Spirit Relesae 2015-16 Preseason Roster
September 2, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release
SAGINAW, MI - On Wednesday, the Saginaw Spirit released the 2015-16 roster they will carry through the preseason schedule, reassigning nine players.
Players were summoned from all across the world to compete in the two-day, three session scrimmage that saw Team White, touting San Jose Sharks prospect Dylan Sadowy and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Mitchell Stephens, winning all three scrimmages. Sadowy led the Spirit camp in scoring thanks to a five-goal effort on Tuesday night at the Dow Event Center.
Team White's top line of Mitchell Stephens, newcomer Matt Kreis, and rookie Cole Coskey, cashed in on numerous occasions in the three scrimmages, using a potent combination of speed and skill. White also received offensive production from the Spirit's first round pick Brady Gilmour and second round pick Kirill Maximov. White also boasted size on the back end with returners Keaton Middleton and Chase Stewart, along with over age Memorial Cup Champion Will Petschenig. Goaltending was solid on the White side, with returning goalie Evan Cormier tending the nets alongside rookie Brendan Bonello, who was coming off an impressive showing at the U17 development camp. The 1999 birth year is NHL draft eligible in 2017.
Team Blue saw most of their offensive production come from second-year forwards Tye Felhaber and Artem Artemov. Also chipping in on the offensive end was returners Blake Clarke, Jesse Barwell, and Devon Paliani. Blue's defense featured three returning members of the Spirit Greg DiTomaso, Michael Holmes, and Marcus Crawford. The veterans shared the defensive zone with 2015 CHL Import draft pick Markus Niemelainen and 2015 second round pick Rob Proner. Returner David Ovsjannikov tended the net for the majority of the scrimmages for Team Blue.
Coming out of camp, Spirit General Manager Dave Drinkill couldn't help but feel optimistic and excited for the upcoming season.
"I thought the games got better as they went along. It's always tough the first few sessions with guys getting their nerves and rust they might have from the summer out of the way but I thought the last game was filled with a lot of intensity and I liked what I saw. Obviously we had to make some very tough decisions and there is still a few more left to make, but that's what we are looking for as a staff. Internal competition and players pushing each other all the time is healthy and makes players grow quickly, it makes it tough on us in terms of decisions but makes us stronger as a team, and that is our organizational goal."
Listed below are the 27 players that have been retained through the 2015-16 training camp.
# Player Birth Year Residence Previous Team
35 Evan Cormier 1997 Bowmanville, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
20 Brendan Bonello 1999 Mississauga, ON Toronto Titans Minor Midget
39 David Ovsjannikov 1997 Rochester, MI Saginaw Spirit OHL
65 Will Petschenig 1995 Manotick, ON Oshawa Generals OHL
7 Troy Henley 1997 Paulsboro, NJ Saginaw Spirit OHL
3 Chase Stewart 1997 Thunder Bay, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
55 Keaton Middleton 1998 Stratford, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
6 Robert Proner 1999 Oakville, ON Toronto Titans Minor Midget
2 Greg DiTomaso 1996 Toronto, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
12 Michael Holmes 1997 Barrie, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
5 Marcus Crawford 1997 Ajax, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
56 Markus Niemelainen 1998 Kuopio, Finland HPK Hameenlinna Jr
11 Kris Bennett 1996 Brampton, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
27 Mitchell Stephens 1997 Peterborough, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
87 Cole Coskey 1999 Zion, IL Chicago Mission U16
10 Dylan Sadowy 1996 Woodbridge, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
9 Brady Gilmour 1999 Grafton, ON Quinte Red Devils Minor Midget
25 Kirill Maksimov 1999 Concord, ON Toronto Jr Canadiens Minor Midget
13 Mitchell Webb 1997 Ridgeway, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
71 Blake Clarke 1996 Wildwood, MO Saginaw Spirit OHL
62 Tye Felhaber 1998 Pembroke, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
8 Artem Artemov 1997 Moscow, Russia Saginaw Spirit OHL
14 Devon Paliani 1996 LaSalle, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
19 Connor Brown 1995 Georgetown, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
77 Jesse Barwell 1997 Oakville, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
24 Jack Webb 1997 Ridgeway, ON Saginaw Spirit OHL
15 Matthew Kreis 1997 Georgetown, ON Barrie Colts OHL
The Spirit open the 2015-16 preseason docket Friday night September 4th versus the Flint Firebirds at the Dow Event Center. Tickets are $7. For more information, call (989) 497-7747 or www.saginawspirit.com.
• Discuss this story on the Ontario Hockey League message board...
Ontario Hockey League Stories from September 2, 2015
- Black & White Game Recap - Sarnia Sting
- Petes 2015 Training Camp Opening Update - Peterborough Petes
- Opportunity Abounds at Battalion Camp - North Bay Battalion
- Training Camp Day 3: Fabbri Returns, Scrimmages Wrap-Up - Guelph Storm
- Firebirds Complete Trade with Mississauga - Flint Firebirds
- Steelheads Acquire Ryan McLeod - Mississauga Steelheads
- Season Ticket Pick-Up and Single Game Tickets on Sale - Peterborough Petes
- Spirit Relesae 2015-16 Preseason Roster - Saginaw Spirit
- Attack Announce Sun Life Financial Community Corner - Owen Sound Attack
- Spitfire Pub Training Camp Roster Reduced by 10 - Windsor Spitfires
- Main Camp Rosters Announced - Owen Sound Attack
- Red Tops White 4-3 - Oshawa Generals
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
