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The Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of the major junior hockey leagues in Canada, has suspended a player for the rest of the season over a harrowing slashing incident.
Brampton Steelheads player Luke Dragusica was punished after swinging his stick and hitting the head of Oshawa Generals defenseman Brady Blaseg during a game last Friday.
During a game between the two youth hockey teams, Dragusica was racing after a puck behind his own net when he was hit almost simultaneously by Blaseg and Oshawa center Harrison Franssen.
Franssen was unaffected by the collision and kept skating while both Dragusica and Blaseg tumbled to the ice behind the net.
As both got up, Dragusica saw red - swinging his stick at Blaseg's head and hitting him on his face. For good measure, Dragusica then crosschecked his opponent in the back as he was lying on the ice in pain.
Dragusica was given a five minute match penalty, ejecting him from the game.
🚨 NEWS: OHL suspends Luke Dragusica for rest of 2025-26 regular season + playoffs for slashing Oshawa’s Brady Blaseg in the head.
Must go thru OHL education, counselling, community service program + must apply to Reinstatement Panel for return in 26–27https://t.co/hleO9EAqMR
The OHL has suspended Brampton Steelheads defenseman Luke Dragusica (R) for the season
Dragusica swung his stick and hit Oshawa's Brady Blaseg in the face before crosschecking him
After the OHL initially suspended him indefinitely, the league announced on Friday that they would be suspending Dragusica for the rest of the season.
'The deliberate use of a stick as a weapon to an opponent's head, followed by further contact on a defenceless player, is a dangerous and unacceptable act that has no place in the OHL,' the league said in a statement released on their website.
Despite being cut across his mouth and having his face covered in bruises, Blaseg played in Oshawa's next game against the Erie Otters.
According to The Athletic, Dragusica 'must complete community service, counselling, an OHL-mandated education program and appear before a league reinstatement panel before attempting to return for the 2026-27 OHL season.'
The outburst was reminiscent of the infamous Marty McSorley-Donald Brashear incident in February of 2000. McSorley, playing for the Boston Bruins, similarly swung his stick at Brashear's face. The Vancouver Canucks player fell to the ice, lost consciousness and suffered a Grade III concussion.
McSorley was suspended for the rest of the season - with the suspension then extending to a full calendar year from the incident. He never played in the NHL again.
McSorley also faced criminal charges in British Columbia. He was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 18 months probation.
