Why Spencer Hyman’s Brantford Bulldogs are the shock of OHL

The prime 15 scorers, two goaltenders and head coach from final 12 months’s OHL regular-season champions had been plying their commerce in different places when the Brantford Bulldogs began their 2026-27 marketing campaign final month.

Rebuilding 12 months, proper? Not so quick.

After a disappointing Game 7 loss to the Barrie Colts in final 12 months’s Eastern Conference last, common supervisor Spencer Hyman went proper again to work to attempt to give his family-owned staff one other shot to ship profitable hockey to one of many OHL’s greatest fan bases.

Through a mixture of under-the-radar signings, wonderful draft alternatives and trades, the Bulldogs are off to a 7-1 begin regardless of shedding six NHL first-round picks from final 12 months’s squad.

“My main thought process was I want to be competitive every year,” Hyman, the youthful brother of Edmonton Oilers ahead Zach Hyman, stated in a phone interview this week.

“I’m in junior hockey, we don’t have a salary cap where we’re restricted like NHL teams are. So, really, with the college rule change and being able to recruit players that were typically never available to the CHL, it allows for that — having a competitive program and being able to attract potential free agents, whether they are Canadian or American. Now that we’re open to every single junior hockey player, there are kids that are going to fall through the cracks of the draft and it’s our job to identify them.”

With the assistance of a few well-known males within the hockey world — vice chairman of hockey operations Gary Roberts and senior adviser Brian Burke — together with a really skilled head scout in Peter Goulet and others, Hyman, 32, has put collectively a staff that has outscored opponents 40-20. Not dangerous for a squad that was thirteenth out of 20 groups within the OHL’s season-opening energy rankings.

Hyman and Goulet, one of many driving forces behind an unbelievable Kingston junior-A championship staff in 2008, reduce their administration tooth within the tier II junior A ranks, the place groups consistently must reload after shedding gamers to different ranges. That expertise has served them nicely within the new junior-hockey panorama, the place the NCAA has opened the door for CHL gamers the previous two years.

“In the OJHL, it was this concept every year,” stated Hyman, who ran a staff in Markham, Ont., simply north of his native Toronto. “You weren’t just losing players to school, if we had an elite player in the OJHL and he was committed to play college hockey at, let’s say, a Big Ten school, the USHL would steal him from us.”

Hyman employed AHL San Diego assistant coach Michael Babcock, son of Oilers coach Mike Babcock, to interchange Bulldogs bench boss Jay McKee after the previous NHL defenceman obtained the highest job with the New York Islanders’ new AHL affiliate in close by Hamilton.

As for the roster, Brantford now has 13 American-born gamers — the same system to what labored final 12 months for the Penticton Vees, who superior to the WHL semifinals of their growth season, and the QMJHL runner-up Moncton Wildcats. Both these groups are run by new administration teams within the CHL, similar to the Hymans, who bought the staff in January 2025.

“From my perspective, I’ve had the mindset you have to be very proactive every year,” Spencer Hyman stated. “Because, at the end of the day, unless you’re in the NHL, you’re in a development league. And the point of development leagues is to move players on to the next level, whenever that may be. In junior hockey, that could be two years, three years, four years, every kid’s different.”

Four of the Bulldogs’ top-10 scorers performed within the USHL final season, together with OHL-co-leading scorer and Florida native Jason Musa, 19.

The five-foot-eight Musa, undrafted within the OHL or NHL, was imagined to comply with his two older brothers and play hockey at UMass this season. But when Jack Musa returned to highschool as a substitute of signing with a professional staff, there wasn’t a lot of a gap for Jason with UMass (oldest brother Joey now’s enjoying professionally in Italy).

After Jason Musa performed the previous two years with Cedar Rapids of the USHL in Iowa, his agent heard from a number of OHL groups this low season. The winger stated he had longtime OHL energy London and Brantford as his finalists earlier than selecting the latter.

“All of us battled against each other, that’s also what helped us gel quickly together,” Musa stated of the heavy USHL contingent in Brantford. “We’re enemies one day and now we’re all brothers. It’s cool to share stories with each other and talk about the past season, playing against each other and whatnot.”

Hyman stated Goulet — now in his twenty first consecutive 12 months working in Ontario junior hockey — watched Musa stay a number of instances within the USHL earlier than the staff made a tough recruiting pitch.

“My expectation for Jason was to be one of the best players in the league and one of the top scorers in the league,” Hyman stated of Musa, whose father, Joe, grew up in Massachusetts earlier than elevating his household in Florida, the place he performed minor-pro.

“It was just very clear watching how he played and being 19 years old and playing junior hockey prior, we expected him to transition into this league and do exactly what he’s doing. Good on him for having a great summer and a great start, and he’s got to keep it going.”

Meanwhile, 2026 Bulldogs first-round choose (twentieth total) and Michigan native Aiden Kelly is tied with Musa with 14 factors in eight video games. 2025 first-round choose David Buchman, from Stittsville, Ont., is the staff’s prime scorer on defence.

The staff acquired a fourth participant chosen within the first spherical of the 2025 OHL Draft on Thursday when Brantford shipped 4 draft picks to the Oshawa Generals for ahead Sam Roberts, Gary’s son.

In aim, the Bulldogs took six-foot-six Swede Vilmer Salen Forsberg (2.36 GAA in 5 video games), a 2027 NHL Draft prospect, within the import draft, and traded with the Ottawa 67’s for the rights to Chase Petrova (2.34 GAA in three video games), who performed at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ont., final season.

“Obviously, it’s early. We can’t jump the gun,” stated Musa, whose staff opens a five-game homestand Saturday in opposition to the Kingston Frontenacs.

“We’ve been working on staying even-keel, not get too high, not get too low. But I think we’ll keep getting better. We have a hell of a team.”

With a brand new area coming in 2028 to interchange the getting older Madhouse on Market (formally named the TD Civic Centre), the Bulldogs may have one other nice recruiting device. The staff from Wayne Gretzky’s hometown plans to bid for the 2030 Memorial Cup, the OHL’s subsequent internet hosting alternative after Guelph received the rights for 2027.

Based on how issues are going this season, it might shock nobody if the Bulldogs have a powerful on-ice product for his or her bid.

“We’re, obviously, very fortunate we’re getting a new arena,” Hyman stated. “It’s going to be beautiful, it’s going to be an NHL-like pro facility. I think it will definitely enhance our ability to recruit. But I always believe it’s really the people, not the place. If you have a warm environment and people that really care about you, you’ll have success.”

Owen Sound Attack (2-4) at Guelph Storm (4-2), Friday, 7:07 p.m. ET

First recreation of a home-and-home sequence that includes a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs 2025 draft picks: Guelph’s Tyler Hopkins and Owen Sound’s Harry Nansi.

Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) at Minnesota State Mavericks (0-0), Friday, 8:07 p.m. ET / 7:07 p.m. CT

After giving up simply two targets in two video games in opposition to Robert Morris to open the season, the reigning NCAA runner-up Badgers ought to face a more durable check in opposition to Nineteenth-ranked Minnesota State in a two-game set. The two groups performed to a pair of ties final 12 months.

Cape Breton Eagles (2-1-3) at Quebec Remparts (5-1-0), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET

Two anticipated QMJHL title contenders sq. off. 2027 NHL Draft first-round prospects Carter Meyer and James Scantlebury every have 9 factors in six video games for Quebec.

Victoria Royals (3-1) at Medicine Hat Tigers (4-1), Saturday, 9 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. MT

This recreation options two anticipated WHL title contenders. Twin brothers Markus and Liam Ruck have mixed for eight factors in three video games for Medicine Hat since getting back from Pittsburgh Penguins camp.