GAME PREVIEW: Saginaw Spirit at Brampton Steelheads – 10/3/26
Brampton, Ont. – The Saginaw Spirit (1-2-2-0) travel to Brampton to face the Steelheads (0-5-0-1) on October 3rd, 2026, at the CAA Centre.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 4:00pm
Broadcast:
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
TV: FloHockey
Last Game:
The Spirit fell in overtime, 4-3 to the Kitchener Rangers on Friday night. Braidy Wassilyn scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season, while Dima Zhilkin scored to extend his point streak. Brady Knowling made 27 saves on 31 shots for the Spirit in his second appearance.
Brampton played the Brantford Bulldogs on Friday, October 2nd, at the TD Civic Centre. The Steelheads took their sixth straight loss after a shootout loss to the Bulldogs. Jared Harding scored twice and Nathan Amidovski added two points to his tally to help Brampton take the game into overtime and get their first point. Oskari Ahmajarvi made 23 saves on 27 shots in regulation and overtime, and three of four in the shootout.
This Season:
This will be the first of two games between Saginaw and Brampton this season. The two teams split the season series in 2025-2026, and Saginaw’s last trip to the CAA Centre was a 4-1 loss on December 6th, 2025.
Players to Watch:
Braidy Wassilyn has been the Spirit’s top performer so far this season, scoring ten points (6G-4A) in five games. Wassilyn scored two goals in Saginaw’s 4-3 loss against the Rangers in their last game and has recorded a goal in each of the Spirit’s games since the start of the season. This places the 18-year-old third in OHL scoring, and gives him a chance to tie Igor Chernyshov’s record of goals in six straight games to begin his Spirit career.
Dima Zhilkin continued his point streak for Saginaw after scoring against Kitchener, bringing his total to 5G-4A—9P in five games. Zhilkin scored the Spirit’s opening goal in a 4-3 victory over the Steelheads last season, part of his season-best seven-game scoring streak.
After returning from his rookie camp with the San Jose Sharks, goaltender Brady Knowling has played twice for Spirit, recording a win and an overtime loss. Between both games, Knowling has made 52 saves on 59 shots.
Saginaw’s NHL-Drafted Players: Brady Knowling (SJS), Jacob Cloutier (WPG), Brody Pepoy (TOR), Stepan Shurygin (TBL)
Nathan Amidovski had a goal and an assist in Brampton’s loss against the Brantford Bulldogs on Friday, bringing his tally up to six points (2G-4A) in six games this season. With these two added points, Amidovski now leads the Steelheads in scoring. He was acquired at last year’s trade deadline in a deal with the Ottawa 67’s.
Peter Green has scored five points (1G-4A) in six games for the Steelheads this season. The defenseman was drafted in the first round of the 2025 OHL Priority Selection by Brampton and has 3G-15A—18P in 64 games across two seasons. Green had a season-high nine shots on Friday night, though a three-game point streak was snapped.
Troy Patton is tied with Keaton Ardagh for the team goal scoring lead with three. With an assist last night against the Bulldogs, Patton has points in each of his last three games (3G-1A—4P). Ardagh’s goal on Friday night snapped a three-game drought.
