The Hamilton Bulldogs were a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) that began to play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, the Bulldogs played home games at FirstOntario Centre. They were purchased by owner Michael Andlauer in March 2015 and relocated to Hamilton after 34 years in Belleville, Ontario, where they were known as the Bulls. The Bulldogs won OHL championships in 2018 and 2022.
The Bulldogs replaced the American Hockey League team of the same name, also formerly owned by Andlauer. The original team played in Hamilton from 1996 to 2015, after which they moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, to become the second incarnation of the St. John's IceCaps.
History In March 2015, Michael Andlauer acquired the Belleville Bulls and that they would move into the FirstOntario Centre for the 2015–16 season as the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Hamilton Bulldogs franchise which played in the American Hockey League had been sold to the Montreal Canadiens and moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, for the 2015–16 season.
In February 2023, due to upcoming renovations to the FirstOntario Centre, the Bulldogs announced they would be temporarily relocating to the Brantford Civic Centre and renaming as the Brantford Bulldogs for at least three seasons, beginning in the 2023–24 season. The Civic Centre will also be undergoing over $9 million in renovations, funded by both the Bulldogs and the City of Brantford.
In January 2025, National Hockey League player Zach Hyman and his family purchased the Bulldogs from Michael Andlauer, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Brantford for the Bulldogs to play at a proposed sports complex in Brantford for 15 years, despite $290 million renovations to FirstOntario Centre.
Coaches 2015–2016, George Burnett 2016–2018, John Gruden 2018–2019, Dave Matsos 2019–2020, Vince Laise 2020, Steve Staios (interim) 2021–2023, Jay McKee
General managers 2015–2016, George Burnett 2016–2022, Steve Staios (6) 2022–2023, Matt Turek
Players 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)
Notable players List of notable players:
William Bitten Nick Caamano MacKenzie Entwistle Kaden Fulcher Ben Gleason Jan Jeník Arthur Kaliyev Matt Luff Mason Marchment Connor McMichael Mason McTavish Christian Mieritz Logan Morrison Riley Stillman Marian Studenic Robert Thomas Ryan Winterton Arber Xhekaj
NHL first-round draft picks 2017: Robert Thomas, 20th overall, St. Louis Blues 2019: Connor McMichael, 25th overall, Washington Capitals 2021: Mason McTavish, 3rd overall, Anaheim Ducks
Season-by-season results List of regular season and playoffs results:
Legend: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, SL = Shoot-out losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Memorial Cup championsOHL championsOHL finalists
Season Regular season Playoffs Finish2015–1668 25 35 8 0 58 .426 197 260 5th EastDid not qualify2016–1768 33 27 4 4 74 .544 238 225 4th EastLost conference quarterfinals (Kingston Frontenacs) 4–32017–1868 43 18 4 3 93 .684 252 207 1st EastWon conference quarterfinals (Ottawa 67's) 4–1Won conference semifinals (Niagara IceDogs) 4–1Won conference finals (Kingston Frontenacs) 4–1Won OHL finals (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) 4–2Lost 2018 Memorial Cup semifinal (Regina Pats) 4–22018–1968 29 34 3 2 63 .463 241 283 4th EastLost conference quarterfinals (Ottawa 67's) 4–02019–2062 24 30 7 1 56 .452 235 267 4th EastPlayoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic2020–21 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic2021–2268 51 12 3 2 107 .787 300 176 1st EastWon conference quarterfinals (Peterborough Petes) 4–0Won conference semifinals (Mississauga Steelheads) 4–0Won conference finals (North Bay Battalion) 4–0Won OHL final (Windsor Spitfires) 4–3Lost 2022 Memorial Cup final (Saint John Sea Dogs) 6–32022–2368 33 30 5 0 71 .522 226 251 3rd EastLost conference quarterfinals (Barrie Colts) 4–2
See also List of ice hockey teams in Ontario
References