Every season, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has one or two players that become the coveted “big piece” at the Jan. 10 trade deadline. In 2017, one of those players was Kitchener Rangers’ forward Jeremy Bracco (Toronto Maple Leafs). The Windsor Spitfires swooped in to acquire him for their Memorial Cup hosting duties and it became a deal still talked about to this day.
Then-Spitfires’ general manager Warren Rychel was never one to avoid the big move. He was an in-your-face kind of manager who traded with passion and gusto. With less than 24 hours until the annual trade deadline, he pulled off one of his more surprising moves, acquiring Bracco from the Rangers in a package deal. There was nothing small about this and the buzz filled the WFCU Centre in Windsor. Let’s go through and see how the deal played out in the end.
The Trade
To Spitfires
- Forward Jeremy Bracco
- Rangers’ eight-round pick in 2017
- Rangers’ 13th-round pick in 2018
To Rangers
- Forward Cole Carter
- Defenceman Andrew Burns
- Spitfires’ second-round pick in 2023
- Spitfires’ second-round pick in 2024
- Spitfires’ second-round pick in 2025 (conditional)
What the Spitfires Received
Bracco, the Rangers’ fifth-round pick in 2013, was a highly-touted Leafs’ prospect who had originally gone the US route. The Freeport, NY native spent two seasons with the US National Team Development Program before joining Boston College for five games in 2015-16. Soon after, though, he left that program and signed with the Rangers, instead.
Through 76 games with the Rangers, he racked up 38 goals and 115 points, showing he was the real deal offensively. While just 5-foot-8, 180-pounds, the slick skater could do it all with the puck and the Spitfires were intrigued. He wasn’t expected to be the star with his new club but still put up 32 points in 30 regular season games.
His best work may have come during the Memorial Cup, though, when he scored three goals and eight points in the four games. One of his assists also came on the Championship-winning goal where he used his unique skating style to get past the Erie Otters’ and fire the puck to veteran Aaron Luchuk, who promptly put home the winner. It was one of those moments that Spitfires’ fans will never forget.
While Bracco was eligible to come back for a final season, it didn’t happen. He went straight to the Maple Leafs’ farm system for three seasons before heading overseas. In 2022-23, he played 59 games for Nur-Sultan Barys of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), scoring 40 points.
Related: Windsor Spitfires’ All-Time OHL Roster
What about those picks? The eighth-round pick became winger Markus Paterson, who didn’t make the club, while the 13th-round pick became winger Luke Tuch, who went the American route.
Bracco was a solid pickup for Rychel and the play to win the Memorial Cup may have been worth the price on its own. But what did it all cost the Spitfires?
What the Rangers Received
Defenceman Andrew Burns
The 6-foot, 180-pound Burns was the Spitfires’ third-round pick in 2013. While he wasn’t the most offensive player with just 30 points in 173 games, he was dependable and a leader on the ice. He played a simple game that the Rangers valued.
After the deal, Burns had five assists in 29 games for the Rangers before being injured. In the summer of 2017, he left the OHL to join the Caledonia Corvairs of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) in 2017-18. Since then, he played two games with Carleton University from 2018-20 and another 10 games (eight playoff games) with the Tillsonburg Thunder of the Western Ontario Super Hockey League (WOSHL) in 2021-22.
Forward Cole Carter
This was a tough piece for Rychel to move. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder was the Spitfires’ fourth-round pick in 2015 and the complete package. He provided offence with 53 points in 96 games prior to the deal, threw the body a little bit, and was a leader off of the ice. However, you have to pay to play.
Carter came as advertised for the Rangers, scoring 35 points in 68 games and earning an “A” in 2017-18. Unfortunately, his time with the Rangers didn’t last beyond the 2018 Trade Deadline as he was shipped to the Mississauga Steelheads for the Spitfires’ third-round pick in 2020, the Steelheads’ sixth-round pick in 2020, and the Steelheads’ third-round pick in 2022. After the trade, he became the Steelheads’ captain in 2018-19, moved on to Carleton University from 2019-22, and is now with the Manchester Storm of the Elite Ice Hockey League in Britain.
What about those new picks for the Rangers? The Spitfires’ third-rounder went to the Niagara IceDogs in August 2018 in a package deal for forward Justin MacPherson, who stayed with the club for two seasons. The Steelheads’ sixth-round pick went to the Sarnia Sting in April 2021 for the Barrie Colts’ fifth-rounder in 2021 and the Rangers selected Ryan Fine. He’s been with the US National Development Program (like Bracco) and is a Harvard University commit for 2023-24. Finally, the Steelheads’ third-rounder was kept and they took forward Justin Bottineau, who played 50 games for them in 2022-23.
Spitfires’ Second-Round Pick in 2023
This one was straight-forward as the Rangers traded it to the Steelheads in June 2019 for goaltender Jacob Ingham. The 19-year-old Los Angeles Kings’ prospect gave them stability in goal, playing 49 games in his final OHL season before everything shut down due to COVID-19.
Spitfires’ Second-Round Pick in 2024
This pick didn’t last long with the Rangers, either. They traded it to the Guelph Storm at the 2018 Deadline in a package for forward Givani Smith.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Toronto native was a budding power forward who could hit and produce with equal ability. The Rangers loved that for their playoff push. In 27 games for them, he had 19 points and 36 penalty minutes. Unfortunately, they lost to the Soo Greyhounds in the Western Conference Final. The Detroit Red Wings’ 2016 second-rounder then moved on to their farm system before being traded to the Florida Panthers, where he is now.
Spitfires’ Second-Round Pick in 2025 (conditional)
While there were no details given as to what the conditions were, the Rangers did get this pick and, like the other picks, traded it away. This time, it was sent to the Hamilton Bulldogs in October 2022 for veteran goaltender Marco Costantini.
It proved to be an incredibly slick move. Costantini was a big part of the Bulldogs’ run to the 2022 Memorial Cup (losing in the championship game), including defeating the Spitfires in the OHL Championship. That experience proved invaluable in 2022-23 as the eighth-seeded Rangers upset the first-seeded Spitfires in the first round. It was the first time in OHL history that the top seed was swept in the first round and just the third time an eighth seed won overall. He allowed just seven goals on 137 shots, shutting down a potent offence that included Shane Wright (Seattle Kraken), Brett Harrison (Boston Bruins), and captain Matthew Maggio (New York Islanders). However, he couldn’t replicate the run as the club ended up losing to the second-seeded London Knights in five games in the second round.
Verdict: Spitfires Secure Success
When you’re hosting the Memorial Cup, the only objective is to win it. Anything short of that is a failure. Rychel went out, got a prized piece, and didn’t look back. While Bracco wasn’t flash-and-dash, he is part of one of the biggest moments in the organization’s history and nobody can take that away from them.
The Rangers received some huge pieces, including one that forced the Spitfires into an awful part of league history. However, without a league title to show for it, does that measure up to what Bracco gave? It’s hard to say yes. This isn’t a landslide by any means but it’s a Spitfires’ win, regardless.
