Spirit Forward Josh Shalla Chasing History
When Saginaw Spirit forward Josh Shalla arrived in a trade with the Guelph Storm for the 2009/10 season, he came to town as a player possessing a great set of hands with a chance to be a prolific scorer at the OHL level. The Whitby, Ontario native has been all of that and then some and now only one player in franchise history stands in his way of becoming the Spirit’s all time goal scoring leader. Shalla’s late first period tally against Mississauga on Sunday afternoon was his 100th as a member of the Spirit, becoming just the second skater in the ten year OHL history in Saginaw to hit the century mark in goals. Now the Nashville Predators prospect can set his sights on targeting Ryan McDonough, who between 2005 and 2008 fired 118 goals as a member of the Spirit. Shalla already has piece of history for the Spirit with his 47 goals recorded a season ago standing as the benchmark for a single season high, and with 25 games left in the regular season the all-time record for goals is certainly within reach.
Shalla, the reigning OHL Player of the Week, has especially seen his goal numbers for the season inflate in recent games as he has posted 16 goals in his last 15 games. For his part, the veteran winger takes the 100 goal accomplishment in stride and is quick to recognize teammates past and present that have helped him reach the milestone. “Certainly I’m very proud of it, but the last three years playing with great players like Jordan Skellett, Jordan Szwarz and current linemates Brandon Saad and Michael Fine, I can’t thank them enough.”
Spirit Head Coach Greg Gilbert also recognizes Shalla’s achievement but he is also quick to point out he is not a one dimensional player. “Josh, he’s a finisher, he’s a pure goal scorer, anything inside the hash marks or down around the blue paint he’s got a great opportunity to put it in. Josh is al so doing a good job at both ends of the ice, he’s playing as well without that puck as he is with it.”
Catch the Spirit! Join the Spirit Saturday January, 28th for the 5th Annual MCVI Shocks & Saves Game presented by Biotronik. Charity Tickets are available at a rate of $10.00 and with include admission to both games. For more information contact the Spirit at 989-497-7747 or visit the Spirit store at 5789 State Street in Saginaw.
