Spirit sign forward Hudson Leenders

Saginaw, Mich. – Spirit GM Dave Drinkill announced that the team has signed left-shot forward Hudson Leenders to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. Leenders was selected by Saginaw in the first round, sixth overall, in the 2026 U18 OHL Priority Selection.

“It was very clear from the first day of training camp that Hudson is the type of player who will give his absolute highest effort at all times,” said Drinkill. “Players taken in the U18 draft can be under an extra level of scrutiny, and his work ethic demonstrated to us that he deserved a spot on our roster. Hudson has a strong skillset with a lot of potential, and we’re excited to see him develop within our organization.”

From Exeter, Ontario, Leenders spent the 2025-2026 season with the Elgin Middlesex Canucks U18 AAA team. He led the team in scoring through 34 regular season games with 23G-25A—48P, good for the third-most points in ALLIANCE U18 AAA hockey. He added 19 points (5G-14A) in 12 playoff games that year, again leading the team. His GOHL debut came this past spring when he joined the Listowel Cyclones for six games.

Leenders joined the Spirit for three preseason games in 2026. He registered an assist on September 6th in the team’s 7-6 shootout win over the Oshawa Generals. Standing at 6’1, 185lbs, Leenders will wear jersey #12 for Saginaw in the 2026-2027 season.