SAGINAW — The Saginaw Spirit continue to play the waiting game to see which players will return from NHL training camps in time for Friday's season-opener at London.

The team currently has 10 players away at camps, and is hoping to see eight of them return to suit up for the Spirit this season.

But as of Tuesday’s practice, none had returned, as the Spirit practiced with only eight forwards.

While stressing the situation could change in the coming days, Watson said that he doesn’t expect forward Brandon Saad, forward Josh Shalla, or defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to return in time to play for the Spirit this weekend.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday that forwards Vincent Trocheck and John McFarland had been reassigned to junior hockey. Watson said forward Anthony Camara could return to practice by Thursday, and that he would likely know more about the rest of the players by Wednesday.



But the three names Watson said he’s worried most about returning are Shalla, Saad and Oleksiak. Shalla and Oleksiak are are both eligible for the AHL this season, while Saad is only eligible for the NHL or OHL.

“You never know with Oleksiak, you never know with Saad,” Watson said. “They go out and play good exhibition games, you never know.”

Saad is listed on Chicago's roster for its Tuesday night game against Edmonton in Saskatoon.



Meanwhile, the Spirit have reassigned forwards Dean Pawlaczyk and Sloan Stewart and defenseman Ramon Lopez off their active roster, Watson said Tuesday.

Pawlaczyk was claimed off waivers from Sarnia during the offseason, and was facing an eight-game suspension to start the season for a match penalty in the second exhibition game. Stewart is an overage player used often as a floating affiliate in recent years, and Lopez was the team’s fifth round pick in the May OHL draft.

After those reassignments the total number on the Spirit roster is 24, including the players gone at NHL camps. Watson said he doesn't expect to reassign any more players before the opener.