Friday Night Faceoff: Bulldogs at Generals

It’s always a good game when the Oshawa Generals and Brantford Bulldogs meet, hence its the choice for this week’s Friday Night Faceoff, coming to you live from the Tribute Communities Centre!

The East Division opponents meet for the sixth of eight meetings this season to kick-off a Friday/Saturday home-and-home with four big points on the line.

The Generals (25-13-2-1) and Bulldogs (21-15-4-0) are both what you’d call contending teams this season. Brantford has won three of the five meetings thus far, though Oshawa skated to a 6-2 win the last time the two teams met back on December 20th.

Oshawa is already reaping the benefits of big Andrew Gibson on the blueline after they acquired him from the Soo Greyhounds at the trade deadline. The Nashville Predators prospect factored into a pair of victories against the Ottawa 67’s last weekend, scoring the game-winner in the nation’s capital on Friday before chipping in with two assists back on home ice on Sunday.

Keep watch for the high octane offence of Generals winger Beckett Sennecke, who was named the OHL’s Player of the Month for December. The third overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft is Anaheim Ducks property and is among the league’s top offensive catalysts. Sennecke is joined by other first round NHL picks on Oshawa’s roster in forwards Calum Ritchie (Colorado) and Colby Barlow (Winnipeg) along with defenceman Ben Danford (Toronto).

The Bulldogs boast one of the league’s top goal-scorers in Chicago Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis, who has lit the lamp 34 times in 39 games. Fellow Blackhawks prospect in first round pick Marek Vanacker returned to the lineup last month after coming back from offseason surgery and has 12 points (6-6–12) through 17 games.

Brantford features one of the top draft eligibles for next summer in centreman Jake O’Brien, who comes in as the eighth-ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s midterms released Tuesday. The former OHL Cup champion, MVP and reigning OHL Rookie of the Year is an elite playmaker who has put together 51 points (21-30–51) through 40 games as a sophomore.

The Generals are looking to climb into top spot in the Eastern Conference standings while Brantford is in the hunt to secure home ice in the first round of the playoffs. It’s two highly competitive teams on this week’s Friday Night Faceoff!

See the game live, streaming for free across OHL social channels X and Faebook, on the League’s YouTube account as well as where you can always find the action – OHL Live on CHL TV. The puck drops at 7:05pm!