The unofficial first half of the 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season has wrapped up. Now, it’s time for Santa to visit the teams and the Windsor Spitfires have a few things they could use under their trees for the second half.
This season has been nothing short of impressive for the Spitfires. After finishing second last in the league last season, they shot to the top of the Western Conference almost immediately and have found a way to stay there. From dynamic offence to a surprisingly improved defence and a comeback season in goal, there are few complaints around the WFCU Centre. However, there’s always room for improvement. The club wrapped up the first half on Thurs., Dec. 19 against the Guelph Storm and now they get ready for good old Santa Claus to make his visit. What are we putting on their wish list? Here are five items (in no particular order), plus things they’ve personally asked for.
100-Point Season for Liam Greentree
In 2022-23, the Spitfires saw then-rookie forward Liam Greentree get his feet wet at the WFCU Centre. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Oshawa native came highly-touted as a possible future first-round NHL pick.
Since then, Greentree, now 6-foot-3, 216-pounds, has done a mic drop in his OHL career. In his rookie season, he posted 45 points in 61 games and followed that up with a breakout 2023-24 campaign with 36 goals and 90 points in 64 games. This season, he has consistently been near the top of the OHL scoring leaderboard and finished the first half with 52 points in 32 games. That puts him on pace for 109 points, which would make him the third Spitfire to reach that total since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021-22, forward Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars) hit 124 points in 68 games while forward Matthew Maggio (New York Islanders) hit 54 goals and 111 points in 66 games a season later.
The first wish on the Spitfires’ list is to get Greentree his 100-point season to join some elite company. The Los Angeles Kings’ 2024 first-rounder has been Mr. Everything for the club and they named him captain last season. Getting to that century mark would be a nice feather in the helmet of an already impressive resume.
A Fully Healthy Roster
Injuries are a part of hockey (and life) and the Spitfires are no exception to that. Through most of the first half, they were fortunate to have a mostly healthy roster, save for the odd bumps and bruises that kept players out for short periods. However, that changed once the calendar hit December.
In early December, forward Owen Outwater suffered an upper-body injury during a home game and immediately went to the room. It came less than a year after he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on the road. In following games, the club lost 2024 first-overall pick forward Ethan Belchetz to an upper-body injury against the London Knights, while goaltender Carter Froggett, 18, fell to a lower-body injury in the same game. To add to the list, defencemen Tnias Mathurin and Conor Walton were both hurt between games and were scratched for the final game before Christmas. After their last home game, head coach Greg Walters said that Mathurin, Belchetz, and Froggett were close to returning. However, the others weren’t known yet.
Related: Windsor Spitfires Name Ethan Belchetz Top Pick in 2024 OHL Draft
This brings us to our second wish on the list – a healthy Spitfires roster as soon as possible. While every team goes through injuries, you don’t want to see numerous ones at the same time, nor do you want to see anyone out for a long period. A healthy roster would mean a lot for the team, the players, and their families.
A Big, Stay-at-Home Veteran Defenceman
When the Christmas break ends, the OHL’s Holiday Trade Freeze comes to an end. The 2024-25 Trade Deadline is set for Jan. 9 at noon for overage (20-year-old) players and Jan. 10 at noon for everyone else.
The days following the freeze ending is when general manager Bill Bowler does his thing. In each of the last three seasons, he’s been very active. This season, it’s tougher to get a read on what he’s going to do. The club sits in a good position to win the West Division, which would guarantee them at least the second seed in the conference come playoff time. However, nobody expected them to be in this position and the target for contending was 2025-26. As they get ready for any type of run, there’s one thing they could really use.
The third wish on our list to Santa is a big stay-at-home defenceman with experience. They have Walton, who stands 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, but he’s the only crease-clearer they have. Mathurin has size but plays at both ends of the rink, while the rest of their defencemen are smaller or more offensive. Getting that bigger veteran, whether it’s for this season or through 2025-26, would go a long way to helping them clinch another division title.
Continued Growth in Their Confidence
Last season, the Spitfires had issues from almost the beginning. They were confident in their own abilities, but the systems were missing and they couldn’t find any consistency. Now, it’s a completely different story.
From day one, Walters has instilled new systems, a family-like culture, and a team confidence that we haven’t seen since 2021-22. The club went 5-0 in the preseason, building the confidence, and have kept that ball rolling through the first half. They’ve routinely said that, even if they’re down two or three goals, they know they’ve got a good shot of coming back to win. Their momentum has grown with each week and they’re a proud, tight-knit group.
Our fourth gift on the wish list for Santa is to see that confidence continue to grow. They come into the Christmas break with a 7-2-0-1 record in their last 10 games and an eagerness to continue their momentum. However, teams are loading up for a playoff run, including the top-seeded Knights, who just acquired star defenceman Cam Allen days before the break. If they can continue to grow together, despite the harder competition, that will go a long way toward helping them once the playoffs start.
A Western Division Title
From 2021-23, the Spitfires won back-to-back West Division titles for the first time since 2008-10. It signaled the start of a new era for the organization. It also made last season’s failure that much tougher to accept. Going from the top of the mountain to nearly the bottom of the valley was a shock to the system.
Fortunately, the club has picked itself up, dusted off, and figured out a way to start the journey back to glory quicker than expected. It hasn’t been an easy path, and it will only get harder, but they’re a group determined to show that last season was a fluke.
The final wish on our list for Santa is a West Division title for the Spitfires. They’ve been in the hunt since opening night and winning the division would be an automatic top-two seed in the conference for the playoffs, a massive boost for the players and the organization. They’re currently 16 points up on the Saginaw Spirit for the division lead, but the OHL can be a strange beast and nothing is a given. In 2019-20, just before COVID-19 hit, the Flint Firebirds went on a 15-game winning streak in the second half to get past the Spitfires for home ice in the first round (if it had happened). You can’t assume any lead is safe this early in the season.
What the Spitfires Asked For
While we’ve given a list of things we think the Spitfires could use, what do the players and Walters want for themselves? At the last home game, against the Storm, we asked Walters, along with forwards Noah Morneau, 20, and Cole Davis, 18, what was on their wish lists for Santa. Here’s what they’re asking for.
Walters – “I just want the kids to enjoy the time off with their families and have a great holiday and be safe. We’ll get back to work on the 27th.”
Davis – “Some clothes for sure. Some nice new clothes. Maybe a pair of kicks. Otherwise, nothing too fancy.” He wore a sleeveless hoodie during the post-game interview. Are more on the list? “Oh yeah, show off the guns (laughs).”
Morneau – “I don’t know if I have a wish list. A lot of people have asked me what I want and I said ‘anything.’ If you think I like it, then you get me that.”
No matter what Santa brings for the team and the players, we hope everyone has a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, hockey fans!
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