Tributes pour in for Jacob Winterton, ex-OHL and Guelph Gryphons player who died of cancer at 25

Family, friends and the hockey community are paying tribute to former Ontario Hockey League and University of Guelph player Jacob Winterton, who died Tuesday at age 25 after battling cancer.

Jacob is the older brother of Ryan Winterton, a 22-year-old centre with the National Hockey League’s Seattle Kraken, who posted on Instagram that he had “lost my best friend.”

In November, a page for a Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser Gryphons Hockey Fights Cancer said Jacob was diagnosed with Stage 4 bone cancer after he felt pain in his shoulder. It then spread to his lungs.

“You weren’t just someone I loved, you were someone I looked up to, someone who guided me, believed in me, and helped shape the person I am today,” Ryan Winterton wrote on social media.

“I’ll miss your voice, your advice, and the way you made everything feel a little less heavy. Some days will be harder than others, but I’ll hold on to the love, the lessons, and the memories you left me with. You’ll always be a part of me, in everything I do,” Ryan’s post says.

Other NHL players offered condolences in the comments of the post.

The Kraken previously said Ryan has taken a leave of absence from the team and asked people to respect his privacy.

On Wednesday, the team said it was “deeply saddened by the passing of Jacob Winterton, brother of Ryan Winterton. We are sending love and support to Ryan, the Winterton family and all of Jacob’s loved ones.”

A longtime Ontario hockey player

The OHL issued a statement Wednesday saying Jacob was “taken far too soon.”

Jacob grew up in Whitby and played under-16 AAA and under-18 AAA hockey with the Ajax-Pickering Raiders.

In the 2017 OHL selection process, he was chosen in the 10th round (189 overall), playing forward for the Flint Firebirds during the 2018-19 season and the Oshawa Generals in 2019-2020. 

During his OHL career, he had 18 goals, 19 assists and 37 points over 125 regular-season games, the league said.

The Generals posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the team was “deeply saddened” by Winterton’s death.

The Firebirds, also on X, said Winterton’s family is “in our thoughts.”

“Condolences from the Firebirds as we lose one of our own far too young.”

Jacob also played four seasons for the University of Guelph Gryphons while studying real estate in the bachelor of commerce program.

Gryphons head coach Josh Dixon remembered Winterton on Wednesday as a “tremendous hockey player and an even better person.”

In a statement to CBC News, Dixon said Jacob was “an absolute pleasure to coach and to be around every day. He fought cancer with an unwavering positive attitude and strength of character that was an inspiration to everyone in our program.

“Jacob was the strongest, most courageous person I have ever known. He will be dearly missed and his memory will live on in the countless people associated with Guelph Gryphons hockey that he has inspired. Rest in peace, Jake.”