Spirit’s Haché awarded Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Saginaw Spirit overage defenceman Braden Haché is the 2023-24 recipient of the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy.

Haché was chosen for the award by a panel of accredited OHL media members, being recognized as the team captain that best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice, with a passion and dedication to the game of hockey in his community that Mickey demonstrated.

“It’s an honour to receive this award,” said Haché. “This is a special group and organization, truly a family from the top down. Being named captain of the Spirit is something I’ve taken a ton of pride in, and we have a great group of leaders.”

The recipient of the Spirit’s Community Service Award this past season, Haché continued to build off the foundation he’d built as a recipient of similar team honours in both Barrie and Kingston in seasons prior. A former recipient of the Dayna Brons Memorial Award through Hockey Gives Blood in 2021, Haché has done considerable work in supporting the cause of both blood donation and raising mental health awareness throughout his OHL career, one capped-off by a special season in Saginaw as he and the West Division champion Spirit prepare to compete for the Memorial Cup.

“We are very proud of Braden for winning this award and can’t imagine anyone more deserving than him,” said Spirit General Manager Dave Drinkill. “He came into our training camp last year after the trade and instantly made a positive impression on everyone in the organization. Braden did everything we asked and more this year on and off the ice, and he was a great ambassador for both our team and our league. On behalf of the organization, we want to thank Braden for everything he did in Saginaw this season. His impact as a leader will be felt for many years to come.”

Named captain of the Spirit after being acquired from the Barrie Colts last summer, Haché quickly endeared himself to both his Spirit teammates and the Saginaw community, taking the lead on several speaking engagements as he represented the team in the lead-up to this year’s Memorial Cup presented by Dow. On the ice, the 6-foot-3, 210Ib. defender finished his fourth OHL season with 22 points (9-13—22) over 65 games with a plus/minus rating of plus-27. He added seven points (1-6—7) over 15 playoff outings as the Spirit reached the Western Conference Championship Series.

A 21-year-old product of Newmarket, Ont., Haché has played in 217 career OHL regular season games, producing 15 goals, 36 assists and 51 points and a career plus/minus mark of plus-56. A former seventh round (210th overall) pick by the Florida Panthers in 2021, Haché entered the league as a fourth round (63rd overall) pick of the Kingston Frontenacs in 2019 from the York-Simcoe Express U16 program.

Haché becomes the first player in Saginaw Spirit history to win the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy. He follows recent recipients that include Nolan Dillingham (Sarnia, 2023), Mark Woolley (Owen Sound, 2022) and Ty Dellandrea (Flint, 2020).

Nomination forms are submitted annually by OHL General Managers on behalf of their individual team captains. The selection committee consists of a panel of four, representing media from each OHL division.

Haché will be formally presented with the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy at the OHL Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, June 12 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

For a complete list of past award winners, click here.