April 16, 2026, Mississauga, Ontario – The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) announced today that Taeo Artichuk of the Trenton Golden Hawks has been voted the Most Valuable Player for the 2025-26 season. The award is voted on by OJHL general managers.
Artichuk was the most dominant forward in the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2025-26, capturing the league Top Scorer award with 108 points (37 goals, 71 assists) in 55 games. The 21-year-old from Ajax, Ont. led all OJHL skaters in both points and assists, finishing nearly two full goals and 18 points clear of the second-place finisher in the scoring race. His 108-point campaign also set a new single-season franchise record for the Golden Hawks, surpassing the previous mark held by longtime Trenton standout Adam O’Marra.
Artichuk won the OJHL East Conference Player-of-the-Month Award three times during the season – in September, October and December. In October alone, he recorded 22 points in nine games, including hat tricks against the Milton Menace on October 10th and the Pickering Panthers on October 24th. In December, he led all OJHL players with 27 points in eight games, including 24 assists.
A second-round pick (21st overall) of the Erie Otters in the 2021 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection, Artichuk spent two-plus seasons in the OHL before joining the Golden Hawks. Now in his third season with Trenton, he has also set the all-time franchise record for career points in a Golden Hawks uniform, surpassing the mark previously held by David Fournier.
In the 2024-25 season, Artichuk finished third in the OJHL scoring race with 89 points (33 goals, 56 assists) and delivered one of the most memorable moments in franchise history, scoring the Buckland Cup-clinching overtime winner in Game 6 of the OJHL Championship Series against the Milton Menace to give Trenton its second-ever league title.
Artichuk has been a frequent representative for the OJHL on the national stage. He competed at the 2023 World Jr. A Challenge, the 2023 Eastern Canada Cup and the 2024 Battle of Ontario, and took part in the inaugural OJHL 20-Year-Old Showcase held in Oshawa in December 2025, as well as the 2026 OJHL All-Star Celebration in Milton. He was also named to the OJHL First All-Star Team for the 2025-26 season.
Artichuk will be recognized alongside the OJHL’s other 2025-26 award winners during the league’s year-end awards presentations.
