CHLTVGOTW: Five players to watch — Bulldogs @ Generals
The Oshawa Generals (21-23-5) welcome the defending J. Ross Robertson Cup champion Hamilton Bulldogs (24-22-4) to town in tonight’s CHLTV Game of the Week.
Additionally, the Generals will wear their Real Canadian SuperStore Your Team Your Jersey winning design, created by Emmett, tonight.
Oshawa is 3-1-1 over their past five and have won six of their previous nine games to sit one point behind Sudbury for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
Hamilton sits just five points ahead of the Generals in the standings but own the sixth best record in the East after a stretch where they’ve won five of seven.
Tonight’s game features a number of young talent on both sides of the ice including multiple players that will hope to hear their name called this summer at the 2023 NHL Draft.
Jorian Donovan – Hamilton
It’s been a strong second OHL season for Donovan (OTT) as he sits fifth among all blueliners with 43 points.
After he helped Hamilton capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup as a rookie, Donovan was the 136th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft by Ottawa.
Donovan, the son of former Ottawa 67’s alumnus and veteran of 951 NHL games, Shean Donovan, has 11 goals this season, the eighth most among OHL d-men.
First career #OHL hat trick for Jorian Donovan! 🧢🧢🧢
The @Senators prospect scored three in a high-scoring affair in Hamilton part of a 10-6 @BulldogsOHL victory! 🎥 pic.twitter.com/u63eZqPMX6
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 27, 2022
Ryan Gagnier – Oshawa
The Generals still have 19 games left in the season but Gagnier has already set career highs in all three offensive categories.
The 20-year-old has recorded 25 goals, 31 assists and 56 points and leads the Gens in all three categories this season.
Gagnier is also one of the top faceoff men in the OHL; his 475 wins in the circle are the 11th most in the OHL.
Nick Lardis – Hamilton
Since he was acquired from Peterborough ahead of the OHL trade deadline, Nick Lardis has been simply sensational.
The 2023 NHL Draft prospect has 15 goals in 15 games while his 27 points are the third most in the OHL since he was acquired. He has recorded at least one point in 13 of 15 games with Hamilton and 10 multi-point outings.
Lardis is the 96th ranked North American skater ahead of this year’s draft.
NICK LARDIS. THAT. IS. INCREDIBLE. @BulldogsOHL👀👀 pic.twitter.com/SeS1ToGwbU
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) February 11, 2023
Cal Ritchie – Oshawa
In his sophomore OHL season, Ritchie has played at a point-per-game pace thus far with 21 goals and 49 points.
Named to the OHL’s First All-Rookie Team last year, Ritchie went on to win gold at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he led the tournament with 10 points.
His 49 points this year are the second most on the Generals while NHL Central Scouting listed him as the 17th best North American skater ahead of June’s draft in Nashville.
Cal Ritchie is taking advantage of the national spotlight tonight 🤩 #CHLonTSN pic.twitter.com/xHU9hFZssX
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) January 14, 2023
Patrick Thomas – Hamilton
A J. Ross Robertson Cup winner, Thomas has taken on a bigger role this season with the Bulldogs and is the team’s active scoring leader with 44 points this year.
His 15 goals are tied for the team lead alongside Lardis while his 29 assists trail only Donovan’s 32.
Thomas also has a team high three game-winning goals, tied with Lardis for the Bulldogs lead.
Where to watch
Wednesday’s contest can be seen live for free on CHL TV at 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT.
Available to fans from coast to coast, CHL TV is accessible on the CHL mobile app, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire, and online at watch.chl.ca. Each year, CHL TV offers access to more than 2,000 regular-season games covering the CHL’s three Member Leagues and 60 markets across Canada and the United States. Fans can download the free CHL app via the App Store and Google Play.