The 2024-25 Windsor Spitfires are becoming harder to overlook. A four-point weekend has them sitting in sole possession of first place atop the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Western Conference and they’re making teams pay attention.
You can’t blame teams if they brushed the Spitfires aside early this season. After all, the club finished last in the Western Conference last season and had significant roster turnover. However, general manager Bill Bowler has put together a club that’s playing for each other and a coaching staff that’s giving them the tools they need to compete with the best. This past weekend, they faced another tough challenge with games against three contenders, including two on the road. That didn’t stop them from making a Thanksgiving weekend statement, though.
Spitfires Finding Comfort on the Road
If you’re going to contend, you need to get points on the road. Last season, the Spitfires were a dismal 7-22-3-1 away from the WFCU Centre. After earning three points in two road games to start the season, they earned a big road win against the Brantford Bulldogs on Sat., Oct. 6. That trend needed to continue this past weekend.
This time, the competition got even tougher with the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) top-ranked Brampton Steelheads at the CAA Centre on Friday and the always-tough Erie Otters at the Erie Insurance Arena on Saturday.
Fortunately for the Spitfires, Washington Capitals’ prospect Ilya Protas had a three-point Friday night while 11 players earned a point in a 7-5 win. On Saturday, they jumped out to a 3-1 lead over the Otters. However, the home side clawed back in the third to take the lead. Add in a pair of empty net goals and it was a 6-3 loss, the Spitfires’ first in regulation this season.
On Monday, Spitfires’ head coach Greg Walters said that, despite the loss, he still appreciated the effort against the Otters.
“The game in Erie, we played extremely well,” he said. “We hate giving up a lead in the third, but we played extremely well. Their goalie made some huge saves to keep them in there. The hockey gods went against us with some fluky stuff, nothing structurally.”
Winning on the road is tough, especially at the start of the season. You have to build chemistry, connections, and figure out how opponents play in their own barn. Earning two points this weekend, to add to the five-of-six they already had, though, is making a statement.
WFCU Centre is Home Sweet Home
On Monday, the club returned home to 5,078 fans to face the Oshawa Generals in the final game of the weekend. The visitors had 2023-24 OHL Goaltender of the Year, Jacob Oster, along with forwards Colby Barlow (Winnipeg Jets) and Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks) and defenceman Ben Danford (Toronto Maple Leafs). While they’re currently battling for a playoff spot, they’re expected to contend.
Despite the Spitfires holding a 15-8 shot lead after the first period, they couldn’t solve Oster. The visitors found a way against goaltender Joey Costanzo, though, and grabbed a 2-0 lead. However, the home side stuck to their systems. In the second period, Protas finally beat Oster to cut the deficit to 2-1, despite outshooting the Generals 33-12. That approach worked in the third period, too. Another 17 shots resulted in three more goals on Oster, plus an empty netter, in a 5-2 Spitfires’ win.
Related: Spitfires Add Size, Select Protas at 2024 CHL Import Draft
The Spitfires are now 3-0 at home, outscoring opponents 22-4. After the game, Walters gave credit to the entire team but specifically mentioned the leaders.
“We were in complete control of the game and had all of the momentum and offensive zone time,” he said. “Then, suddenly, it’s 2-0 (Generals). To their credit, our leadership group said we’ve been here before and stayed calm and doing the right things. I don’t think we could have played a better 60-minute game at this stage of the season.”
A four-point night from captain Liam Greentree, combined with a team 50-shot performance, propelled the Windsor #Spitfires to a 5-2 win over the Oshawa Generals at the WFCU Centre on Monday. #OHL pic.twitter.com/nnXIQ76wop
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) October 14, 2024
Protas’ second-period goal was from the low slot, an area he worked on last summer with his brother Aliaksei, who also plays for the Capitals. Now, Ilya gets a chance to play with captain Liam Greentree and they’ve found chemistry.
“I really like playing with him,” he said. “He’s a great player, playmaker, goal scorer, and his work ethic is at a really high level.”
Spitfires Making OHL Take Notice?
With the weekend over and a 6-1-1 record to their name, are the Spitfires becoming contenders or are teams just taking them lightly? An answer will be necessary soon.
After going 18-42-5-3 last season, teams have a certain impression of you. Bowler added talent in the offseason, including Protas, but that doesn’t necessarily change the league’s opinion this quickly. On Monday, Walters was quick to focus on his own team instead of whether or not they’re making a statement.
“Who knows?” he said. “All we care about right now is ourselves and trying to get better every day. We definitely did that today.”
It’s an understandable approach. However, something has changed in the organization from a season ago to create this improvement and put them on the radar. Defenceman Conor Walton, who scored his first of the season on Monday, said even when they were down against the Generals, nobody got upset or blamed others. He said the club’s depth and accountability have been night and day from last season.
“We have a lot more depth,” he said. “Our systems are good, everyone is buying in. Last season was a bit of a ‘do your own thing’ type thing but this season, everyone knows that you buy in. If you don’t buy in, you’re going to sit, no matter if you’re a first-rounder in the NHL or an overage player who just got here. It doesn’t matter, everyone is treated equally. It’s really good, the culture is a lot better and a lot different.”
A team that takes accountability and buys into systems will find success. Despite playing just eight games, they’ve changed and are forcing teams to take notice. If this continues, they’re going to enter contender status before the January trade deadline, which may force Bowler to make decisions.
