Playing in inaugural OJHL vs OUA Series in January paying off
Ryan Cooper of the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Niagara Falls Canucks has confirmed his commitment to join the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold in the OUA and U SPORTS beginning with the 2025-26 season.
The native of London, ON, signed in Niagara Falls last summer after splitting the 2023-24 season between junior teams in Utah and British Columbia.
He was point-per-game scorer with the Canucks: 55 (24 goals/31 assists) points in 55 regular season games.
“My time in the OJHL was awesome,” Cooper told the league’s Jim Mason. “Playing against great players night in and night out has pushed me to develop my game, and prepared me for the future. On top of that, the league did a great job providing exposure, allowing me to showcase myself to schools at the next level.
“I really enjoyed my time in Niagara Falls. I created friendships that will last a lifetime and got to live in a really cool place while I did it. Also, playing for a coach like Frank (Pietrangelo), who not only competed at the highest level but won at it, played a huge role in making my season a successful one.”
Like Lachlan Wells of the Stouffville Spirit, who also committed to TMU this month, playing in the inaugural OJHL vs OUA Series in January paid off for Cooper. He played on the team of 20-year-olds from the OJ that faced Ontario Tech in Oshawa.
“After touring TMU and speaking with the coaches, it was a no-brainer. The facilities at the Mattamy are first class. From the scouting staff, to off-ice development, to the environment of the program, everything is professionally run.”
“Playing in that game against Ontario Tech was where I was first contacted by TMU,” he told the OJHL. “It also gave me a much better understanding of the U SPORTS landscape, which I honestly didn’t know much about before. It was a great experience.”
“After touring TMU and speaking with the coaches, it was a no-brainer. The facilities at the Mattamy are first class. From the scouting staff, to off-ice development, to the environment of the program, everything is professionally run.”
TMU Head Coach Johnny Duco played in the OJHL (Stouffville, Thornhill, Wexford, North York) for three seasons.
Cooper will study criminology and economics at TMU.
“We are very happy to see Ryan continue his hockey career while getting his degree at TMU,” Pietrangelo told the OJHL. “Ryan came to our team as a 20-year-old this season, but quickly established himself as one of the fastest players in the OJHL, and went on to have a great season for us.
“Ryan is a hard worker and very gifted player, and we look forward to watching Coop continue to excel at the U SPORTS level.”
Congratulations to Ryan and best of luck in the OUA and U SPORTS!
The OJHL has had more than 100 Canadian Hockey League, U SPORTS and NCAA commitments already this season.
Check out all our current commitments here: https://www.ojhl.ca/committments/
