The Kincardine Bulldgos have always been, if nothing else, pretty reliable.
They always compete, they rarely ever finish in the bottom of the division, and they always drive other teams crazy with their suffocating, defensive style of play. Last year was more of the same, as they finished 4th in the division and were only 4 points back of 3rd. This year will likely see more of the same, as they continue to elevate local young players and return a strong core that will help those new guys along. GM Warren Beisel always finds a way to ice a strong group who are coachable and buy in to what Head Coach Todd Norman is selling.
Some notable losses include Bryce McFadden, the second leading scorer (30 points) who also tied for the lead in goals with 16. Losing that type of offensive piece will hurt as he ages out. The Bulldogs have operated lately as a score by committee group, and when that's the case, losing a McFadden will be tough. It also looks like Parker Miller won't be back, the third leading scorer with 18 points, further adding pressures on new players to score. It doesn't look like top D scorer, Jordan Moulton, is back either, as hgis 16 points and power play presence will be missed.
Up front, the Bulldogs do have good news, as leading scorer Steven Grant (34 points) returns, as he tied for the lead in goals with McFadden with 16. He will be the go to guy on offence and get every opportunity to log huge minutes in all situations. He's a constant threat with his speed and can turn the jets on in an instant. Gavin Downs and Gavin Gibbons, who had 14 and 13 points, respectively, both return and will get loads more ice time and a chance to really take this team over offensively. Jordan Beisel will have those same shots, as he looks to certainly build on his 12 point effort last year with his nose for the net and ability to shoot from anywhere.
On top of that, young players who were brought in to grow with this team will have to take on more offensive responsibilities, and that includes young players like Wilson Shipp and Liam Calhoun, who largely focused on becoming solid two-way players last year. Now, they'll be asked to become more of a focal point offensively, especially on the power play.
On the defence, the Bulldogs will have a solid top pair in the returning Austin Waite (12 points) and Brennan Long (9 points), both of whom can be sturdy shut down defenders and carry the puck up the ice. Waite likely gets first nod as a power play quarterback, but both will be logging loads of minutes for Todd Norman as he continues to preach defence first. These two give Kincardine a very good top pair to build down from.
Joining the blue line will be new faces in rookie Kyle Dolmage, who got into 8 regular season games last year, notching a point, and he played in 4 playoff games. He will be given plenty of chances to prove he can rush the puck and give the offence a jolt with his skating ability and shiftiness out of the corners. Ryan Litt, who was on the team last year but mostly played forward, will shift back to the defence, and that gives Kincardine another talented skater who will add some grit and mobility on the back end.
In goal, Kincardine lost starter Joshua Jacklin to the Mitchell Hawks in a trade, so this year, there's new faces defending the twined cage. Backup Ryan Tanner is also gone, and in the places of those two come Carter Garvie and rookie Christian De Jong. Garvie has started the first two games of the young season, losing in regulation and OT with a sterling 1.99 GAA and .930 save percentage. Garvie was a Listowel Cyclones prospect who played 3 games for them last year, but spent most of last season in the CCHL playing for the Navan Grads, going 4-4-2 with a 3.51 GAA and .875 save percentage. He has the size and athletic ability to be a huge factor in net, and his early showings are promising as he will carry the load with rookie De Jong serving as the backup.
The Bulldogs always find a way to win, and usually do it in gritty, unspectacular style. And that has always suited them just fine. They take pride in being a defensive force, and they have a coach in Todd Norman who knows who to get young players to buy in. They should have another great season and potentially challenge for top 3, depending on how their young guys step into new, bigger roles and how the goaltending performs. Good early signs, thus far. Steady as she goes at the Davidson Centre.
