BRAMPTON, Ont. — The CAA Centre in Brampton witnessed the biggest thriller since the Steelheads moved to the city: a 3-2 shootout victory over the Ottawa 67’s on Friday night.
Top NHL prospect Porter Martone lived up to the hype, registering a goal and an assist in regulation before sealing the victory with the shootout-winning goal.
While Martone may be the captain and one of the best players in the league, one word comes to mind regarding the rest of Brampton’s roster: development.
It comprises NHL draftees looking to take the next step in their careers after being sent back to Brampton following a taste of pro training camp. It also consists of other NHL Draft hopefuls not named Porter Martone looking to raise their stock.
Every player has something to prove individually, but there is only one goal for the Steelheads this season: to bring the J. Ross Robertson Cup to Brampton.
Friday’s win was a step in the right direction as the Steelheads came into the contest on a three-game losing streak.
“[It] feels great. You always want to win. Losses suck. But you learn a lot from those losses and it contributed a lot to the win today,” said Brampton goaltender Jacob Gibbons, who made 41 saves in the win. “I think we as a team looked back at the past few games and looked what needed to be fixed and it helped a lot out there and we managed to pull out a win tonight.”
Angus MacDonell opened the scoring for Brampton on a two-man advantage at 19:11 of the first period, sending the puck flying past three Ottawa defencemen and goalie Collin MacKenzie from the slot.
The 19-year-old is now up to six goals and 10 points in eight games after being returned to Brampton from the Dallas Stars, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Toronto native also tied for the team lead with six shots on goal against Ottawa and was awarded the third star of the game.
The first star of the game was awarded to Gibbons for his stellar performance. The backup netminder didn’t allow a goal at even strength, forcing Ottawa’s top-five power play to go 2-for-5 while also stopping two of three shots in the shootout.
“The biggest thing was playing as big as possible [and] being at the top of my crease on all the plays,” Gibbons said. “Nothing threw me [off] and every straight shot is mine, those can’t go in. And if I’m going to get beat on the pass, I’m going to get beat on the pass, but I’ve got to be big [and] I’ve got to play to my size.”
Friday’s win was the first of the season for the 17-year-old, who made his season debut against the Niagara IceDogs on Oct. 6 after starter and top 2025 NHL Draft goalie prospect Jack Ivankovic was ejected six minutes into the game for fighting opposing goalie Owen Flores. Ivankovic was handed a four-game suspension as a result. The game against the IceDogs would end in a loss, as would the following games he started in net against Windsor and Barrie.
Gibbons is eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft due to his November 2006 birthday. This performance could give him a fresh start and help him raise his draft stock after seeing 25 games of action with the Erie Otters over the past two seasons where he had a combined goals-against average of 4.87.
The Steelheads will take on the defending Memorial Cup champion Saginaw Spirit at home on Saturday as they continue their quest to bring an OHL championship to Peel Region for the first time.
