by Tommy Young
Nepean, ON – The Nepean Raiders are proud to announce the following 7 players have signed with the team for the 2025/26 season:
‘09 F Karsten Barbeau | ‘06 F Noah Bath | ‘07 F Anthony Bertrand | ‘08 F Owen Kelly | ‘08 F Ryan Kinghan | ‘08 F Jackson Legault | ‘06 D Liam Wallace
Barbeau hails from Kanata, and was the first selection the Raiders made at the 2025 draft. Standing 6’3” and 190lbs, the big and powerful forward was a point-per-game player with Ottawa Myers Auto’s U16 AAA squad. Over 39 games, Barbeau scored 19 goals and totalled 45 points. Through 3 games in the preseason with the Raiders, Barbeau scored twice and added an assist to continue his point-per-game pace. He was selected 70th overall by the Soo Greyhounds in the 2025 OHL Priority Draft. He will wear #92.
Bath comes in from the Hawkesbury Hawks after being released earlier this summer. The Rockland native is fast, skilled, and excels in both ends of the ice. While he registered 8 points in a depth role with Hawkesbury in Jr. A last season, he was a key part of the Casselman Vikings’ 2024 EOJHL Championship. Though he didn’t register a point in his 3 preseason games, he did have 3 points over the Raiders’ training camp weekend back in August. He will wear #16.
Bertrand is a small but skilled forward, bringing a ton of offense to the table and incredible hockey IQ. Standing just 5’6”, the Hanmer, Ontario native has 78 games of NOJHL experience with Elliot Lake over three seasons, registering 48 points. Through the preseason with Nepean, Bertrand was tied for the team lead in points with four assists in four games. He will wear #21.
Kelly is an Ottawa native whose breakout U18 season earned him a 2nd round draft selection by the Raiders in April’s draft. After a U16 season spent in Peterborough, Kelly spent his 17-year-old season with Myers Auto, racking up 25 goals and 16 assists over 43 games. He also played four games in Jr. B and two in Jr. A with Renfrew, registering a pair of assists with the EOJHL’s Timberwolves. Kelly was selected 150th overall by the Soo Greyhounds in the 2024 OHL Priority Draft. He will wear #28.
Ryan Kinghan is the younger brother of Raiders’ defenceman Owen Kinghan, and despite their shared last name, their playstyles couldn’t be more different. Standing 5’11”, Ryan prefers a speedy, high-flying style compared to his brother’s physical, stay-at-home play. In U18 with the Jr. 67’s, he racked up 36 points in 34 games and was an AP for the Raiders, drawing into a single game late in the season. He will wear #17.
Legault was acquired in a trade with Renfrew prior to last season. Billed at 6’1” and 185lbs, the right-shot forward played 30 games with the Ottawa Valley Titans, scoring 4 times and adding 10 assists to finish third in team scoring. He AP’d with the Raiders for a pair of games last season, and had a late-season call-up to the EOJHL with the Arnprior Packers, registering 4 points in 4 games. He was drafted #48th by the Brampton Steelheads in the 2025 OHL U18 draft. He will wear #23.
Wallace is a native of Montreal, Quebec, and despite his 6’3”, 190lbs size, he is a gifted two-way defenceman. He can play a physical and punishing style in the defensive zone, but he is talented at getting the puck back in the right direction, and can move the puck well in the attacking end. Over 57 games in U18 with the American Hockey Academy in Boston, Wallace scored thrice and added 24 assists. He also got called up for two games with the Boston Jr. Dogs of the NCDC. He will wear #3.
We can’t wait for our newest players to hit the ice tomorrow in the season opener.
Welcome to Nepean, everyone!
