Preview: Spirit, Storm Meet Wednesday in Guelph
Published on January 30, 2019 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release
Guelph, ON - The Saginaw Spirit wrap up their nine-day road trip this week after already playing three of the five games.
Earning four points with wins against the Peterborough Petes and Kingston Frontenacs and losing to the Ottawa 67's, top ranked club in the OHL, the Spirit head to the Sleeman Centre Wednesday to visit the Guelph Storm.
Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (EST) in the third of a four-game regular-season series.
Saginaw and Guelph are within five points of each other in the Western Conference standings through the latter half of January. It's the first time these two clubs have met since November 3 when the Spirit took a 5-4 decision at home in a shootout.
Broadcast, Watch Party & Ticket Info
Listen live the flagship WSGW 100.5 FM Talk & Sports and fmtalk1005.com with Joey Battaino and Dennis Desrosiers. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:45 p.m. (EST).
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.
To purchase your tickets for all Saginaw home games, call (989) 497-7747, visit saginawspirit.com, or by visiting the Saginaw Spirit Store at 5789 State Street, Saginaw, MI.
Last Time Out
What was arguably the turning of the tide in Saginaw's 5-3 loss to the 67's last Sunday came in the opening seconds of the third period.
Detroit Red Wings prospect Brady Gilmour was called for embellishment after being tripped up by an Ottawa defenseman, leading to a two-man advantage and Ottawa scoring four unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Spirit, who had just gone on a seven-goal spree that previous Friday against Kingston.
Captain Damien Giroux, 2018 Edmonton oilers second-round (40th overall) draft pick Ryan McLeod and team-leading scorer Cole Coskey all picked up a goal, while Arizona Coyotes goaltending prospect Ivan Prosvetov made 29 saves in just his second loss since December 9.
At 64 points, Saginaw is now four shy of the West Division lead behind the Sault Ste. Greyhounds.
Spirit Standouts
Gilmour was recently featured on saginawspirit.com this week, discussing his return from an elbow injury that kept him out for half of the 2017-18 season and reaching the 50 career goal mark on January 2. The alternate captain for the past three years is tenth on the team in points (25) on eight goals and 17 assists.
In the win against the Frontenacs, Giroux logged his first multi-point outing since January 14, finishing with a goal and assist. The Minnesota Wild prospect is fourth on the team in goals (19) and eighth in points (32).
2018 Edmonton Oilers second-round (40th overall) draft pick Ryan McLeod has earned at least one point in eight of the last 10 games since being traded from the Mississauga Steelheads earlier this month. McLeod, the 19-year-old forward, is one point away from reaching the double-digit mark with his new club, sitting in second in assists (32) and third in points (47).
As the hottest free agent available on the Spirit from the eyes of NHL scouts, Coskey, leads the team in goals (27) and points (58). Coskey, the Illinois native, is on a seven-game point streak dating back to January 11, compiling six points and five assists for 11 points.
Since Prosvetov enjoyed a nine-game stretch without collecting a loss, he now sits fourth among all league goaltenders this season in wins at 24, as well as tied for second with three shutouts. Taken in the fourth-round (114th overall) by the Coyotes, Prosvetov has a goals against average (GAA) of 3.00 with a 0.905 save percentage (SAV%).
As the highest picked NHL draft prospect on the Spirit, Owen Tippett is currently tied for second in the OHL in first goals at seven. Drafted by the Florida Panthers with the 10th overall pick in 2017, Tippett is second on the team in goals this season at 22, having recorded three goals and six assists for nine points since coming over from the Steelheads before the trade deadline.
2018 New York Islanders second-round (41st overall) selection Bode Wilde joins Tippett as the two Saginaw players to already have signed entry-level contract with an NHL franchise. Wilde and Coskey are also the only two players on the roster to surpass the 50-points mark before the month of February. Leading the Spirit in assists at 37, Wilde has registered three in the last two games.
Second-year forward Nicholas Porco ended an eight-game stretch without a goal against Peterborough before scoring twice on Friday. Porco, who's sixth on the team in goals at 18, was among the 50 OHL players along with rookie Mason Millman to appear in this week's NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the 2019 NHL Draft.
19-year-old winger D.J. Busdeker from Dexter, Michigan, has taken on the role of third-line defense during this road swing while overager Reagan O'Grady serves his four-game suspension. At 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 goals this season, Busdeker is on a five-game points streak with six points total.
Rookie Cole Perfetti's five-game points steak came to an halt on Friday but finished with an assist against Ottawa. From January 11-24, Perfetti notched four goals and two assists for six points to remain in the top-five among OHL first-year players at goals (19), assists (21) and points (40).
Part of the major overhaul done by the front office at the deadline, overage defenseman Justin Murray has posted three goals and six assists for nine points in the near two months with his new club. The former Barrie Colts captain had his latest goal come in the win over Kingston with an assist as well.
On special teams, the Spirit have the league's fifth-best power play unit on 41 goals for a 25.3 percent success rate this season. The penalty kill is ranked fourth overall with 30 goals allowed for an 81.2 percent success rate.
Guelph Scouting Report
Wednesday will mark the Storm's fourth game at home in 12 days, going 2-1-1-1 during that time frame, which included a decisive 6-1 win over the Owen Sound Attack and falling in overtime on the road against the Erie Otters in back-to-back days.
At 25 wins, 13 losses, five overtime losses and four shootout losses, Guelph is 12 points back of the London Knights for first place in the Midwest Division standings, but are nine points ahead of Owen Sound for the second spot.
With a plethora of NHL prospects on the roster, the Storm are led by 2017 Arizona Coyotes third-round (75th overall) selection Nate Schnarr, who's tied for fourth in the OHL in total assists this season at 43.
As a fourth-year winger, Schnarr will turn 20 come February 5, leading the club in all three major offensive statistics with 24 goals and 67 points.
In the eight games played since being traded from Owen Sound, 2017 Vegas Golden Knights first-round (13th overall) pick Nick Suzuki has recorded one goal and eight assists for nine points. Not too far behind of Suzuki in total points on the year is Philadelphia Flyers prospect Isaac Ratcliffe at 34 goals and 19 assists for 53 points.
Starting goaltender Anthony Popovich has compiled a record of 21-8-4-2 in 37 games in net. The former seventh-round OHL Priority Selection pick in 2015 has a goals against average (GAA) of 3.28 with a 0.900 save percentage (SAV%).
On special teams, Guelph is ranked eighth in the OHL on the penalty kill this season with 36 goals allowed for a 78.8 percent success rate. The Storm have the sixth best man-up unit with 48 goals scored for a 24.9 percent success rate.
Featured NHL Prospects
There will be a combined 19 players on the ice Wednesday with their rights owned by NHL teams. For the Storm, it'll be Schnarr (Arizona), Suzuki (Vegas), Ratcliffe (Philadelphia), Cam Hillis (Montreal), MacKenzie Entwistle (Arizona), Alexey Toropchenko (St. Louis), Liam Hawel (Dallas), Dmitri Samorukov (Edmonton), Sean Durzi (Toronto), Markus Phillips (Los Angeles) and Fedor Gordeev (Toronto).
Defenseman Reilly Webb (Detroit), Blade Jenkins (NY Islanders), Giroux (Minnesota), Gilmour (Detroit), McLeod (Edmonton), Tippett (Florida), Prosvetov (Arizona) and Wilde (NY Islanders) will represent Saginaw.
Looking Ahead
The Spirit return to the United States for a home-and-home weekend set against the Flint Firebirds, beginning this Friday at the Dort Federal Event Center. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (EST) in the sixth of an eight-game regular-season series.
Saginaw has already clinched its second straight Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup by winning the first five games of this year, including three in Flint, having recently scored the most goals in a single-game (9) in over four years back on January 2.
Saturday will be the 12th annual Shocks and Saves Charity Game, presented by the Pulse 3 Foundation.
With fellow Detroit Red Wings alumni and local EMTs and physicians taking the ice at 4:30 p.m. (EST) at The Dow Event Center, $13 discounted tickets are available when the Spirit host Flint at 7:05 p.m. (EST).
$5 from each ticket sold will be donated to help save the lives of those affected by cardiovascular disease through the education and distribution of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) around the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 30, 2019
- Bulldogs Lose 6-3 in Peterborough - Brantford Bulldogs
- Top-Ranked London Earns One Goal Victory in Flint Wednesday - Flint Firebirds
- Chmelevski Leads 67's to 7-1 Win over Frontenacs - Ottawa 67's
- Spirit Fall to Storm Wednesday, 8-2 - Saginaw Spirit
- Rangers Defeat the Attack 7-4 - Kitchener Rangers
- Preview: Spirit, Storm Meet Wednesday in Guelph - Saginaw Spirit
- Sting Venture into New Era of Sports Entertainment as Lambton College Presents Esports at the Hive - Sarnia Sting
- Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings Unveiled - OHL
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.
