The Windsor Spitfires have wrapped up their 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) preseason. It was a busy month, one that brought on-ice optimism, off-ice entertainment, and plenty of tough decisions still to come from management.
Coming into camp and the preseason, the club looked much different than when they finished the 2023-24 campaign. There has been significant roster turnover from graduations to trades and draft pick signings, and new head coach Greg Walters is trying to instill his systems on the team. Nobody really knew what to expect from their five preseason games but fans got more than they bargained for. Here are five takeaways from a busy month.
Belchetz Shows Early Promise
When the Spitfires finished second last in the OHL last March, there was a silver lining as they would take part in the OHL Draft Lottery. Everyone wanted a shot at the top pick in April’s draft and, thanks to some good luck, the club won it. Enter forward Ethan Belchetz.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Oakville native was a beast for the Oakville Rangers U16 AAA team last season with 46 goals in 34 games and another five goals and 11 points in seven OHL Cup games. It’s hard to pass up the tournament’s Most Valuable Player when he’s handed to you on a platter. General manager Bill Bowler took the swing and didn’t miss.
You never want to put expectations on a rookie, regardless of whether they’re pick one or pick 200. However, Belchetz has shown the team and the fans that what they’ve seen on YouTube is reality. He’s a smooth skater who doesn’t try to overdo anything on the ice. He keeps it simple, plays aggressive, and will capitalize before you realize you’ve lost the puck. In five preseason games, he had six goals and nine points, second in the league only to Brantford Bulldogs’ veteran Jake O’Brien (10 points).
Related: Windsor Spitfires Name Ethan Belchetz Top Pick in 2024 OHL Draft
It’s hard to get a perfect gauge on how a player will perform just by his preseason stats. A lot of teams have players away at NHL camps and it’s going to take time to get lines adjusted. However, if September was any indication of what the rest of the season, and his career, will hold, Belchetz is going to put people in the seats.
No Easy Crease Answers
In most seasons, you have a clear-cut starting goaltender with one or two battling it out for the backup spot. This season has been much different, though. That’s presenting a problem for Bowler as there are no easy answers.
After a solid sophomore 2022-23 season that included a 3.03 goals-against average (GAA) and .901 save percentage (SV%), veteran Joey Costanzo struggled last season with a 5.09 GAA and .855 SV% in 40 games. Part of that was because of a very inexperienced defence but part of that was on him, too. Unfortunately, this is part of the reason for the complicated crease.
The Spitfires have two rookies who made it through camp – Carter Froggett, 18, and Jake Windbiel, 16. Froggett was a sixth-round pick in 2022 and has been biding his time in Junior B. Windbiel was a seventh-round pick in April’s draft and is considered to have NHL potential. The two, along with Costanzo, all have a legitimate shot of making the roster.
During camp, Froggett and Costanzo had a .872 SV% and a .875 SV%, respectively, though Froggett had a 3.00 GAA while Costanzo was at 4.80 GAA in just 20 more minutes. Windbiel played half as much as the others (50 minutes) and had an impressive 2.38 GAA and .926 SV%. He’s only 16, though, and handing him the starter’s role is highly unlikely.
What does Bowler do here? There’s no simple answer and it may be the toughest goaltending decision the team has had since Michael DiPietro forced their hand as a rookie in 2015-16.
The 2008 Group Showing Smoother Transition to OHL
Every season, a fresh group of draft picks laces up the skates and hits the ice for their first training camp and preseason. It’s often a chance to get a look at them before sending most off to the Junior B ranks. This season, the 2008-born (2024 Draft) is another group that’s not making life easy for Bowler.
Belchetz aside, this group came into camp eager to show that, not only did they belong, but deserved a roster spot. Windbiel, along with forwards Max Brocklehurst, J.C. Lemieux, and Ethan Garden, plus defenceman Carter Hicks, have made the transition to the OHL seem easier than it likely is.
Brocklehurst is just 5-foot-9, 155-pounds but was very quick and threw the body around without a care. He added three assists in five games. Garden’s just 5-foot-8, 166-pounds but led the 2008 group with a goal and five points in five games. His speed got the crowd’s attention and his willingness to get involved didn’t go unnoticed. Lemieux had a pair of goals, including one in the preseason finale. Hicks became a mainstay on defence, playing a simple but effective game and finished with two assists and a plus-5 rating in five games.
Not everyone can make the Spitfires right away. Some will have to spend time in Junior B and get called up periodically throughout the season. The fact that they all contributed in the preseason shows the transition to the OHL could be smoother than anticipated.
Neutral Venues Bring Games to the Fans
The Spitfires normally play all of their home games at the WFCU Centre which is on the eastern end of the City of Windsor. That includes preseason, too. This season, though, they changed it up and brought the game to the fans.
After over 10 years of having preseason games at the WFCU Centre, they brought two games to the community. On Thurs., Sept. 19, the team faced off against the Flint Firebirds at the Vollmer Complex in LaSalle, which is a community of about 32,000 people just southwest of Windsor. The arena holds about 1,000 people and is home to the Spitfires’ Junior B affiliate, the Vipers. It was a fantastic venue for the game. Fans lined up before the doors opened and there was a steady stream leading up to game time. They were in for a treat, too, as the home side held off the visitors for a 5-3 win.
A couple of crowd shots from Windsor/Flint on Thursday night in Lasalle. #OHL #Spitfires pic.twitter.com/Na8yrxPbht
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) September 22, 2024
On Saturday, the Spitfires headed to Lakeshore, a community of about 40,000 that’s 30 minutes east of the WFCU Centre, to face the Niagara IceDogs. It was held at the Atlas Tube Recreation Centre, which also holds about 1,000 people. Fans packed the venue to see the Spitfires come out with another 5-3 win.
Home games outside of the WFCU Centre have been rare. During the 2000s, the Spitfires occasionally played preseason games at South Windsor Arena. However, when they moved to the WFCU Centre, that became the focal point. Now, bringing the game to the fans is a solid way to promote the game and thank fans for their loyalty. Hopefully, they’ll be able to do more of these in the future.
Patience Is Still Paramount
When the final horn sounded to end preseason, the club was an impressive 5-0. It’s their best preseason record since at least 2013. They came together, despite numerous veterans away at NHL training camps, and gave the fans a small taste of what could happen this season. However, the key word there is “could.”
Let’s not forget – despite winning back-to-back Western Conference regular season titles from 2021-23, they still finished last in the conference in 2023-24. It was a rough season and, as great as it would be to see them climb right back into the upper echelon of the league, this is still a process. Patience is going to be required, at least for the first half of the season. Walters will implement systems, find lines that work, and it’s going to take time for everything to click. They’re going to have great, high-scoring, rock-solid defensive nights, along with games that you slouch down in your seat and hope for the final buzzer. That’s part of junior hockey.
This was an entertaining camp and preseason with plenty of highlights and reasons to be optimistic. That’s a good thing. Just don’t forget the patience when you come to the rink. The club opens the entire OHL regular season on Wed., Sept. 25 when they hit the road to face the Memorial Cup champion Saginaw Spirit.
