Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey

Bode Wilde signs with Saginaw Spirit


By @MichaelCaples –

Birmingham native Bode Wilde knows where he will be playing hockey next season.

Today, the Saginaw Spirit announced that they have signed Wilde to an OHL Standard Player Agreement.

Wilde, a second-round pick of the New York Islanders in this summer’s NHL Draft, spent the last two seasons with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.

“We are very pleased to announce that Bode Wilde has signed with the Spirit and will be joining the Saginaw Spirit family,” said Saginaw general manager Dave Drinkill. “When we drafted Bode in the second round two years ago, we had hoped this day would come. Now that it has, we could not be more thrilled as an organization.

“Bode has the ability to be a top defenseman in our league and we are going to do everything we can for him to reach that potential here in Saginaw. The fans will really enjoy watching him play as he brings a combination of size, physicality, strong skating, and offensive ability to our lineup. His ceiling as a player is very high.”

A 6-foot-3, 195-pound defenseman, Wilde was one of the leaders on the NTDP blue line the past two seasons. He was a second-round draft pick of the Spirit in 2016.

“I am super excited to be playing in the OHL, especially for the Saginaw Spirit,” Wilde said. “After meeting Dave (Drinkill), the ownership group, and the coaching staff, I think it was an easy decision. The city of Saginaw, the OHL schedule, and everything that goes into being a member of the Spirit is going to be very good for me these next few years.”

Wilde moved to Michigan when he was 12, spending one year with Belle Tire before joining Honeybaked. He will be reunited with some old friends in Saginaw; Wilde was a student at the Total Package Hockey Center of Excellence with fellow Spirit players and Michigan natives Blade Jenkins and Caleb Everett.