Hamilton Bulldogs hosting the Saginaw Spirit on March 7th.
Lots of offense early in this game with 7 goals in the first period of the game. Cole Perfetti was dynamic offensively for Saginaw early with a couple of assists in the first period and another handful of quality chances early. Jan Mysak from the Bulldogs also continued to show dynamic offensive skills with pace and speed through the neutral zone. He was difficult to handle off the rush with his pace. Bulldogs draft eligible goaltender Marco Costantini gave up all 8 goals in the game on 33 shots. Write-ups on the 2020 draft eligible players from both teams can be found below. We added Mitchell Smith from Saginaw to our radar after this game – his play continues to develop since the trade deadline where he has jumped into the top six defenders on a veteran Saginaw defensive unit and is showing more confidence with each viewing.
Hamilton Bulldogs Draft Eligible
2 Michael Renwick (was a factor, see report)
9 Logan Morrison (played, was not a factor)
14 George Diaco (was a factor, see report)
19 Jan Mysak (was a factor, see report)
42 Cameron Supryka (did not play)
33 Marco Costantini (played, was not a factor)
Hamilton Bulldogs
Jan Mysak (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — A) Forward
Mysak was Hamilton’s first round pick in the 2019 OHL import draft and joined the Bulldogs after the World Juniors at Christmas. He has been developing nicely early in his OHL career and has been operating at better than a point per game in his first 22 games in the OHL (15 goals and 10 assists). No change for Mysak with this viewing, he continues to show as a dynamic skating forward with elite foot speed. His best asset is his foot speed in open space. Early in the game he gave the veteran Saginaw defensive unit fits with his pace. He gets to the net well with a quick first step and he also closes well on opposition defenders on the forecheck. Mysak created a handful of turnovers when he did not have the puck and took away time and space effectively to create good puck pressure on the Saginaw defenders. Mysak was excellent early in this game, but had some quiet stretches where he was not as noticeable. Overall on the majority of shifts his foot speed is among the best on the ice on any given shift. Game Grade: B+
George Diaco (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — Free Agent) Forward
Diaco is an undersized depth center for the Bulldogs and he does his job well. He brings energy to the Bulldogs third line with his two way play and his ability to make plays in all zones of the ice. As the season progresses his game is developing and he is seeing more time in key offensive and defensive situations. He competes well on both sides of the puck and uses good body positioning to win pucks. Diaco’s offensive contribution continues to improve – the majority of his 18 points have come in the second half of the season. Diaco scored and set up another in this game and provided Hamilton positive energy on every shift. He managed pucks well and carried his line with a clever give and go game. Diaco showed good bursts of energy in the transition game and created space for his big wingers with smart efficient plays in traffic. As a first year junior we do not see Diaco on the draft list yet, but have noticed an overall improvement in his two way game since the beginning of season. A player two watch on Hamilton’s young skilled team next season. Game Grade: C+
Michael Renwick (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense
We saw a strong outing for Renwick in this game. Renwick has been a favorite of ours since viewings in 2018 with the Mississauga Reps, but hasn’t translated his strong two way game consistently at the OHL level. Tonight he moved pucks very well in transition and was very efficient in breaking down the opposition forecheck. He worked well with his partner and dictated the pace of play with good puck management and high IQ passing. Renwick had two assists in the game and played heads up on the attack finding guys moving with pace in good seams. He was also effective on the offensive blueline at extending the Bulldogs pressure with good anticipation and confidence when holding the line. Defensively in the past few viewings Renwick’s gap has been an issue with a few incorrect reads. His defensive game was sound with good gap in all zones in this game. He continues to compete well in his zone around his net and is mobile enough to front opposition players to prevent them from getting second chances. Game Grade: C+
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Game Evaluation: Paul O’Hagan