Spirit face Bulldogs to open preseason weekend in Erie
Erie, Penn. – In the first chapter of what is sure to be a historic season in Saginaw, the Spirit take the ice for their first preseason game against the Brantford Bulldogs at Erie Insurance Arena on Saturday afternoon.
This Afternoon’s Game:
Puck drop is at 2:00pm
How to Watch:
The Roster is Set
Spirit general manager Dave Drinkill set his 28-man preseason roster yesterday, featuring 20 returning players from the 2022-2023 season, three veteran additions, and five rookies. Among the new recruits, defenseman Graydon Jones (136th overall, 2023) and goaltender Kaleb Papineau (224th overall, 2022) signed OHL Scholarship and Development Agreements. Also joining the rookie class are Saginaw’s top three picks in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, Aiden Young (16th overall), Jacob Cloutier (36th overall), and Carson Harmer (44th overall).
Other Spirit additions include 6’6” right-shot defenseman Will Bishop and 6’3” left-shot defenseman Braden Haché, both acquired via trade during the offseason. Valentin Zhugin joins the Spirit via the CHL Import Draft after two seasons with the Guelph Storm.
Now second-year players Zayne Parekh, Michael Misa, and Joey Willis each look to build on rookie seasons that landed them on the OHL’s First All-Rookie Team.
Bulldogs in Erie
Last night, the Bulldogs fell 6-2 to the Erie Otters in their first contest since relocating to Brantford, Ont. Noah Roberts and Nick Lardis notched the only two Bulldog goals, while 2022 4th round draft pick David Egorov stopped 33 of 39 Otter shots.
The Preseason
Saginaw continues its weekend series tomorrow against the Erie Otters, also at 2:00pm. After a few weeks of practices, the Spirit will head up to Sault Ste. Marie on September 22nd to visit the Greyhounds. They’ll host the Soo at the Dow Event Center on September 23rd at 7:05pm, and $10 general admission tickets are available here.
For more information, visit saginawspirit.com or follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
For media inquiries, contact Dillon Clark at [email protected].
