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It was actually the third consecutive trip to the final for the Forest City bunch.

And anyone who follows junior hockey, and its cyclical nature, knows how difficult that is to accomplish.

The good news (for the rest of us) is that London, while still very good, should take a small step back next season.

But that’s months away.

For now, we look back at the top storylines from the OHL during the 2024-25 campaign.

1. It was commissioner Bryan Crawford’s first year on the job and the Hamiltonian held his own. We haven’t seen major changes yet but talk of expansion, an extra overage player and upping imports from two to three per team are on the table.

2. Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer, another Steeltowner, sold the Brantford Bulldogs to a group led by Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman and his family. GM Matt Turek parted ways after the season, with Hyman’s brother, Spencer, taking his place.

3. The league lost a great owner in Jim Waters, who passed away unexpectedly this past December, but his family released a statement soon after reassuring fans that the Erie Otters are staying put in Pennsylvania.

4. Three coaches were let go this season. Erie replaced veteran bench boss Stan Butler with Kris Mallette, the Oshawa Generals exchanged Steve O’Rourke for Brad Malone and Niagara fired skipper Ben Boudreau.

5. The Steelheads moved up the road from Mississauga to the CAA Centre, marking the return of OHL hockey to Brampton for the first time since 2013. According to , the Fish finished last in attendance, averaging 2,408 fans per game.

6. In November, the NCAA announced it was changing its rules to allow players with junior hockey experience into its ranks. As a result, several players with future college commitments flocked to the OHL from other leagues.

7. The move saw tons of overage players snag scholarships south of the border for next season while some younger players, who could still return to the OHL, have also decided to suit up in the NCAA.

8. Now that players have more options, OHL teams are sprucing things up. New arenas are slated for Sudbury, Brantford and Ottawa while Kitchener, Owen Sound, Oshawa and Barrie are upgrading their barns.

9. It wasn’t a worst-to-first scenario, but it was close. The Windsor Spitfires went from last in the west in 2023-24 to third overall in the OHL this past season. Count the Kitchener Rangers, who were second overall, as a surprise too.

10. London’s Easton Cowan collected a point in 65 consecutive games. The streak wasn’t recognized by the OHL, since it happened over parts of two seasons and included nights off in between tilts on several occasions.

11. Kitchener’s radio crew were denied interviews by the London Knights coaching staff for one game after calling Cowan’s streak into question after it appeared to end in a game versus the Rangers.

12. Brantford’s Nick Lardis became the eighth player in Canadian Hockey League history to break the 70-goal mark. The Chicago Blackhawks prospect notched 71 and helped the ‘Dogs clinch first in the OHL’s eastern conference.

13. Despite the feat, the league’s most outstanding player award went to Saginaw forward Michael Misa, who led the OHL with 134 points. The Spirit finished fourth in the west and were bounced in the first round of the playoffs.

14. More milestones — the Peterborough Petes lost their first 15 games to start the season and didn’t win until Nov. 7, London won 19 games in a row from Oct. 20 to Dec. 4 and Knights bench boss Dale Hunter recorded his 1,000th victory.

15. London forward Landon Sim was suspended for five games for calling Soo centre Brady Martin a Mennonite during a regular-season game. Heard worse.

16. The Kitchener Rangers became the sixth team in OHL history to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series when they beat the Windsor Spitfires in the second round of the post-season.

17. London Knights defenceman Cam Allen was sentenced to two years of probation, ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, fined $5,200 and prohibited from driving for two years by the court after pleading guilty to impaired driving in late February. He was also suspended by the OHL for 15 games.

18. Kitchener goalie Jackson Parsons was named the top overage player and best goalie by the OHL while Rangers head coach Jussi Ahokas was the league’s coach of the year, giving the Blueshirts three trophies in the year-end awards.

19. As punishment for disruptive behaviour at a movie theatre, the OHL made every player on the Niagara IceDogs sit for one period during their post-season series against the Barrie Colts.

20. The league hired a Toronto law firm to look into the culture of the IceDogs. As a result, Niagara owner Darren DeDobbelaer was asked to step back from day-to-day operations of both the hockey and business sides of the team.

21. Kingston coach Troy Mann and Ottawa bench boss Dave Cameron had to be separated after a heated argument in the hallway at TD Place after a tense 3-2 OT win for the Frontenacs late in the regular season. Mann was fined $3,500 and Cameron was fined $2,500 by the league for the altercation.