Ever since the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced that Saginaw, Michigan, would be the host for the 2024 Memorial Cup, the Saginaw Spirit have been a team that many have kept their eyes on. With high expectations to begin with as one of the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) top teams, the team has had quite a successful season up to this point.
Sign up for our NHL Prospects & Draft Substack newsletter
Even with the success, general manager Dave Drinkill has gone out and added several pieces to the lineup. He once again pulled the trigger on three trades to make a massive push toward a deep run at the Memorial Cup (Saginaw has an automatic bid as the host).
Pair of NHL Draft Picks Headed to Saginaw
In two separate trades over the past few days, Drinkill added two NHL draft picks to the already deep roster that the Spirit have, acquiring both Owen Beck and Jorian Donovan in separate trades. On Jan. 8, he swung a trade with the Peterborough Petes to bring in Beck, the Montreal Canadiens’ 2022 second-round pick, to Saginaw. Beck comes to Saginaw after having a solid start to his season with the Petes, tallying 30 points in 25 games while showing an increased willingness to shoot the puck (119 shots on goal so far) before he headed off to the World Junior Championship with Team Canada. With the national team, he was unable to make much of an impact in five games, tallying only one goal in his time on the ice.
Beck is touted as a strong skater who also brings a strong two-way game to the Spirit lineup. He also made his NHL debut last season when he was called up on an emergency basis and slotted into the Canadiens’ lineup on Jan. 28.
While the team is getting a player who brings an extra level of offense to a potent Saginaw forward core, they did give up a young piece in the process. Along with a total of four draft picks, the Spirit gave up their 2023 first-round pick Aiden Young. Young struggled to get much of a chance in the lineup due to the depth of the forward grouping the Spirit possesses. The 16-year-old will most likely become one of the building blocks for the Petes over the next couple of seasons.
Related: Spirit Earned Memorial Cup Season with Hard Work & Excellence
Latest News & Highlights
The second trade in which the Spirit acquired an NHL draft pick came with a trade with the Branford Bulldogs. The trade saw the Spirit give up a haul of eight total draft picks to the Bulldogs for defenseman Jorian…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…