The last time the Oshawa Generals held the top pick in the OHL Priority Selection was in 2005.
That draft saw the Generals take John Tavares with the first pick; he would eventually become the OHL's all-time top goalscorer and lead the Generals to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance during the 2007-08 campaign.
After today's OHL Priority Selection Draft Lottery, Oshawa is once again primed to be the big winner in the selection, having been awarded the top pick.
The Generals entered the lottery with a 40% chance of earning the top pick, with the four non-playoff teams being allocated proportionate odds of winning based on their final place in the 2025-26 regular season standings.
Oshawa finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 19-45-3-1 record, good for just 42 points and last place in the entire league. The 42 points scored also represents the team's third-lowest point total since the OHL's regular season was extended to 68 games and their lowest since the 2005-06 season, when the team scored just 41 points.
Besides the Generals, the Erie Otters, Brampton Steelheads, and Sarnia Sting were the three remaining non-playoff teams to have participated in the lottery. The Otters had a 30% chance of earning the top selection, the Steelheads were allocated a 20% chance, while the Sting had a 10% chance of picking first. Ultimately, it would be the Otters who fell just shy of the top pick in the draft; they will select second overall.
It remains to be seen who the Generals could take or who the first overall pick could be. That said, Kade O'Rourke has been seen by many as a potential favorite to go first overall; the OHL has not yet granted the defenseman the exceptional status required to be selected a year early, but the league is deciding whether to grant such an honor.
The 2026 OHL Priority Selection will take place at the Slush Puppie Place, home of the Kingston Frontenacs, from June 12-13.
The full order for the first round of the selection is as follows:
1. Oshawa Generals
2. Erie Otters
3. Brampton Steelheads
4. Sarnia Sting
5. Sudbury Wolves
6. Saginaw Spirit
7. Guelph Storm
8. Owen Sound Attack
9. Niagara IceDogs
10. Kingston Frontenacs
11. North Bay Battalion
12. Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds
13. Peterborough Petes
14. London Knights
15. Flint Firebirds
16. Windsor Spitfires
17. Barrie Colts
18. Ottawa 67's
19. Kitchener Rangers
20. Brantford Bulldogs