Red-hot Hamilton Bulldogs being led by Logan Morrison

HAMILTON, Ontario (BVM) — It was anyone’s guess as to how each OHL team would fare early on after not playing for a year-and-a-half. Some teams have struggled out of the gate, while other teams have been on fire. The Hamilton Bulldogs fit in the latter category as they are off to a blazing 5-2-0 start. But, while there are multiple factors to the Bulldogs’ early success, few are more evident than the club’s leading scorer, Logan Morrison.

Born in Guelph, Ont., Morrison began his OHL career in 2018-19 and did admirable work as a freshman.

In his rookie campaign, the centerman scored 14 goals and added 20 assists for 34 points in 47 games for the club. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs, who had won the OHL Championship — the J. Ross Robertson Cup — in 2017-18, were swept in the opening round of the 2019 playoffs at the hands of the Ottawa 67’s. Nevertheless, Morrison was unfazed.

The next season, the centerman was even better.

In 59 games for the Bulldogs in 2019-20, Morrison scored 23 goals and 22 assists for 45 points. Unfortunately, that wave of momentum was abruptly halted when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the OHL — among other leagues — to suspend their season.

Again, Morrison was unfazed.

While this past year-and-a-half was an unprecedented — not to mention frustrating — time for major-junior players, Morrison kept busy, working on his craft and developing his game. So, when the OHL did resume, the 19-year-old picked up right where he left off.

In six games so far this season, Morrison has two goals and six assists to go in hand with a plus-one rating. The latter statistic is notable as, partially due to Hamilton’s overall struggles in each of the past two seasons, Morrison finished his previous campaigns with minus-13 and minus-33 ratings, respectively.

In fairness, the plus-minus rating is one of the more subjective statistics in hockey, so this is not necessarily a reflection on the player.

In any case, Morrison and the Bulldogs are off to a hot start to the new OHL season. Yet, while it is a tad premature to build too much off of six games, the Bulldogs are nonetheless looking like they can be serious contenders this season, especially with Logan Morrison in their lineup.

Especially under the circumstances, it is wonderful to have the OHL back. That goes especially for the Hamilton Bulldogs, though, as they hope to regain their championship form from 2017-18.

This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.