Firebirds Weekly Roundup, January 5-11
OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Weekly Roundup, January 5-11

Published on January 12, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


FLINT - The Firebirds started last week atop the OHL's Western Conference with a record of 26-9-2-2. Before the first game of the week, Flint acquired Calgary Flames prospect Jacob Battaglia from Kingston in exchange for eight future draft picks. With the trade, the Birds now have six players with NHL ties: Jimmy Lombardi (Los Angeles Kings), Kevin He (Winnipeg Jets), Nathan Aspinall (New York Rangers), Jacob Battaglia (Calgary Flames), Darels Uljanskis (Anaheim Ducks) and Rylan Fellinger (Toronto Maple Leafs).

The Sarnia Sting were in town on Wednesday, bringing a 4-0-0-0 mark versus the Birds this year. Jimmy Lombardi kicked things off, scoring his 23rd of the season just over a minute into play. The Sting tied things up at one three minutes later, but then Flint found a higher gear, scoring four more before the end of period one. The fifth goal of the opening frame was Battaglia's first as a Firebird, and it wound up being the game-winner. Lombardi joined Darels Uljanskis, Kevin He, Alex Kostov, and Ihnat Pazii in the two-point (1 G, 1 A) club. He's goal was his fourth point in four games with Flint. Nathan Aspinall led the team in points with three helpers, and Mason Vaccari made 31 saves on 35 shots in the eventual 7-4 victory.

On Friday, the team hosted the rival Saginaw Spirit the sixth meeting between the clubs this season. Flint had won the first five meetings and retained control of the series in this meeting. Defenseman Luka Graziano lit the lamp early in the first with his second of the season, giving the Birds a 1-0 lead just over two minutes in. Saginaw tied it early in the second before another Flint rearguard, Urban Podrekar, put the Birds back on top, 2-1. Xavier Tessier extended the Birds' advantage to a pair early in the third, potting his fifth of the campaign for a 3-1 edge. Then, Kevin He sniped a wide-angle shot from below the left circle, off the back of goaltender Kaleb Papineau and in. Not only did the tally give the Firebirds a 4-1 lead late in the game, but it also stood as He's 200th OHL point. The Spirit snuck one more past Vaccari in the waning seconds of play, but all-in-all Flint's veteran goaltender finished with 15 saves on only 17 shots faced. He's won 23 games in 30 appearances.

On Saturday, the Kingston Frontenacs invaded the Dort Financial Center, as Jacob Battaglia faced his former team less than a week after the trade. Kevin He kicked things off with a shorthanded marker that stood as the lone score of the opening frame. The second period was past its midway point before the Fronts put one past Mason Courville to even the score. Over the next three minutes, however, Brighton, Michigan native Darian Anderson scored his tenth of the season and Brady Smith struck for his sixth, leaving the Birds on top 3-1 entering the third period. Still trailing by two late in the contest, Kingston pulled netminder Gavin Betts for an extra attacker. That's when Battaglia capitalized, scoring one against his former club to seal the third win of the week for the Firebirds.

Across the trio of games last week, the Firebirds outscored the opposition 15-7. Shots on goal favored Flint 89-69, and they won 92 draws to the combined 80 by their three challengers. The power play went 3-for-9 (33.3%), while the penalty kill found success on seven of 11 tries (63.6%).

LEADERBOARD

Aspinall leads the Firebirds and the entire OHL with 57 points, combining 23 goals with 34 assists. Alex Kostov has 20 goals and 28 helpers for 48 total points, sitting second on Flint's stats sheet. Jimmy Lombari is tied for the league's second-most game-winning tallies (6), and ranks third for the Birds with 46 points (23 G, 23 A). Podrekar remains on top of scoring for the defense, and now has six goals and 21 assists. Vaccari leads the league in wins (23) and is tied for the second-most shutouts (3). Rookie backup Mason Courville has six wins in 12 appearances, and the team has points in eight of his starts in the campaign.

COMING UP

The Firebirds hit the road for an Eastern Conference swing this week. First, they'll face the Colts in Barrie on Thursday before a Friday night stop in Sudbury versus the Wolves. Both of these games will be the first of two meetings with these opponents for the season. North Bay on Sunday is the only familiar opponent, with the Birds having won the first meeting, 9-3, back on November 7 in Flint. Thursday's game starts at 7:00 p.m., Friday's game in Sudbury begins at 7:05 p.m., and Sunday's tilt is a matinee with puck drop set for 2:00 p.m. Brian Gardner will bring fans all the action live on US 103.1 FM through Flint and mid-Michigan or online via the US 103.1 app.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 12, 2026


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