said. 鈥淚 think for the next couple of years, it鈥檚 going to be the wild west, really muddy waters.鈥�

For those who believe major junior hockey has had it too good for too long with a virtual monopoly over elite players and an ability to pay them substandard wages, this is a change that has been a long time coming. Richmond and the Steelheads, meanwhile, will forge ahead with the players they have and others they can find. The appeal for their players from both the NCAA and NHL is a credit to their program, even if it doesn鈥檛 translate into wins. Over the past two NHL drafts, the Steelheads have led all OHL teams with nine players selected.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not winning the Memorial Cup and we鈥檙e not winning the OHL championship, but we鈥檝e done better than most putting kids onto their dreams,鈥� Richmond said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e done this to ourselves too by putting so much emphasis on developing. I can look at myself in the mirror and say, 鈥榃e are doing it right for the kids. We鈥檙e doing it right.鈥� 鈥�