Oshawa Generals’ Connor Lockhart suspended indefinitely while under police investigation

A player on one of the most historic franchises in junior hockey is not going to be playing anytime soon.

On Tuesday, forward Connor Lockhart was suspended indefinitely by the Ontario Hockey League and the Oshawa Generals.

The suspension came after the league and team were made aware that Lockhart, a 2021 sixth-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks, is under investigation by Durham Regional Police Service.

In a statement by the OHL, Lockhart will be suspended until the matter is resolved. The motion follows the Generals and league suspending the player “following a League and team Code of Conduct matter.”

The statement also mentioned that since the police investigation is ongoing, the Generals and the OHL will not comment any further.

Lockhart is a four-year veteran of the OHL. He came into the league in 2019, after he was taken third overall by the Erie Otters in the OHL Priority Selection that year. He played two seasons with Erie, having to sit out the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 restrictions. Prior to the 2022-23 season, Lockhart was traded to the Peterborough Petes, but went on to help the team win the J. Ross Robertson Cup, falling in the Memorial Cup Semifinal to the Seattle Thunderbirds.

This past November, the overager was sent to the Generals for a couple of high draft picks.

So far this season, Lockhart has scored 21 goals and 25 assists in 37 games. In his 224-game junior career, the former Kanata Laser has scored 82 goals and 118 assists, including 16 pints in 23 playoff games.

Lockhart has represented Canada in the past, as the Ottawa native played for Canada Red during the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.