Jason La Rose
This much we know about the Toronto Patriots—they can score goals. A lot of them.
There are 116 teams that comprise the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), from Alberta to Prince Edward Island. And this season, the Patriots scored more than all but one of them.
Toronto filled the net to the tune of 296 goals across 56 regular-season games, an average of 5.29 per game. That overall total and GPG total ranked them No. 2 in the CJHL, trailing only the Greater Sudbury Cubs (298 and 5.73).
(Get ready for some fireworks… the Patriots and Cubs will open the preliminary round against each other at the 2026 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, on May 7.)
They slowed down just a little in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) playoffs, scoring 95 times in 20 postseason games as they completed the longest journey of any team on the Road to the Centennial Cup, but still had a GPG number (4.75) that was third-best among the 10 teams coming to P.E.I. (Greater Sudbury scored 5.95 GPG and the Thunder Bay North Stars came in at 4.88 GPG).
So let’s dig a little deeper. What were the keys to the Patriots’ offensive efficiency?
We’ll start with depth. Toronto had six players reach the 20-goal plateau, more than any other OJHL team, and another five scored at least 15. Cole Cooksey went on an absolute tear after joining the Patriots from the OHL in mid-December, potting 15 goals in 17 regular-season games before scoring 15 in 20 playoff contests.
And how about the power play? Toronto clicked with the man advantage at a rate of 33.2%, one of only two CJHL teams to crack 30% and trailing—again—only Greater Sudbury (38.5%). They were even better in the playoffs, scoring on 17 of 71 opportunities (34.9%).
The Patriots are back at Canada’s National Junior Championship for the first time since 2014, when they finished fifth and missed out on the semifinals. OJHL teams have had success in the 10-team era (since 2022), winning a national title (Collingwood, 2024) and reaching another final (Pickering, 2022).
HOW THEY GOT TO SUMMERSIDE
Ontario Junior Hockey League Conference quarterfinal: defeated Mississauga Chargers 4-0 (8-3, 6-1, 3-2 OT, 5-0) Conference semifinal: defeated Milton Menace 4-0 (8-4, 5-2, 4-0, 6-2) Conference final: defeated Collingwood Blues 4-3 (3-4, 4-3 OT, 1-4, 5-2, 4-0, 2-5, 4-2) Final: defeated Newmarket Hurricanes 4-1 (5-1, 4-3, 2-3 OT, 11-2, 5-2)
REGULAR SEASON
Record (W-L-T-OTL): 47-8-0-1 (1st in OJHL) Goals for: 296 (1st in OJHL) Goals against: 132 (3rd in OJHL) Power play: 67 for 202 (33.2% – 1st in OJHL) Penalty killing: 172 of 204 (84.3% – 5th in OJHL) Longest winning streak: 14 (Nov. 20-Jan. 11)
Top 3 scorers: • Hudson Cummins (32G 52A 84P – 3rd in OJHL) • Tate Collins (24G 52A 76P – 8th in OJHL) • Luciano Bruno (27G 44A 71P – 10th in OJHL)
PLAYOFFS
Record: 12-0 Goals for: 70 Goals against: 27 Power play: 17 for 60 (28.3%) Penalty killing: 41 of 51 (80.4%)
Top 3 scorers: • Luciano Bruno (10G 27A 37P) • Tommy Karmiris (16G 11A 27P) • Cole Cooksey (15G 12A 27P)
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
2014 – Toronto Lakeshore Patriots | 5th place | 1-3 | 10GF 10GA
COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS
Luciano Bruno – Clarkson University (2026-27) Tate Collins – Union College (2026-27) Cole Cooksey – Brock University (2026-27) Hudson Cummins – McGill University (2026-27) Anthony Giacalone – Alvernia University (2026-27) Max Kimelman – Middlebury College (2026-27) Liam Longo – SUNY Plattsburgh (2026-27) Robert Palermo – Buffalo State University (2026-27)
CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS
Sept. 29 – not ranked Oct. 6 – not ranked Oct. 13 – not ranked Oct. 20 – not ranked Oct. 27 – Honourable Mention Nov. 3 – 6th Nov. 10 – 4th Nov. 17 – 5th Nov. 24 – 4th Dec. 1 – 4th Dec. 8 – 4th Dec. 15 – 4th Dec. 22 – 4th Jan. 5 – 4th Jan. 12 – 4th Jan. 19 – 4th Jan. 26 – 4th Feb. 2 – 4th Feb. 9 – 4th Feb. 16 – 4th Feb. 23 – 3rd March 2 – 3rd March 9 – 3rd