Brantford Bulldogs are excited to announce the club’s new Hockey Operations team with Vice-President Spencer Hyman taking over as General Manager. Joining Spencer in the front office will be Justin Ismael, who is being promoted to the role of Assistant General Manager and Mike Galati who will move into the role of Director of Hockey Operations and Scouting.
The team is also extremely proud to announce that NHL legend Gary Roberts & Adrian Vilaca will be joining the Bulldogs as Co-Directors of Player Development. This new and exciting addition will add tremendous value to the Bulldogs by leveraging their storied reputations as the go-to on and off-ice development team; a team that calls some of the best current and developing hockey players in the world as their clients. We are thrilled to welcome them to the Bulldogs.
As the team’s General Manager, Spencer Hyman brings a lifetime of hockey experience to the role. Having been in the rink since he could walk, Spencer grew up learning the game both on and off the ice through running numerous clubs owned by his father Stuart. His playing career took him to the University of Michigan which then developed into coaching followed by front office management. Having won the team’s first banner in Brantford in 2024-25, Spencer will look to guide the Bulldogs to their first OHL Championship in the Bell City in the years to come.
Justin Ismael has earned his way to the position of Assistant General Manager with the Bulldogs. Over the last decade-plus, Ismael worked his way up the organization within the front office to the role of Director of Partnerships, a role he excelled in to the point where he was named the Director of Hockey Operations in 2021. He was a key part of the management team that helped establish the Bulldogs in Brantford, and we look forward to him joining the team in this new and exciting role.
Moving to the role of Director of Hockey Operations & Scouting, Mike Galati joined the Bulldogs in 2025 from the Markham Royals where he has served as Head Coach & General Manager for the past nine seasons. Galati brings significant OHL experience first as a player, having skated with the Guelph Storm & Owen Sound Platers before a decade long professional career in Europe. Galati returned to the OHL in 2009 scouting with the London Knights for six seasons prior to joining the Royals.
With these changes, the Bulldogs are well positioned to continue thriving in Brantford and to build on their strong success from last season. Go Dogs Go!
Story by Reed Duthie
