Trade: Frontenacs acquire Championship Experience from the Saginaw Spirit

Trade: Frontenacs acquire Championship Experience from the Saginaw Spirit

Kingston, ON – Kingston Frontenacs GM Kory Cooper has completed a trade with the Saginaw Spirit to acquire forward Ethan Hay and defenseman Will Bishop in exchange for defenseman Xander Velliaris and future draft picks.

Kingston Receives:

C – Ethan Hay

D – Will Bishop

Saginaw Receives:

D – Xander Velliaris

2^nd Round ‘26 (SAR)

2^nd Round ‘27 (ER)

3^rd Round ‘28 (FLNT)

3^rd Round ‘28 (ER)

3^rd Round ‘28 (KGN)

4^th Round ‘26 (KGN)

5^th Round ‘26 (KGN)

6^th Round ‘26 (BFD)

Hay is in his fourth OHL season. The 6’1”, 195 lbs. centre was originally drafted by the Flint Firebirds in the 3^rd round of the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. The Waterloo, ON native has played in a total of 222 OHL games scoring 45 goals and 39 assists for 84 points. He was acquired by the Saginaw Spirit from Flint to bolster the lineup for their Memorial Cup championship run. He brings a significant amount of playoff experience to the Frontenacs lineup having played in 43 OHL playoff games, along with a Memorial Cup tournament where he became a Memorial Cup Champion. In September, Hay was named Captain of the Spirit for the 2024-25 season. He is a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect after being selected by the Bolts at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

“Ethan brings a ton of playoff experience and is a proven playoff performer. He brings a hard, physical, element to the lineup and is amongst the league leaders in faceoffs.” said GM Kory Cooper “He is well respected in the room and that’s part of the reason he was given the ‘C’ in Saginaw.”

Will Bishop was a Memorial Cup champion teammate of Ethan Hay for the 2023- 24 Saginaw Spirit. The 6’6”, 209 lbs., right shot defenseman from London, ON has played OHL games across four seasons for the Sudbury Wolves and Saginaw Spirit. In 134 regular season games, Bishop has 7 goals and 19 assists, but his strengths appear in his defensive game. He also brings playoff experience to the Kingston lineup appearing in 17 playoff games along with 5 Memorial Cup games in 2024.

“Will is a big defender who skates well and covers a lot of territory. He plays a big role as a penalty killer, and we expect that to continue here in Kingston. His addition gives us three balanced pairings on the defensive end.” said Cooper

The Kingston Frontenacs currently sit second in the OHL East division, trailing the Oshawa Generals by just 4 points with 3 games in hand. They begin a three-game road swing on Thursday in North Bay, followed by a visit to Sault Ste. Marie on Friday, and Sudbury on Sunday. The team will return to Slush Puppie Place on Friday, January 17^th for the first of four straight home games. Tickets are available at www.kingstonfrontenacs.com.