Graduating Class 2020: Saginaw Spirit
Saginaw Spirit finished atop the West Division for the second straight season with help from their accomplished vets both up front and on the back end.
They’ll now part with overaged skaters DJ Busdeker, Cole Coskey and Reilly Webb as their OHL careers come to an end.
DJ Busdeker (Saginaw – 2016-2020)
After being passed over in the OHL Draft, local product DJ Busdeker refused to slow down. The Dexter, Mich. native proved to be a key piece of the Spirit lineup with an ability to play in all positions. He saw steady improvement over the course of his four years in Saginaw, topping off his overage year with a career best 57-point (22-35—57) production. The 5-foot-10 skater notably put forth a four-goal, five-point effort in his team’s 8-2 defeat of the Hamilton Bulldogs towards the end of the season. Busdeker signed with the Spirit as a free agent in 2016 and graduates from the league a free agent once again.
Cole Coskey (Saginaw – 2015-2020)
Cole Coskey was a dominant force for the Spirit and capped off his career with a whopping 80 points (34-46—80) and a plus-30 rating in his overage season; good for second in team scoring. The 6-foot-1 power forward made history with the club when he skated in his 271st game this past December, becoming the Spirit’s new leader in career games played. His OHL stint spanned five years with a production of 106 goals and 235 points in 302 games played. The native of Zion, Ill. was drafted by the Spirit in the third round of the 2015 OHL Priority Selection and was picked up by the New York Islanders at the 2019 NHL Draft.
Reilly Webb (Hamilton, Saginaw – 2016-2020)
Described by Spirit head coach Chris Lazary in the past as a “quiet leader” and a guy “everyone wants on their roster,” Reilly Webb’s gritty shut down style was a point of strength on the Saginaw blue line. Burdened with injury, the 6-foot-4 defender got off to a slower start with only 20 appearances over his first couple seasons. He’d go on to amass 41 points (4-37—41) over 198 OHL contests, and put forth 21 points (2-18—20) with a plus-18 rating in his final 50-game campaign. Webb was drafted by the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection and was traded midway through their OHL championship season to the Spirit.
2000-born players:
The Spirit currently have eight 2000-born players on the roster: New York Islanders pick Blade Jenkins, Danny Katic, Jake Goldowski, Minnesota Wild draftee Damien Giroux, Ilya Solovyov, DJ King, fellow New York Islanders prospect Bode Wilde and netminder Marshall Frappier.
