If there was any uncertainty before, there certainly isn’t now. The Kingston Frontenacs have their sights set on the J. Ross Robertson Cup and beyond this spring, acquiring three Memorial Cup champions from the Saginaw Spirit late Tuesday afternoon.
In a pair of separately announced trades, the Frontenacs acquired 19-year-old veterans Joey Willis, Ethan Hay and Will Bishop, bolstering their lineup as the calendar turns over to 2025. The Frontenacs come off a win over their East Division nemesis, the Oshawa Generals last weekend, riding high with a 19-10-5-2 record.
The 19-17-1-0 Spirit, for their part, recoup a large volume of picks in the separate deals, 16 in total along with a pair of young players in former second round pick Ethan Weir on the wing along with 2023 third round choice Xander Velliaris on the back end.
A fourth round pick by the Nashville Predators in 2023, Willis joins the Frontenacs having just won a World Junior gold medal with the United States in Ottawa. The Elmhurst, Ill. native became the fifth American OHL player to have won both a World Junior gold medal and a Memorial Cup title, joining Dan Fritsche, Cam Fowler, Jeremy Bracco and Tyler Parsons. Willis has produced 34 points (17-17–34) over 26 games this season, and was twice named Cogeco OHL Player of the Week in November.
Hay heads to Kingston as one of the league’s top penalty killers and two-way centremen. The Waterloo, Ont. product was named the Spirit’s captain at the beginning of the season, and has 13 points (5-8–13) through 32 games so far in 2024-25. Hay was a seventh round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023.
Will Bishop turned into a valuable part of Saginaw’s blueline last season after being acquired from the Sudbury Wolves for sixth and 12th round draft picks. The 6-foot-6 rearguard from London, Ont. has 12 points (3-9–12) through 34 games this season.
While Kingston gains valuable experience, the Spirit pick-up a pair of promising young players along with a wealth of draft capital that includes four second round selections.
Weir was taken by Kingston with the 42nd overall pick of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. He spent most of last season with the GOJHL’s St. Marys Lincolns, helping them win their first Jr. B conference title in 30 years as they reached the Sutherland Cup Final. The son of former Peterborough Petes OHL champion Bill Weir, Ethan has played in 16 games with the Fronts this season, recording one assist.
A 6-foot-3 defenceman from Toronto, Ont., Velliaris has recorded one assist in 22 games for Kingston this season. He reached the OHL Cup Final with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in 2023 and split the 2023-24 season between the Frontenacs and the OJHL’s Mississauga Chargers.
The Spirit visit the Frontenacs later this month on January 24th before Kingston is in Saginaw on January 30th.
- Media Notes
- Kingston Release (Bishop & Hay)
- Kingston Release (Willis)
- Saginaw Release (Velliaris)
- Saginaw Release (Weir)
