Ethan Hay named captain, Spirit announce 2024-2025 leadership group
Saginaw, Mich. – Spirit GM Dave Drinkill announced Wednesday afternoon that forward Ethan Hay will serve as the 25th captain in Saginaw Spirit history. Additionally, Drinkill announced that alternate captains in 2024-2025 will be Joey Willis, Michael Misa, Sebastian Gervais, and Nic Sima.
“Ethan has demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities and a hunger to win since he set foot in our dressing room last fall,” said head coach Chris Lazary. “He leads by example and has established incredibly professional habits. I’m proud to have him as our captain this year.”
Hay begins his first full season in Saginaw this fall. The Waterloo, Ont. native was acquired by the Spirit in a trade with their cross-state rival Flint Firebirds on October 25th, 2023. His addition was a large step toward Saginaw claiming the deepest group of centers in the Ontario Hockey League last season – an asset that culminated in the team’s first Memorial Cup Championship.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be named captain of the Saginaw Sprit,” said Hay. “The rich history of this organization and what we achieved last year make wearing the “C” and putting on this jersey each night incredibly special.”
A seventh-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023 (211th overall), Hay finished his third OHL season with 24 points (12G, 12A) in 67 games between the Spirit and Flint Firebirds. His standout performance came in the Memorial Cup semi-final against the Moose Jaw Warriors – a four-point night that not only served as a career-high, but punched Saginaw’s ticket to the Final.
“I had the privilege of playing alongside former captains Braden Haché and Josh Bloom last year, who taught me the significance of leadership and its responsibilities,” continued Hay. “I must acknowledge that there are many other players in our locker room who could have easily taken on this captaincy as well. It speaks to just how remarkable our group is; filled with strong leaders and talented young players who have integrated seamlessly into our team.”
Hay approaches the 200-game plateau in what will be his fourth OHL season. He currently sits with 37G-34A—71P in 190 regular season contests. His four points in Memorial Cup play all came during the semi-final game, and his 43 OHL playoff games have yielded 2G-7A—9P. The last two summers have seen Hay attend Tampa Bay Lightning development camp and training camp alike. Hay was originally a third-round selection by the Flint Firebirds in 2021 (46th overall).
Joey Willis will don an alternate captain’s ‘A’ for the second consecutive season in 2024-2025. The 19-year-old Willis is fresh off a career-high 50-point season (14G, 36A). In the 2024 OHL Playoffs, Willis registered 11 points (4G, 7A). In the Memorial Cup Final against London, Willis scored Saginaw’s 3rd goal in a 4-3 victory that captured their first championship. Willis was drafted 111th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2023 NHL Draft. He has attended two development camps and two training camps with the team, and saw preseason action this year.
Michael Misa receives a letter for the first time in his OHL career. Misa enters his NHL Draft-eligible season in 2024-2025 as a consensus top-10 pick. He finished his sophomore OHL season with career highs across the board (29G-46A—75P). The season before, Misa won the rookie scoring race, the Emms Family Award as Rookie of the Year, and set a new record scoring pace among OHL Exceptional Status players at 1.24 Pts/Gm, breaking Connor McDavid’s mark.
Sebastien Gervais was yet another player who established a career season in Saginaw last year (12G-22A—34P). The former 12th round pick has skated in 202 regular season, 26 playoff and five Memorial Cup games and is the franchise’s current active games-played leader. He will wear the ‘A’ at home in the first half of the season, then on the road in the second.
Wearing the ‘A’ in the inverse of Gervais will be Nic Sima. Acquired in a trade with North Bay in November of 2022, Sima established himself as the heartbeat of the organization. Since then, the Mississauga native has seen 143 total games of action with the Spirit. He cemented himself in franchise history with the first goal of the 2024 Memorial Cup in the round-robin opener against Moose Jaw. A few nights later, he tied the game against Drummondville in Saginaw’s comeback victory over the Voltigeurs.
This new leadership group takes the ice tonight at the Dow Event Center as the Spirit open their 2024-2025 season against the Windsor Spitfires.
