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One Ontario Hockey League defenseman chose to use his stick as a “weapon” during a recent game and is now paying the price.
The Brampton Steelheads’ Luke Dragusica was suspended for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs after slashing the Oshawa Generals’ Brady Blaseg on the side of the head during a Nov. 14 game.
The junior hockey league previously suspended him indefinitely while reviewing the incident.
Dragusica had been checked by Blaseg behind the net in the third period and then took things to the extreme in retaliation.
He got up and followed Blaseg and swung down with two hands onto the head of his opponent, sending him down to the ice in visible pain.
Dragusica, who was eventually ejected, then cross-checked Blaseg on the ice.
The 17-year-old Blaseg, who has three assists in 21 games this season, was left bloodied. He exited the game and did not return.
Players from both sides, including Draguscica, dropped the gloves and began brawling as Blaseg laid facedown in pain on the ice.
“The deliberate use of a stick as a weapon to an opponent’s head, followed by further contact on a defenseless player, is a dangerous and unacceptable act that has no place in the OHL,” the league said in a statement.
The 18-year-old Dragusica, who has two assists this season, will have to take numerous steps before a potential reinstatement, including a league-mandated education, counseling and community service program.
He must then go before a reinstatement panel, which will decide if he will be eligible to play in the 2026-27 season.
