Of Bulldogs and Spitfires
They are the best of the Ontario Hockey League as of now. Brantford Bulldogs and Windsor Spitfires are 1-2 in the overall standings of the 20-team OHL.
With 29 points from a record of 13-0-3, the Bulldogs are a tick ahead of the 13-3-2 Spitfires with Brantford holding two games in hand on Windsor. Of note, the two teams have met once thus far this ’25-26 season — back on October 4 when the Spitfires scored a 4-3 shootout victory in Brantford.
Since then, Brantford general manager Spencer Hyman has continued to be aggressive in the trade department, including the recent blockbuster exchange with the Oshawa Generals in which the Bulldogs added a pair of ace defensemen in Ben Danford — a first round National Hockey League draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs — and overage Zackary Sandhu.
Hyman, as a rookie, albeit steely eyed GM who clearly does his homework, has also hinted that Brantford — which still has a number of excess picks in its draft vault — may not be done dealing ahead of the January 10 OHL trade deadline, which is still a couple of months away.
As far as what the astute, seasoned — and hard boiled — Spitfires general manager Billy Bowler had to say to Hockey News Windsor amid rampant rumours from several OHL insiders that Windsor is looking to add to its star power via trade: “I don’t reply to rumours.”
At any rate, both teams are currently atop their respective markets — Brantford leads the Eastern Conference and Windsor is first in the Western Conference. Having said that, there are more legitimate contenders in the Western world than they are in the Eastern block.
Either way, a game of chess is at play in the OHL. And not just between Brantford and Windsor.
Those in the mix include the Kitchener Rangers, Soo Greyhounds, London Knights, Flint Firebirds and the surprising Owen Sound Attack on the Western side and the Niagara IceDogs and Ottawa 67s in the Eastern nook.
