It’s been a long summer but the Windsor Spitfires are ready for the next chapter. The club hits the ice on Thursday for their 2025-26 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) training camp and there are no shortage of questions that need answering.
Last season was a rollercoaster of emotions. After finishing last in the OHL’s Western Conference in 2023-24, they won the West Division last season, finishing second in the conference. After a first-round win over the Soo Greyhounds, they fell in a frustrating seven-game second-round series to the Kitchener Rangers, despite having a 3-0 series lead. This offseason, general manager Bill Bowler has worked to get the club ready for 2025-26 and is ready to show some of the fruits of his labour at camp. The players get going on Thursday afternoon, and we have six questions that will require an answer.
Can Costanzo Keep His Crease?
One of the biggest stories last season was in goal. Veteran starter Joey Costanzo was coming off of a forgettable 2023-24 where he had a 5.05 goals-against average (GAA) and .855 save percentage (SV%) in 39 appearances. Last season, he found his rhythm early, battled inconsistencies in the second half, but rebounded for a pretty remarkable postseason. In the end, he finished with a 2.94 GAA and .892 SV% with 32 regular season wins (51 appearances), along with a 2.29 GAA and .911 SV% in 12 playoff games. He was backed up by rookie Carter Froggett, the club’s sixth-round pick in 2022, who had spent two seasons in lower levels working on his craft. He added a 3.52 GAA and .879 SV% in 21 appearances.
This is where it gets complicated. Last season, they also had rookies Michael Newlove, now 18, and Jake Windbiel, now 17, playing in Junior A and Junior B, respectively. Coming into this season, all four goaltenders remain with the team. Costanzo, now 20, is eligible to be an overage player (20 years old), but teams can only dress three per game. Last season, approximately half of the league used a spot on a goaltender, so it’s not uncommon. However, with three other goaltenders looking for playing time, it becomes a giant question mark.
Froggett needs a chance to either sink or swim in the OHL. While there were inconsistencies at times, he showed he can play at this level and now just needs a chance to get regular action. Newlove was the club’s first overall pick in the 2024 OHL Under-18 Draft and played well in Junior A. However, he’s 18 and the clock is ticking. Windbiel was Bowler’s seventh-round pick in the 2024 OHL Draft out of Elk Grove Village, IL. He’s got size at 6-foot-4, 223 pounds and played well in a brief appearance last season. Like the others, he just needs a chance to show what he’s got. He chose the OHL over NCAA, and it would be a shame to let that go to waste.
Having four OHL-ready goaltenders can be a blessing and a curse. It’s something Bowler needs to work on because it’s not going to solve itself overnight.
How Do They Solve the Overage Situation?
While Costanzo is part of a cluttered goaltending situation, he’s also a part of an unknown overage group that needs to be figured out. As we mentioned, teams can only dress three overagers per game (some keep a fourth on their roster until the Jan. 10 trade deadline, just in case). After last season, the club had seven players eligible to return this season.
During the playoffs, the Spitfires had forwards Luke McNamara, Owen Outwater (injured), and Alec Stewart (call-up), plus defencemen Wyatt Kennedy, Tanner Winegard, and Josef Eichler, along with Costanzo, as eligible to play a final season. What’s the reality, though?
Outwater has been hit with injuries, including back-to-back season-ending shoulder surgeries. Getting healthy should be his priority. Stewart is gone as he’s listed as playing for the Milton Menace of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (Jr. A). Winegard is also gone as he signed with the Langley Rivermen of the British Columbia Hockey League.
That leaves McNamara, Kennedy, Eichler, and Costanzo. Kennedy is likely to return; Bowler got him at last season’s deadline, and the 6-foot-5, 205-pounder brings grit the club will need this season. Costanzo is likely to return, at least for the time being. McNamara was also brought in at the deadline, but with just nine points in 27 games last season, it’s hard to justify a spot. Eichler, a Czechia native, is an Import player (any player whose parents reside primarily outside of Canada or the United States) and teams can only roster three of those. He’s gritty and a great teammate, but would take up both an overage and an Import slot, which is rare. He’s also a 2025 Draft pick of the Lincoln Stars in the United States Hockey League (USHL), so that’s a solid Plan B for him.
This has been an age group (2005-born) that Bowler has worked on for a couple of seasons now. The hope was that Costanzo, Kennedy, and either McNamara or Outwater would take the three spots. However, there are far more questions than answers here, and it may take time to answer.
Who Will Be the Spitfires’ Imports?
This has been a topic of discussion since the playoffs ended. In the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), teams are allowed to have three Import players. From the first draft in 1992 until this past May, teams could only have two on their roster. In May, it became three, which gives clubs some wiggle room.
Coming into the summer, the club had 2024 third-overall pick Belarusian forward Ilya Protas (Washington Capitals) along with Eichler. There were issues, though. Since Protas, 19, was drafted to the NHL out of the USHL before being drafted by the Spitfires, he’s eligible for the American Hockey League in 2025-26. He had 124 points in 61 games for the Spitfires, which makes the pros seem more likely. They also have the 20-year-old Eichler, but, as we mentioned above, he’s likely an odd man out for multiple reasons.
During July’s Import draft, Bowler took full advantage of the new rules, drafting Slovak forward and Detroit Red Wings’ prospect Michal Svrcek (playing in Sweden) in the first round, 17-year-old Kazakhstan native forward Beksultan Makysh (playing for Boston Hockey Academy) in the second round, and 17-year-old Swiss forward Loan Burkhalter (playing for HC La-Chaux-de-Font) in the third round.
Svrcek has already stated that he’s staying in Sweden to play in their top league. Makysh was happy to join the Spitfires and signed with them earlier in August. Burkhalter was going to weigh his options, but on Saturday announced that he would come to camp and see how it played out.
✈️ SIGNING ANNOUNCEMENT ✈️
— Windsor Spitfires (@SpitsHockey) July 31, 2025
The Windsor Spitfires are excited to welcome 2025 CHL Import Draft 2nd-round selection Beksultan Makysh, who has officially signed an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement!
Welcome to Windsor, Beksultan!
Details: https://t.co/ZFTavknuyJ… pic.twitter.com/Ii1iH3ucL7
There’s nothing easy about the Import situation. Protas and Eichler are likely gone, but nothing is guaranteed right now. Do they sign Burkhalter in camp? Are spots left open for Protas or Svrcek in case they’re available? We’ll have to stay tuned.
Which Newcomers Earn a Roster Spot?
Every season, OHL camps have several players who are new to the organization. They could be newly drafted rookies, players who have done their time at lower levels, or even veterans cut by other teams who need a fresh start. The combination provides a competitive camp because you never know what could happen.
This season, the freshman class looks promising. It includes 2025 OHL Draft picks John McLaughlin, Ian Inskip, and Caden Harvey, along with free-agent defenceman Jonathan Brown (2007-born) and Makysh. When you put them into the current lineup, there aren’t many (if any) open spots left. However, that doesn’t mean something surprising can’t happen. A new player could outperform a returnee, and then all bets are off.
Watching the new players get adjusted and fight for a roster spot is one of the best parts of camp. They have a passion for the game that can’t be taught, and seeing elation when they find out they’ve earned the spot is a great part of this sport. We’ll see if that happens over the next few weeks.
Can the Sophomores Take the Next Step?
One of the biggest surprises last season was the quick transition to the OHL and the development of their 2008-born group. Led by 2024 OHL Draft first overall pick forward Ethan Belchetz, this group was given plenty of room to play by head coach Greg Walters and his staff, and they thrived.
Belchetz was joined by fellow 2024 picks forwards Jean-Christoph Lemieux and Ethan Garden, defenceman Carter Hicks, plus, later in the season, defenceman Andrew Robinson. Forward Max Brocklehurst and defenceman Grady Spicer joined the team in the playoffs, too. While Brocklehurst and Spicer saw limited action, the rest showed they could play a bigger role this season.
Related: Windsor Spitfires: 4 Breakout Candidates for 2025-26
It’s going to be a big season for Belchetz as he prepares to be one of the top picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Oakville native had 38 points last season in 56 games and is eager to break out for a monster season. Hicks was a fixture on defence, and becoming a top-four guy isn’t out of the question. Garden and Lemieux had impressive rookie seasons, and taking that next step in their development will be big to help the forward units. The club lost veterans Noah Morneau and Ryan Abraham to graduation, so having the youngsters step up and take a bigger role to fill in will be important.
Will Bowler Tinker With the Roster?
While the players battle it out for a spot, Bowler will be in the stands watching and in his office doing his due diligence. Expectations for this season are high.
Going from worst-to-first in your division is very tough in the OHL. Everyone in their division wanted to improve somehow, as opposed to looking at the future, and you won’t likely see that change much this season. While the team has built up several 2008-born players, their primary veterans are from the 2005 (overage) and 2006-born groups. Their 2006 group features captain Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings), A.J. Spellacy (Chicago Blackhawks), Cole Davis, Nathan Gaymes, and Protas (if he returns), plus defencemen Anthony Cristoforo, Connor Walton, and Carson Woodall. It’s a group that’s been together for multiple seasons and would likely want to go out with a bang.
Will Bowler tinker with the roster before the regular season begins? Will he wait until later in the season or the deadline? Are there big moves coming, or smaller ones that shore up holes? He’s often come across as a quiet, calculated, and direct person, for better or worse. He rarely shows his cards, but, as we’ve seen over history, he’s just as active on the trade front as his mentor Warren Rychel was. You just have to get used to his “close to the chest” demeanour. If the club wants to go all-in this season, the work has likely already gotten underway. It’s just a matter of time before something happens.
As camp gets underway this week, there’s plenty of intrigue and optimism surrounding the team. The veterans are itching for redemption, while the rookies are looking to make an impression. There is going to be chaos on the ice, and likely some off of it, as they head towards the regular season. Camp gets started on Thurs. Aug. 28, at the WFCU Centre and is free to the public.
