The Windsor Spitfires are becoming a tale of two teams. After a brutal start that saw just four wins in 21 games to open their 2023-24 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season, a second four-point weekend in three weeks has them building momentum as they get ready for the final games before Christmas.
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Starting the season with just four wins in 21 games was something nobody expected. However, major coaching changes and a renewed energy seem to have turned the Spitfires in a 180. After winning three of five on a long road trip over two weeks, they came home this weekend looking to build on that. Not only did they get more big performances in goal, but some Teddy power has pushed them out of last in the league. It’s a big step in the right direction. Here are five takes from a busy weekend.
5 Takeaways from Teddy Bear Toss Weekend
Weekend results:
Thurs., Dec. 7 – 4-1 win v. Barrie Colts
Sat., Dec. 9 – 6-3 loss v. Oshawa Generals
Sun., Dec. 10 – 6-3 win v. Flint Firebirds
Current record: 9-19-1-0 – 19 points (last place in Western Conference, 19th in OHL)
5. Michelone Pushing for Starting Role
This season, the goaltending situation seemed simple – veteran Joey Costanzo, 18, was the starter, and Ian Michelone, 19, was his backup following a season with the LaSalle Vipers Junior B. However, it hasn’t fully gone according to plan.
With an inexperienced defence in front of them, both have struggled, and frustration was building. On Mon., Nov. 20, after allowing 125 goals in 21 games with no answer in sight, the pot boiled over. Head coach Jerrod Smith was fired, while assistant coach Andy Delmore and goaltending coach Michael Leighton both re-signed. Assistant coach Casey Torres was named interim head coach while general manager Bill Bowler temporarily joined the bench.
Related: Windsor Spitfires Make Multiple Coaching Changes
Three days later, the club started a five-game road trip. However, it was during the third game that a light switch flipped for Michelone. He stopped 26-of-29 shots in a win against his hometown Ottawa 67’s. Since then, he’s allowed four goals on 98 shots in three starts, including 47 saves on Sunday against the Firebirds. After the game, he said playing “a lighter game” has helped.
“I feel like recently I’ve started to play a much lighter game, similar to how I played those Junior B games with the Vipers,” Michelone said. “It’s the same emotion; a lightness. I feel that now … Physically and mentally, it’s a matter of accepting that this is the moment we’re in and just playing to what I know I can play at.”
Michelone said he and Costanzo have a great relationship, including sharing a hotel room on the road. They push each other and fully support on and off the ice. The team has faith in both of them, too. However, if Michelone continues this hot streak, he may just take over the starter’s role from Costanzo.
4. Torres and Spitfires Encourage Patience
On Thursday, fans got to see this new look team for the first time since the coaching changes. Torres said it’s a process, and they’ve made changes because repeating the same mistakes doesn’t help.
“We dug ourselves a big hole,” he said. “You would be crazy to just keep going and doing the exact same thing over and over again; it’s the definition of insanity … We definitely made some changes. We have a young group that needs a lot of work, a lot of coaching, a lot of talking, and overall it’s challenging them, putting them in situations in practice where they can be successful.”
Defenceman Anthony Cristoforo, who’s on the NHL’s radar for the 2024 NHL Draft, had four points on the weekend. On Thursday, he said a new voice was needed, and they’ve bought in.
“I think … we just needed a little change, a new voice behind the bench,” Cristoforo said. “We changed some of the systems in our defensive zone and we liked that. I think it’s the buy-in to Casey and Bill behind the bench. There’s a bunch of factors but I think it’s just us wanting and willing to play more defence that’s been the key.”
When you’re struggling, the fans get frustrated, too. You want to go to the rink and see a competitive game. Torres said the fans are vital and encouraged them to stick with this process.
“The fans mean everything to the organization,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to get them enough wins in the first half of the season but hopefully they stick with this young group, watch them grow and develop, and we’re going to do everything in our power to claw our way back into the playoff race.”
3. Woodall Turning Heads
A new addition to the Spitfires’ defence this season is 5-foot-11, 161-pound Belle River native Carson Woodall. The club’s 10th-round pick in 2022 has shown serious value so far.
He played last season with the Vipers, scoring 41 points in 47 games. This season, he made the Spitfires after a solid camp and has been chipping in with assists since the start. Unfortunately, an injury in October kept him out of the lineup until late November. However, since his return, he’s been reliable and scored his first OHL goal against the Colts on Thursday. Woodall said he spent his time off wisely.
“I worked a lot on my conditioning and my skating because I couldn’t hold my stick so that was all I could do,” he said. “I feels good getting back in; I didn’t miss a beat, I don’t think.”
Torres had a chance to really get to know the youngster while he was out. They skated together, had some great conversation, and Torres said don’t be surprised if you hear Woodall’s name during the upcoming NHL Draft.
“He’s been fantastic,” Torres said on Thursday. “I think he has some very strong, untapped potential. It would not shock me one bit to see him be on the NHL Draft radar as the season goes on and he continues to evolve. He has really good deception to his game, he’s a really smart player, and as he gets stronger, more mature, and more experienced, he’s going to continue to grow and evolve into a really good player.”
Woodall has 10 points through 19 games, including three points this past weekend. It shows he can get it done at both ends of the ice and that he’s one to watch as the season progresses.
2. Teddy Toss Pumps up Spitfires
Sunday was the annual Teddy Bear Toss Game. Fans bring new stuffed animals to the game, and when the home team scores their first goal, the animals are tossed onto the ice, collected, and donated to local charities. It’s a fantastic event around North America.
Last season, Spitfires’ forward Noah Morneau scored the big goal. Oliver Peer scored six minutes into the game this season, sending the bears flying and the fans roaring. Torres, who was a part of the Hershey Bears (American Hockey League (AHL)) then-world record in 2022 (52,341 bears), said it’s exciting and creates energy.
“Everyone wants to see them come flying down,” he said. “I was on the other side when I was with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). We were on the other end for the world record for the most teddy bears coming down … I think it creates energy with the players.”
Peer was all smiles after the game when talking about the goal, even though he didn’t see the bears coming down.
“I kind of forgot about it a little and then I remember being swarmed by my whole team in the corner,” he said, laughing. “So I didn’t get to see the teddies flying over the glass because I was in the middle of 20 guys but … it was pretty special.”
Peer added two more goals in the period for his first OHL hat-trick, a natural one, to boot. When asked when was the last time he scored a natural hat-trick, he took a second to recall.
“Probably Atom,” he said after thinking. “…Actually thinking about the last time I scored a hat-trick, I was probably 12?”
The Spitfires collected 3,749 stuffed animals, which will go to Sparky‘s Toy Drive. That’s a lot of happy faces this holiday season!
1. Spitfires Prepare for Knights and Attack
With three of their four games on this homestand in the books, the Spitfires now get ready for a final weekend test before they head home for Christmas. On Thursday, they’ll play their heated 401 rivals, the London Knights.
It’s their second meeting this season; back in November, the Spitfires jumped out to a 6-3 lead before falling 10-7 at home. The Knights have multiple players trying out for the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championships, but they’re still going to be dangerous. After giving up 50 shots against the Firebirds on Sunday, Peer said they have to work on their defence to have a shot on Thursday.
“They’ve got some guys going to the World Juniors but they’re a deep team with a lot of good players,” he said. “Our biggest focus is going to be geared towards the defensive side. Flint had 50 shots (on Sunday) and you don’t want to give up that many every game. London’s a great team and can put 50 on you. We’re going to focus on what we’ve been doing because that’s been working.”
On Saturday, they wrap up the unofficial first half when they head to Owen Sound to take on the Attack. In their only meeting this season, the Attack scored eight first-period goals en route to a 12-3 thumping. However, with a Spitfires team that has won three of their last five away from the WFCU Centre, it will make for a holiday battle!
As the Spitfires head towards the Christmas break, they’re in a better position than a month ago. There are multiple factors involved, but this fresh start has only helped them. They’re still a long way out of the playoff picture, but baby steps forward are better than giant steps backwards.
