Saginaw defenseman Hayden Barch has been issued a suspension for his checking to the head major penalty last weekend. But, should he have gotten suspended?
Last Saturday had a bizarre start to the game for the Saginaw Spirit, seeing two of their players ejected in the first period. Top 2027 NHL draft prospect Dimian Zhilkin was assessed a five-minute and game misconduct for a cross-check to the head, and has been given a three-game suspension for his actions.
However, before Zhilkin’s penalty, the Spirit had already lost one of their defenders earlier in the period.
Hayden Barch played a whopping total of 19 seconds against Brampton. He was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a check to the head of Steelheads forward Manuel Amado.
In the replay, it’s very hard to see definitive head contact by Barch on Amado. He comes in so quickly to lay the hit, but seems to catch him awkwardly, causing a bit of a ragdoll collision. Amado’s helmet does get knocked off in the collision, which is the first identifier that head contact was made. But was it the principal point of contact?
When you slow it down, Barch does appear to raise his left arm up to brace for the contact. But the argument can be made: Did he contact the chest or chin first?
The OHL’s Department of Player Safety believes that it was the head he contacted first, and has issued a two-game suspension on Barch.
#OHL Disciplinary Action:
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) December 11, 2025
Saginaw’s Hayden Barch has been suspended for two games as a result of actions (Major, Checking to the Head) on Dec. 6th at Brampton.
Now, the Saginaw Spirit will be without one of their top scorers and top defensive defensemen in their two games this weekend against the London Knights and Kitchener Rangers.
What do you think? Did the league make the right call in suspending Barch? This suspension certainly has some questioning behind it and will raise some eyebrows from fans.
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