OHL Saginaw Spirit

Game Day Preview: Spirit Face Wright, Frontenacs for First Time this Season

Published on January 24, 2020 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Kingston, ONT. - Two OHL first overall picks matchup at the Leon's Place in Kingston, Ontario where Ryan Suzuki and the Western Conference-leading Saginaw Spirit (28-13-2-2 60 pts.) take on Shane Wright and the Kingston Frontenacs (13-24-2-2 30 pts.) on Friday night.  Puck drop for the first of two meetings this season begins at 7:00 p.m.

With a 6-2 victory Thursday evening over the Peterborough Petes, the Spirit took sole possession of the West Division lead over the Windsor Spitfires.

Fans can catch all the action on the flagship WSGW Newsradio 100.5 FM and www.wsgw.com with the voice of Saginaw Spirit hockey Joey Battaino on the call.  "Countdown to Face-off" begins 15 minutes prior to puck drop.

Fans can visit the Buffalo Wild Wings location at 2690 Tittabawassee Road in Saginaw and join the official "Watch Party" for all Spirit away games. Admission is free of charge.

Saginaw pulled away from the Petes with three goals in the final 4:02 of regulation in the victory Thursday night.

Dexter, Michigan native D.J. Busdeker scored twice in the Spirit's 6-2 victory over Peterborough Thursday, which was the defenseman's second two-goal outing in the last three Saginaw Spirit games. Busdeker's shorthanded goal in the second period tied the game 2-2 and shifted the game's momentum into Saginaw's favor.  The overager is tied for second in the OHL this season with five shorthanded goals.

Saginaw Spirit all-time games leader Cole Coskey provided a goal and assist against Peterborough Thursday night.  Coskey is second among Saginaw Spirit players in goals (26), assists (33), and points (59) this season.  The New York Islanders prospect passed Spirit alum Josh Shalla (213) for fourth in Saginaw Spirit team-history with 214 career Ontario Hockey League (OHL) points.

Fourth ranked North American 2020 NHL Draft prospect Cole Perfetti contributed his 25th multi-point game of the season in Thursday's win for Saginaw.  With a goal and assist, Perfetti tied Spirit alum Mitchell Stephens for 16th in team history with 62 goals and passed Garret Ross (88) for 12th in Saginaw Spirit history with 89 assists.  The Whitby, Ontario native Perfetti is second among OHL players with 77 points, which trails only Ottawa's Marco Rossi's 78 points this season.

Captain Damien Giroux provided what proved to be the game-winning goal with 53 seconds left in the second period of game against the Petes.  Giroux, a 2018 fifth round selection of the Minnesota Wild, leads the Saginaw Spirit this season with 28 goals.  The Hanmer, Ontario native's 85 career OHL goals ranks eighth in Saginaw Spirit history.

2019 Carolina Hurricanes first round pick Ryan Suzuki tallied his 12th point since the Saginaw Spirit acquired the centerman from the Barrie Colts.  The London, Ontario Native has points in five of the six games he has played with the Spirit, accounting four goals and eight assists during the stretch.  Prior to the trade, Suzuki had a plus/minus rating of minus-nine, however the former first overall pick in the OHL Draft is a plus-10 while playing for the Saginaw Spirit.

Kingston is coming off a 2-1 overtime victory at home over the Hamilton Bulldogs Monday evening.

2019 Kingston Frontenacs first overall pick Shane Wright scored the overtime game-winner of the Bulldogs Monday night.  Wright became just the fifth player in OHL history to be granted exceptional status, which allowed Wright to enter the league a year early as a 15-year old.  The previous players granted exceptional status was John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, and Sean Day with the OHL, along with Joe Veleno with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).  Wright, who turned 16-years old earlier this month, leads all OHL rookies this season with 36 points (22G, 14A).  The Burlington, Ontario native leads Kingston in both goals (22) and points (36) as a rookie this season.

2020 NHL Draft prospect Zayde Wisdom is currently tied with Wright this season with 36 points.  The Toronto, Ontario native Wisdom was the 90th ranked North American 2020 NHL Draft prospect in the NHL Central Scouting mid-term rankings.

2020 NHL Draft prospect Ryan Dugas stopped 31 of Hamilton's 32 shots Monday evening for the goaltender's sixth win of the season.  With the victory, Dugas matched his previous career-high win total from last season.

Overager Jakob Brahaney leads the Kingston Frontenacs defense core with 23 points in 39 games this season.  The Campbellford, Ontario native Brahaney is 21st among OHL defensemen with 20 assists this season.

The Kingston Frontenacs have two players listed in NHL Central Scoutings 2020 NHL Draft mid-term rankings, including North American 90th ranked Zayde Wisdom and 155th ranked Jake Murray.

The Saginaw Spirit have a total of five players on their roster with NHL ties.  Ryan Suzuki (Carolina Hurricanes-signed), Blade Jenkins (NY Islanders), Cole Coskey (NY Islanders), Mason Millman (Philadelphia), and Damien Giroux (Minnesota).

Saginaw has two players listed in the NHL Central Scouting 2020 NHL Draft Mid-term rankings, including fourth ranked prospect Cole Perfetti. Ilya Solovyov is listed as the 119th North American prospect available.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2020


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.

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