DRAFT REWIND: 2015 – BULLDOGS SELECT 3 FUTURE CAPTAINS

In April of 2015, the Hamilton Bulldogs participated in their first Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection Draft and were extremely successful with their selections including 3 players who went on to be named captain of the team (Matthew Strome, MacKenzie Entwistle & Isaac Nurse), 9 total players would go on to appear in the Ontario Hockey League, while an additional 5 have gone to the NCAA.

The Hamilton Bulldogs began the 2015 Draft holding the 8^th selection in the 1^st round, which they would use on Toronto Marlboros captain Matthew Strome. In his time with the Bulldogs, Strome would set records for games played, goals, assists, and points while playing a key part of the 2018 OHL Championship team and serving as team captain in the second half of the 2018-19 season. Strome would also be selected in the 4^th round, 106^th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft becoming only the 2^nd Bulldog chosen in team history.

With the 40^th overall selection in the 2^nd round, the Bulldogs would select Strome’s teammate and best friend, Toronto Marlboros assistant captain MacKenzie Entwistle. Much like Strome, Entwistle would come to define what it meant to be a Hamilton Bulldog, with his high-end character, complete on-ice game and incredible work ethic. Entwistle would also be a key part in the 2018 OHL Championship team and go on to serve as only the second captain in Bulldogs history for the first half of the 2018-19 season before a January 2019 trade to Guelph would see him win his second straight OHL Championship with the Storm. Entwistle would add to his impressive resume by representing Team Canada at the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championship and also became the first Hamilton Bulldogs player to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft when he went in the 3^rd round, 69^th overall, to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017.

The third captain of the team taken in this draft class is a story of perseverance, heart & determination. Selected in the 11^th round, 208^th overall from the Hamilton Huskies, Isaac Nurse would head to the Brantford 99ers to play his 16-year old season before impressive then head coach John Gruden enough to earn his way onto the 2016-17 team. From there Nurse would etch his mark in Bulldogs history, becoming a key character player on the 2018 OHL Championship team, Nurse would spend significant time on a line with fellow 2015 draftees Strome & Entwistle. Creating a tremendous fan following for his work ethic on and off the ice and a never say die spirit, along with a penchant for scoring timely goals, Nurse would become the 4^th captain in Hamilton Bulldogs history for the 2019-20 season. Finishing out his OHL career having played in 221 games with the Bulldogs, Nurse stands second all time to just Matt Strome in appearances in black & gold.

With the 33^rd selection in the 2^nd round & 59^th selection in the 3^rd round the Bulldogs selected towering defenseman Reilly Webb of the Toronto Titans & Fedor Gordeev of the Toronto Red Wings. Webb would appear in 56 games over parts of three seasons with the Bulldogs, as well as being drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 6^th round, 164^th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft before being dealt to Saginaw Spirit in the 2017-18 season. Gordeev would appear in 10 games for the Bulldogs before being a key piece in the 2016 trade with Flint to acquire Will Bitten. Gordeev would be drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 5^th round, 141^st overall in 2017, eventually signing an ELC with Minnesota Wild. Gordeev would once again link up with draft-mate MacKenzie Entwistle as members of the 2019 OHL Champions in Guelph.

Additionally, the Bulldogs would select Zachary Jackson of the Toronto Titans in the 4^th round, 76^th overall and Detroit Compuware U15 goaltender Nick Donofrio in 6^th round, 96^th overall. Both would play their entire OHL careers with the Hamilton Bulldogs, with Jackson suiting up 134 times over three seasons, while Donofrio would see action 47 times in his two seasons with the Bulldogs. Both players were members of the 2018 OHL Championship winning team in Hamilton.

The Bulldogs would also see two members of their draft class eventually suit up for other teams in the OHL with Jacob Durham, the captain of the Central Ontario Wolves, drafted in the 7^th round, 128^th overall would catch on in Flint beginning in the 2016-17 season where he would go on to play in 265 games over 4 years while Maddux Rychel of the Sun County Panthers, drafted in the 8^th round, 148^th overall would see time in Windsor in both the 2016-17 & 2018-19 seasons totalling 10 games.

From rounds 9-15 the Bulldogs would see a quintet of players decide to take the NCAA path as defensemen Brandon Scanlin (9^th round, 168^th overall), and forwards Jack Ricketts (10^th round, 188^th overall), Skyler Brind’Amour (12^th round, 228^th overall), Lucas Vanroboys (14^th round, 268^th overall) & Brett Willits (15^th round, 288^th overall) would all commit to American Collegiate programs to continue their hockey careers.

In all, the 2015 OHL Priority Selection Draft was an overly successful one for the, new at the time, Hamilton Bulldogs with 9 players who would play in the Ontario Hockey League, 7 that would appear for the Hamilton Bulldogs, 5 of which would play a part in the 2018 Ontario Hockey League Championship winning team, while three would go on to serve as captains of the franchise in Strome, Entwistle & Nurse (in perhaps the first and only time a team has ever produced three captains in one draft).