Bulldogs thinking big to start Season 3
The honeymoon is over.
After two mediocre campaigns, the time has come for the Hamilton Bulldogs to make some progress.
That means more than making the playoffs. It means positioning themselves for a run at a conference championship — maybe even a national title, depending on who you ask around the rink — if this, their third season in the city, is to be considered a success.
“Our goal is to win a Memorial Cup and that’s what we’re gearing up for,” says captain Justin Lemcke.
So, do they have what it takes to follow through?
While it’s far too early to answer that question, what is clear is the 2017-18 Bulldogs bring a lot of attributes to the table — experience, talent and maturity, to name just a few. It’s also the deepest roster the team has debuted since its move from Belleville.
On the back end, seven defencemen are returning from last season and the eighth — new acquisition T.J. Fergus — was on the top pairing when the Erie Otters won their second J. Ross Robertson Cup in May. All but two of them have three or more years in the OHL under their belts.
Up front, there is less experience, but loads of potential. Despite losing Niki Petti, Michael Cramarossa and, likely Matt Luff to graduation, the Bulldogs retain three of their top five scorers in Matt Strome, Will Bitten and Brandon Saigeon.
They also have plenty of other forwards, including NHL prospects Mackenzie Entwistle and Marian Studenic, sophomore Connor Roberts and gifted rookies Arthur Kaliyev and Connor McMichael, eager to fill any offensive gaps.
Roberts, 17, said he thinks the team has evolved since last season, when it finished fifth in its conference and lost its first round playoff with the Kingston Frontenacs in overtime of Game 7.
“We’ve got a veteran D corps and we’ve got four great lines, a fourth line that can hit and get dirty and three lines that can definitely play with the top lines in the league,” he added.
That leaves goaltending, the biggest question mark for the Bulldogs heading into Saturday’s season opener against visiting Niagara.
With the departure of overager Dawson Carty, the pressure is on Kaden Fulcher to bring steadiness to the starting role — something he struggled with when temporarily thrust into the position as an 18year-old last September.
Meanwhile, the backup duties fall to Nick Donofrio, who has yet to suit up in an OHL contest.
But Fulcher’s teammates believe in him. Steve Staios does, too. In fact, the Bulldogs general manager said he’s “very happy” with the side he’s assembled — top to bottom.
“I don’t want to put any undue pressure on this group,” he noted, but “from a character, skill and cultural perspective, I am very pleased with where we’ve been able to get to over the past couple of years.”
As for whether this is the season — that is, the one where the Bulldogs go for a championship in a competitive conference (Mississauga and Peterborough are the teams to beat) or even that national title — Staios was clear: It’s still up in the air, and up to the guys on the ice.
“I think, at the end of the day, this group of players will let me know if and when they’re ready,” he said. “We can try to project and put the numbers together, and talk about our team and where they think we’ll finish, and where we are. But I really believe this young group of men will dictate to me whether they’re ready to do this now.” NOTES: The Bulldogs will be missing Entwistle and defenceman Ben Gleason to start the season. They’re both injured and are expected back in mid-October.