With 18 teams across three divisions, the OK Conference in West-Michigan had a long-standing reputation as the largest conference in terms of members in all of high school hockey. This offseason though, the conference got a bit of a facelift. First, it downsized from three divisions to two. Then, quite a bit of restructuring occurred to put 17 teams into two tiers. Coincidentally, that realignment loosely coincided with geography as well.

DIVISION 1 Byron Center Caledonia East Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central Forest Hills N-E GRCC Grand Rapids Christian Rockford

DIVISION 2 East Kentwood Grand Haven Grandville Hudsonville Jenison Mona Shores Reeths-Puffer Sparta West Ottawa

Grandville, Jenison and Hudsonville all share the same rink; Griff’s Georgetown Ice Arena. All three will compete in the second tier. Similarly, East Grand Rapids, Forest Hills Central and Forest Hills Northern-Eastern will all compete in the top tier while sharing the Patterson Ice Center. Missing from last season is Kenowa Hills, who opted for independent status in ‘24-25.

The conference’s restructuring may lend itself to even more intense rivalries between cross-town foes battling for territorial supremacy. 

Last Season’s Champion: Byron Center, East Grand Rapids, Sparta, Reeths-Puffer

You read that right. Four different programs claimed an OKC Division championship last season. Byron Center went a perfect 10-0-0 to win the Rue Division, beating Grand Rapids Catholic Central 7-1 on the final day of the regular season to clinch. Similarly, East Grand Rapids’ 5-0 win over Forest Hills Central in the final week solidified its Baum Division Title. In the Fischer Division, Sparta and Reeths-Puffer both finished 9-1-0 in division play and split the two-game, head-to-head series one win apiece.

Byron Center has won four straight OKC Division championships. Even despite the restructuring of the conference and losses of two exceptional talents in Jackson Froysland and Cade Pratt — both graduated last spring and both playing junior hockey this season — the Bulldogs will still be viewed as a legitimate contender to win the division yet again. East Grand Rapids experienced similar losses by way of graduation after losing 10 seniors from last season’s State Final team. But the Pioneers return some key pieces as well, like James Albers, Oliver Owen and Brady Ross. 

Sparta had a historic season last winter, with a 23-win campaign after winning just 10 games in ‘22-23. The team’s leading scorer, Caden Gleason, is still just a junior and the Spartans could be primed for another big season with as many as 16 players potentially coming back.  Reeths-Puffer is coming off of a historic season of its own, after making its first appearance to the State Tournament’s Final Four last March. And like the Spartans, RP could see major contributors like Eli Cuti, Tyler Tindall and Huck VanDyke back as well.

All four of these teams claimed an outright — or shared — OKC Division championship, and all four should still be seen as title contenders yet again one year later.

Returning Players to Watch

James Albers, East Grand Rapids Senior Forward

Maybe the most improved player for the Pioneers from the start of the season to the end? Albers grew into a go-to guy amidst a team loaded with offensive options. He built upon that with a great fall season as well and is primed for his best season yet.

Josh Hooper, Grand Rapids Christian Senior Forward

Hooper plays with pace, has good balance and manages to hang onto the puck while navigating through traffic. He’s posted back-to-back 30-point seasons for the Eagles, and could very easily make it three in a row with an even bigger role in the offense this winter.

Braxton McKee, Byron Center Senior Forward

Scored 22 goals and 49 points last season skating on a line with two members of the Michigan High School Hockey Dream Team. Can he step out from their shadows from last season and cement himself as a top talent? I think so.

Quinn Addicott, Mona Shores Junior Defenseman

Reminds me of Joey Johnson from Midland Dow in ‘18-19; a prospect about to play his fourth year of NCAA D-III hockey. Addicott is a steady, dependable, positionally sound defender who won’t wow you with big plays or jump off the film. But coaches love him because they know exactly what they’re getting from him.

Gibson Grendel, Forest Hills Central Senior Defenseman

Grendel and fellow classmate Eli Lipke are a really solid top pair for the Rangers, offsetting each other’s games seamlessly. Grendel’s footwork is mesmerizing and he’s so fluid with the puck on his stick; he can skate with anyone in the game today and has 48 career points in 55 varsity games.

Will Nagelvoort, West Ottawa Senior Goalie

The numbers don’t tell the full story for Nagelvoort. A 3.13 goals-against average last season and .911 save percentage. This ‘08-born goaltender has built a nice resume already, having played both Michigan Developmental Hockey League (MDHL) and Michigan Hockey Advancement (MHA), and still just a junior.

Petey’s Prediction: East Grand Rapids, Grandville

This newly minted, yet-to-be-named, top tier division of the OKC may be the most competitive division in all of Michigan high school hockey this season. Three teams ranked in the Top 25 at the end of ‘23-24, and seven in the Top 50. Caledonia was the lowest-ranked team in the group at 59th overall. 

Byron Center is the defending Division-II State Champion, and returns key contributors like Braxton McKee, Luke Philo and Jaxson O’Keefe, among others. As much as I like the Bulldogs’ core returners, I feel a slight step backward is in the near future. They’ve had three elite prospects come through the program in recent memory with Logan Nickolaus, Jackson Froysland and Cade Pratt all playing Canadian Junior-A or North American Tier-II junior hockey. I don’t quite see that caliber of player in the lineup for BC this season. Not to say one couldn’t develop or a newcomer make an instant impact; I just think for the Bulldogs to duplicate the success they’ve achieved in recent memory, it’s going to look much different than it has in the past.

James Albers, Oliver Owen and Brady Ross played on a line together quite a bit this fall in the Michigan Developmental Hockey League (MDHL), and they dominated for significant stretches. That chemistry and comfortability with one another on the ice while playing at a high level can pay big dividends down the road. Plus, it seems like every time I doubt the Pioneers, I’m wrong. I was pot committed on EGR from Day 1 last season and rode with ‘em all the way to the last day of the season in Plymouth. I don’t know if they can return to the Final Four for a third straight year, but I do believe East can get it done in the OKC. 

The second division looks to be Grandville’s to lose. The Bulldogs were super young last season with a sophomore leading scorer, a freshman No. 1 defenseman and a sophomore starting goalie. They’re still going to be young this winter, but the pieces are in place for this team to be a contender now. I really like Landon Smith’s style of play; he’s got good size, strong on his skates and just makes good things happen. Braden Vanderveen and Lewis Gardine are budding young defensemen with a ton of promise. There’s so much to like about coach Joel Breazeale’s team heading into the season, and they just might be adding a player or two to the mix as well.

Sparta may present the biggest hurdle for Grandville. The Spartans had a young squad last season too, but know the taste of success and may have enough depth to compete with other teams’ second and third lines. Trevor Serba and Caden Gleason are a real good one-two punch, and Tanner Guerra and Carson Riley provide that depth scoring necessary to win championships. Senior Trevor Vance played every minute of the season in net for Sparta as well, so there’s reliability in net too. Regardless, I just don’t quite see anyone else having that combination of impact returners, depth and experience like Grandville and Sparta in the newly-minted second division.

Check out Petey’s Picks on Instagram for complete conference standings projections!