Still waiting to hear on some potential suspensions from the league and new this year a fight counter for all those fans who want to know who is close to a suspension as well as a dangerous minor penalty as most fans didnt realize that accumulating those also results in an automatic suspension.
Trades
From Flint
Will Bitten
Flint 12th round pick 2017
To Hamilton
Connor Hicks
Fedor Gordeev
OS 2nd 2019
Nia 2nd 2020
Breakdown
After refusing to report to Flint for his 3rd season following all the drama last season the Hamilton Bulldogs have stepped up and acquired 2 peak seasons of Will Bitten.
After picking up 31 points his rookie season the former Plymouth 1st round pick and future Montreal Canadians draft pick Bitten more then double that last year adding 30 goals and 35 assists for the last place Flint Firebirds. On Hamilton he will not be asked to carry the offensive load and should be able to explode offensively.
The Bulldogs top line is set in stone with Matt Luff, Nick Petti and Matthew Strome but the addition of Bitten with give the Bulldogs arguably the best top 6 in the Eastern Conference as he likely teams up with Mackenzie Entwhistle and either Michael Cramerossa or Brandon Saigeon.
The beauty of this from the Bulldogs perspective is the cost was relatively cheap. Their back up goalie Connor Hicks. If you want to argue that ill call him their 1B. Since Fulcher was acquired last year Hicks only played 53% of the teams minutes and most will argue Fulcher has more upward projection in his game. A 6th/7th defenceman in Fedor Gordeev who I admit is an intriguing prospect but there is little room on the Bulldogs back end for him this year. The 2 draft picks are a small price to pay as it is unlikely they would be used to get the 2 elite seasons they will likely get from Will Bitten.
Flint was in a tough spot as Bitten wanted out and they were already loaded with 2nd round draft picks so having a traded centered around those didn't have near the value it would if they had almost no draft picks.
GM George Burnett drafted both Hicks and Gordeev while GM of Belleville/Hamilton so he has a level of comfort with these 2 players.
Gordeev should get top 4 minutes by the end of the season with Flint and has a real opportunity to grow his game. The Hicks inclusion is puzzling in that Flint already has 2 capable OHL goalies with more of a future in this league then Hicks. The question now in Flint is who is the odd man out? Matthew Menna or Garrett Forrest?
As for the 2 2nds picked up from Hamilton that now pushes Flints totals to 11 2nd round draft picks over the next 5 seasons which is tied with Guelph for most in the league. I cant see them using all those draft picks but they will be a good case study for the law of diminishing returns in regards to the value teams get from their 2nd round draft picks. Cant see many teams having the ice time to develop 11 2nd round picks over that period of time.
Here is what some are saying about the trade
Bulldogs blogger @Rrestraint Had this to say about the Bitten trade
Mlive.com has the Michigan perspective on the trade
Suspensions
Nick Deaken-Poot Guelph Storm
Cross Check Match penalty - 2 Games
This hasnt been posted on the OHL site yet as they must have taken a 5 day weekend (Ill never understand why it takes so long to post suspensions, I Branch misplaced his suspension dartboard)
He has already missed 1 game and a Match Cross Checking is an auto 2 game and an automatic review by the league so it could be more but we likely wont know till the potential 3rd game.
There are a few more potential suspensions from last week but nothing has been posted but I will update when it happens
Fight Counter
Players now receive an automatic 2 games suspension after their 4th fight. In previous seasons players would receive this suspension after their 11th fight of the season.
| Oshawa | Stephen Templeton | 1 | Sept 23 |
| Guelph | Drake Pilon | 1 | Sept 23 |
| Hamilton | Chet Philips | 1 | Sept 23 |
| Kingston | Nick Deakin Poot | 1 | Sept 23 |
| Mississauga | Brandon Saigeon | 1 | Sept 24 |
| Saginaw | Cody Caron | 1 | Sept 24 |
| Mississauga | Brandon Yeamans | 1 | Sept 25 |
| Sudbury | Zach Wilkie | 1 | Sept 25 |
Dangerous Hit Penalty Counter
If a player receives 4 minor penalties for Checking from Behind, Head Checking, Kneeing, Clipping or Boarding they shall recieve and automatic 1 game suspension. Here is an excerpt from the league website.
| Oshawa | Sean Allen | 3 |
| Flint | Alex Di Carlo | 2 |
| Flint | Ryan Littlejohn | 1 |
| Niagara | Ben Jones | 1 |
| Hamilton | Zachary Jackson | 1 |
| Owen Sound | Maxim Sushki | 1 |
| Kitchener | Jacob Cascagnette | 1 |
| Kitchener | Greg Meireles | 1 |
| Owen Sound | Zachary Roberts | 1 |
| Saginaw | Hayden Hodson | 1 |
| Barrie | Aidan Brown | 1 |
| Ottawa | Austen Keating | 1 |
Sean Allen reveived 2 checking from behind minors against Sault Ste, Marie on Saturday and a head checking minor against Sudbury on Friday which leaves him on the cusp of being suspended. Alex Di Carlo of Flint a boarding and head checking penalty in the Firebirds game on Friday night.
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