As Windsor Spitfires’ general manager Bill Bowler gets started on his 2025 offseason plans, one of the biggest areas he will have to figure out is his overage situation. If the club is going to be an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) contender again in 2025-26, this has to be as strong of a group as he can build.
Every team in the OHL is currently allowed to have three overage (20-year-old) players dress per game. For the 2025-26 season, that means anyone born in 2005. Since their 2021 Draft, Bowler has tinkered with the 2005-born group many times, and it looks vastly different than it did at draft time. The group now has some strengths and concerns. After winning the West Division this season, they want to contend next season, and that’s going to take a strong overage group. Let’s take a look at who could return and who might be moving on to future endeavours.
Defenceman Wyatt Kennedy
Back in January, Bowler went into the trade deadline with the hopes of getting at least one big, crease-clearing defenceman that could return for 2025-26. He ultimately went to the North Bay Battalion and found 19-year-old Wyatt Kennedy. The 6-foot-5, 202-pounder had plenty of playoff experience from the Battalion’s run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2023-24, and the Spitfires were hoping to lean on that.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the experience came in handy as the Spitfires were riddled with injuries, eventually losing to the Kitchener Rangers in the second round. Kennedy became everything the team needed on defence and in the room. The question is whether or not he returns for a final season.
When Bowler brought him in, the idea was that Kennedy would return for an overage season. He’s almost an ideal candidate. However, with the NCAA-Canadian Hockey League (CHL) rules changing in November, allowing CHL players to join the college ranks for the first time, it’s created a bit of a mess. Kennedy could head to college next season, leaving Bowler needing to find another veteran defenceman for 2025-26.
We won’t likely know about his status until well into the summer months, but he should be one of the Spitfires’ top options for an overager next season.
Goaltender Joey Costanzo
Another one of Bowler’s top options for overagers is goaltender Joey Costanzo. A second-round pick by the Niagara IceDogs in 2021, he was the backbone of the Spitfires’ playoff run this season.
Costanzo was projected to be the Spitfires’ top guy after Bowler acquired him in September 2022. Unfortunately, after a solid rookie season, he slipped in 2023-24 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 5.11 and a save percentage (SV%) of .855 in 39 appearances. He came into 2024-25 with something to prove and aced it with a .892 SV% and 2.94 GAA in 51 appearances. He also added a .911 SV% and 2.29 GAA in 12 playoff games.
The season was a rollercoaster for the Toronto native, starting off among the best goaltenders in the league, but slipping up in the second half. Everyone knew he had more to give, and he found his game in the playoffs. If nothing else, it made his case for an overage spot next season. Will that still happen?
The Spitfires have four goaltenders – Costanzo, Carter Froggett, 19, Michael Newlove, 18, and Jake Windbiel, 17 – all signed and in the system. Froggett was Costanzo’s backup this season while Newlove (Junior A) and Windbiel (Junior B) developed in the lower levels. However, all three could argue they’re ready for the next challenge.
Related: Windsor Spitfires: 5 Questions to Ask During Summer 2025
Currently, the “three overagers” rule includes goaltenders and creates a tough decision for Bowler. However, there’s a chance they could alter the rule so goaltenders wouldn’t count against the total. If the league goes that route, it creates more possibilities for the Spitfires. A healthy, focused Costanzo is dynamic when he’s on his game. That could be a huge bonus to the team if they want to make another run next season.
Defenceman Josef Eichler
This is where decisions really need to be made. The CHL Import Draft has allowed teams to carry two players whose parents reside primarily outside of Canada or the United States.
In 2023, the Spitfires drafted Czech defenceman Josef Eichler. The 17-year-old was 6-foot, 194 pounds, liked to hit everything, was solid defensively, and could chip in offensively. They anticipated that he would add to their younger core and develop into a top-four defenceman before graduating. He’s come as-advertised; just 28 points in 127 games but over 200 penalty minutes, plenty of grit, and leadership in the room. It’s clear he loves being in the organization.
The Spitfires then selected 17-year-old Belarusian forward Ilya Protas (Washington Capitals) last July, and he is eligible to play in the American Hockey League (AHL) next season. The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder, who has since turned 18, was the third overall pick and finished second in the OHL with 124 points in 61 games. His return would be a massive boost to the offence.
This is where it gets slightly complicated. On Wed., May 7, the CHL announced that the 2025 Import Draft (Wed., July 2 at 11 a.m.) will increase from two rounds to three, allowing teams to keep a third Import player. Teams can also trade picks up to two days before the draft.
To add to this, Eichler was drafted by the Lincoln Stars in their 2025 United States Hockey League (USHL) Draft this week. It gives him another option in case the Spitfires go a different route. The club could have picks 53, 114, and 175 if Bowler keeps all three picks.
Having an overage player take up an Import slot is rare as only three OHL teams had that combination this season. If you’re trying to contend, that player likely has to be dynamic. As good as Eichler is, it’s tough to say he checks that box right now. Bowler now has decisions to make, and it’s a tough game to guess right now.
Forward Luke McNamara
Like Kennedy, forward Luke McNamara was brought to the Spitfires at the January trade deadline with hopes of being a two-season player. He didn’t have the playoff experience like Kennedy, but the veteran was the Saginaw Spirits’ first-round pick in 2021 before being traded to the Kingston Frontenacs. Bowler saw potential in him.
At 6-foot-3, 181 pounds, the Mississauga native had 48 points in 85 games with the Frontenacs before joining the Spitfires. Most of his previous ice time was in the bottom six, so he just wanted a chance to show his worth. He got that on occasion. While he was mostly on the third and fourth line in the second half, Spitfires’ head coach Greg Walters put him in the top six when injuries started up, and he showed well. There was speed, creativity, and a drive to get better. His stats didn’t quite reflect that with just nine points in 27 games, but he seemed to find the net in the clutch, which was important.
Is that good enough to earn an overage spot next season? It’s a tough sell. If the Spitfires go for a big playoff run, they will need as quality an overage group as they can get. McNamara has all the tools but hasn’t quite been able to put them all together just yet. He may start off with the Spitfires, but don’t be shocked if he finishes elsewhere.
Forward Owen Outwater
In November 2023, Bowler went looking to upgrade his 2005-born class, and one of his targets was Frontenacs’ forward Owen Outwater. A first-round pick by the Battalion in 2021, the 6-foot-2, 187-pound Ottawa native had 41 points in 62 games for the Frontenacs in 2022-23 and another nine points in 19 games in 2023-24 before being traded to the Spitfires.
Congrats to Owen Outwater on 150 Career OHL Games! 🏒#WindsorSpitfires pic.twitter.com/53cf0DAiNU
— X – Windsor Spitfires (@SpitsHockey) December 1, 2023
While he was quick with offensive potential, there was one glaring issue – he was injury-prone. He had shoulder surgery in the spring of 2023, then injured his other shoulder in a road game against the Erie Otters in January 2024. That put him out for the season. Less than a year later, on Dec. 12, 2024, also against the Otters, he reinjured a shoulder at home, and it put him out for this season. It was devastating for both him and the team. Where does he go from here?
If he were healthy, he would have been a solid option to return for an overage season. He had 14 points in 26 games and, with the right line, he could flourish at both ends. However, his long-term health has to be a priority. Does Bowler keep him around as an option, in case things go right? Do they find him another spot? Does he even stay within the game? There are no easy answers.
Defenceman-Turned-Forward Tanner Winegard
If you look up “team player” in the dictionary, you’ll likely see a picture of defenceman-turned-forward Tanner Winegard. The 20-year-old Brights Grove native was the club’s 11th-round pick in 2021 and, after plenty of Junior B seasoning, earned his way onto the team in 2023-24. The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder played in 53 games with six points and 27 penalty minutes, being a bottom-pair policeman when needed.
The Windsor Spitfires (@SpitsHockey) have signed 11th-round 2021 #OHLDraft pick Tanner Winegard, who played for the @LondonNationals and @SLegionnaires of the GOJHL last season, to an #OHL scholarship and development agreement.
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) September 12, 2023
DETAILS 📰: https://t.co/9pdKczicTq pic.twitter.com/nxHkkFb8Zu
This season, with the Spitfires’ defence hard to crack, he shifted up to forward when they needed him to dress. He only got into 37 games but had two points and continued to be a physical presence. Unfortunately, he was injured just before the playoffs and didn’t dress for any games.
Winegard was valuable as a seventh defenceman, or even a 13th forward, and filled in admirably when the team’s injury list piled up. He was also loved in the room and the community. However, it’s tough to see him returning for a final season. He may show up at camp to get in some action, but it would be a surprise to see him dress for another OHL game.
Forward Alec Stewart
The final player in the 2005-group is forward Alec Stewart. He was the Spitfires’ third-round pick in the 2021 Under-18 Draft. While he got into 24 OHL games, recording an assist, most of his playing time was in Junior B where he had 59 points in 97 games.
From 2022-24, Stewart was one of the first call-ups for Bowler. This season, the Spitfires went for more youth, but he still got into two games and another four in the playoffs. While there’s always a chance he sticks around to attend training camp, moving on to the next part of his career seems more likely.
Bowler has been trying to build the 2005-group for a few seasons now, and if the team is going to make a championship run in 2025-26, this will be a very important group. Hopefully, we’ll get some answers as the summer progresses.
