Kane Cloutier Selected First Overall in OHL Draft, Following in Father’s Footsteps

The Cloutier legacy in hockey continues as Kane Cloutier, son of former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Dan Cloutier, has made headlines by being selected first overall in the 2026 OHL Draft on June 12. The 15-year-old forward was chosen by the Oshawa Generals, with Toronto Maple Leafs star John Tavares announcing the selection on stage.

During the 2025–26 season, Kane showcased his impressive skills with the U16 AAA Vaughan Kings in the GTHL, where he tallied 32 goals and 26 assists in just 33 games. His performance has undoubtedly set high expectations as he prepares to join an Oshawa team that boasts talented forwards like Cole Mazzoni, Mark Pape, and Brooks Rogowski.

Dan Cloutier, who carved out a notable ten-season career in the NHL, was drafted 26th overall by the New York Rangers in 1994. He also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, and Los Angeles Kings. In his five seasons with the Canucks, Dan compiled a record of 109 wins, 68 losses, and 24 ties, with a .906 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average. His playoff experience with Vancouver saw him win 10 of 25 games, posting a .872 save percentage and a 3.31 goals-against average.

After hanging up his skates, Dan transitioned to coaching, spending two seasons as the goaltending coach for the Barrie Colts before returning to the Canucks organization. He served as a goaltending consultant from 2012 to 2016 and later took on the role of goaltending coach for two seasons. Most recently, he was the Director of Goaltending during the 2018–19 season before heading back to Barrie as the special assistant to the General Manager.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.