Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Erie Otters
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Erie Otters

Published on January 17, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Erie, Penn. - The Saginaw Spirit (15-20-3-4) visit the Erie Otters (14-26-1-1) on January 17th, 2026, at Erie Insurance Arena.

Tonight's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:00 pm.

Broadcast:

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

TV: FloHockey

Last Game:

The Saginaw Spirit played Friday night at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, taking on the Kitchener Rangers. Juraj Rausa picked up his first OHL goal in the 7-4 loss, with Stepan Shurygin stopping 18 of 24.

The Erie Otters hosted the Windsor Spitfires on Friday night, falling 3-2 after the Spits scored three goals in the first period. Kayden Edwards scored his first goal of the season, and Noah Erlidren stopped 25 of 28.

This Season:

The Spirit and the Otters first met on October 24th, with the Spirit taking home the win 5-3. Nikita Klepov scored a goal and an assist, and Gabriel Frasca picked up a goal and an assist for the Otters.

Players to Watch:

Nikita Klepov and Egor Barabanov made their return with the Saginaw Spirit Friday night after playing in the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game earlier this week, with both of them picking up points against Kitchener. Klepov had a goal and an assist, and Egor Barabanov picked up his 50th point of the season (17G-33A) with an assist.

Also adding to the score sheet last night was Carson Harmer, who has not been stopped since the new year, riding a six-game point streak (2G-7A). Harmer has been climbing up the Spirit point leaders, sitting at sixth with the club, and has 29 points (12G-17A) in 40 games this season.

Saginaw's NHL-Drafted players: Jacob Cloutier (WPG)

Leading the Otters in scoring is Michael Dec, who picked up 14 points (7G-7A) in 10 games in the month of December. Dec spent the first part of the season with the Owen Sound Attack, picking up three assists against the Spirit in two games this season. Also being added to the Otters is Andrew Kuzma, who played his first game on January 8th with the new club and has one assist in four games with Erie. Kuzma has yet to play the Spirit this season, but has 21 points (12G-9A) in 43 games on the year.

Rookie forward Michael D'Alessio leads first-year scoring for the Otters this season, with 11 assists in 22 games. D'Alessio was drafted in the fourth round by Erie in 2024, and is still searching for his first career goal.

Erie's NHL-Drafted players: Ty Henry (CHI)

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2026


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.

OurSports Central