Spirit acquire over age defenseman Reagan O'Grady for future draft picks in trade with Mississauga after Keaton Middleton signs AHL contract

 

After former Saginaw Spirit captain Keaton Middleton was signed by the San Jose Barracuda (the minor league affiliate of the San Jose Sharks, who also share the same city and arena with its NHL club) this past Sunday, Saginaw GM Dave Drinkill started working his contacts, eventually acquiring over-age defenseman Reagan O'Grady in exchange for three future Spirit draft picks (a fourth round pick in 2019, a third round pick in 2020, and a sixth round pick in 2021) in a trade with the Mississauga Steelheads. 

 

 

The six-foot-two, 201-pound stay at home defenseman was traded to Mississauga from the Sudbury Wolves at last year's trade deadline, putting up 19-points (6-goals, 13-assists) through 55 games between the two teams during the 2017-18 OHL season.

 

A native of Lyndsay, ON O'Grady played triple-A hockey for the Toronto Marlies' minor midget program in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, where he was eventually selected in the first round (15th overall) of the 2014 OHL priority selection draft by the Kingston Frontenacs, before being traded to Sudbury 26 games into his rookie season.

 

O'Grady would go on to put up 31-points (7-goals, 24-assists) with 90 penalty minutes through 121-games over the course of the next two seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17) with the Wolves.

 

With NHL training camp experience following an invitation to the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2017 prospects camp, O'Grady will bring valuable skill and veteran leadership to a talented Spirit defensive group which already features Reilly Webb (a sixth round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2017 NHL draft), Bode Wilde (a second round pick of the New York Islanders in the 2018 NHL draft), and Caleb Everett (who was a free agent invite to Columbus Blue Jackets' 2018 training camp); along with Brock Hill, Hayden Davis, Duncan Penman, and Mason Millman on the Spirit back end. 

 

After playing his first game with the Spirit on the road in a 7-5 loss to the Windsor Spitfires at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, ON Thursday night, O'Grady will now make his debut in front of a home crowd when the Spirit host the Guelph Storm for a 7:05 pm face off at the Dow Event Center on Saturday night.