Hamilton Bulldogs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brantford Bulldogs |
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| City | Brantford, Ontario |
| League | Ontario Hockey League |
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Division | East |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Operated | 2015–present |
| Home arena | Brantford Civic Centre |
| Colours | Black, gold, white |
| General manager | Matt Turek |
| Head coach | Jay McKee |
| Affiliate(s) | Hamilton Kilty B's |
| Franchise history | |
| 1981–2015 | Belleville Bulls |
| 2015–2023 | Hamilton Bulldogs |
| 2023–present | Brantford Bulldogs |
| Championships | |
| Division Championships | (2018, 2022) |
| Current uniform | |
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The Brantford Bulldogs are a junior ice hockey team. They play in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). This team started playing in the 2015–16 season. The Bulldogs are based in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. They play their home games at the Brantford Civic Centre.
The team was bought by owner Michael Andlauer in March 2015. It moved to Hamilton from Belleville, Ontario. Before this, the team was known as the Bulls for 34 years. The Bulldogs won the OHL championship twice. They won in 2018 and again in 2022.
The Bulldogs took the place of another team. This was an American Hockey League team with the same name, the Hamilton Bulldogs. That team was also owned by Michael Andlauer. The original Hamilton Bulldogs played from 1996 to 2015. Then, they moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. There, they became the St. John's IceCaps.
In February 2023, the Bulldogs announced a temporary move. They had to move because the FirstOntario Centre arena was going to be renovated. So, the team moved to the Brantford Civic Centre. They also changed their name to the Brantford Bulldogs. This move is for at least three seasons. It started with the 2023–24 season. The Brantford Civic Centre is also getting over $9 million in upgrades. Both the Bulldogs and the City of Brantford are helping to pay for these changes.
Contents
Team History
On March 12, 2015, Michael Andlauer shared big news. He had bought the Belleville Bulls team. He announced they would move to the FirstOntario Centre. They would play there as the Hamilton Bulldogs starting in the 2015–16 season. The American Hockey League team that was already in Hamilton was sold. It went to the Montreal Canadiens and moved to St. John's, Newfoundland.
Team Coaches
Here are the coaches who have led the team:
- 2015–2016: George Burnett
- 2016–2018: John Gruden
- 2018–2019: Dave Matsos
- 2019–2020: Vince Laise
- 2020: Steve Staios (interim coach)
- 2021–present: Jay McKee
Team Managers
These people have been the general managers for the team:
- 2015–2016: George Burnett
- 2016–2022: Steve Staios
- 2022–present: Matt Turek
Team Captains
- Justin Lemcke - 2015-2018
- MacKenzie Entwistle - 2018-2019
- Matthew Strome - 2018-2019
- Isaac Nurse - 2019-2020
- Colton Kammerer - 2021-2022
- Logan Morrison - 2022-2023
- Lawson Sherk - 2023-2024
Famous Players
Many talented players have been part of the team. Here are some of them:
- Nick Caamano
- MacKenzie Entwistle
- Matt Luff
- Arthur Kaliyev
- Mason Marchment
- Mason McTavish
- Christian Mieritz
- Marian Studenic
- Robert Thomas
- Ryan Winterton
- Arber Xhekaj
Season Results
This section shows how the team has done each season.
Regular Season Games
Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss.
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | SL | Points | Pct % | Goals For |
Goals Against |
Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | 68 | 25 | 35 | 8 | 0 | 58 | .426 | 197 | 260 | 5th East |
| 2016–17 | 68 | 33 | 27 | 4 | 4 | 74 | .544 | 238 | 225 | 4th East |
| 2017–18 | 68 | 43 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 93 | .684 | 252 | 207 | 1st East |
| 2018–19 | 68 | 29 | 34 | 3 | 2 | 63 | .463 | 241 | 283 | 4th East |
| 2019–20 | 62 | 24 | 30 | 7 | 1 | 56 | .452 | 235 | 267 | 4th East |
| 2020–21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | Season cancelled |
| 2021–22 | 68 | 51 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 107 | .787 | 300 | 176 | 1st East |
| 2022–23 | 68 | 33 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 71 | .522 | 226 | 251 | 3rd East |
| 2023–24 | 68 | 37 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 85 | .625 | 267 | 243 | 2nd East |
Playoff Games
- 2015–16: The team did not make it to the playoffs.
- 2016–17: They lost to the Kingston Frontenacs. The score was 4 games to 3 in the quarter-finals.
- 2017–18:
- They beat the Ottawa 67's 4 games to 1 in the quarter-finals.
- They beat the Niagara IceDogs 4 games to 1 in the semi-finals.
- They beat the Kingston Frontenacs 4 games to 1 in the finals.
- They won the championship against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 2.
- They finished third in the 2018 Memorial Cup.
- 2018–19: They lost to the Ottawa 67's 4 games to 0 in the quarter-finals.
- 2019–20: The playoffs were cancelled this season.
- 2020–21: The season was cancelled.
- 2021–22:
- They beat the Peterborough Petes 4 games to 0 in the quarter-finals.
- They beat the Mississauga Steelheads 4 games to 0 in the semi-finals.
- They beat the North Bay Battalion 4 games to 0 in the finals.
- They won the championship against the Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 3.
- They finished second in the 2022 Memorial Cup.
- 2022–23: They lost to the Barrie Colts 4 games to 2 in the quarter-finals.
- 2023-24: They lost to the Ottawa 67's 4 games to 2 in the quarter-finals.
See also
- List of ice hockey teams in Ontario
