The 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season is on the horizon. On Tuesday morning, the Windsor Spitfires announced their 2024 Training Camp schedule as they look to put last season behind them.
After back-to-back Western Conference regular season titles from 2021-23, the team fell hard last season, finishing second last in the league. There was nothing pretty about it but there were silver linings. They wound up with the first-overall pick in the 2024 OHL Draft plus a high pick in the 2024 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft. Combine those with multiple high OHL draft picks thanks to general manager Bill Bowler and the offseason has been what the team needed. Now, the new players are set to join the returnees as the organization looks to prove last season was nothing more than a speed bump.
Spitfires’ 2024 Training Camp Schedule
On Tuesday morning, the long-awaited announcement came. The Spitfires will open their 2024 Training Camp on Thurs., Aug. 29 at the WFCU Centre. It will include practices and scrimmages before the annual Blue vs. White game to finish everything up. Here is the official schedule (subject to change):
Thurs., Aug. 29:
- 5:00 p.m. – Practice – Team Red
- 6:00 p.m. – Practice – Team White
- 7:00 p.m. – Practice – Team Blue
Fri., Aug. 30:
- 9:00 a.m. – Scrimmage – Team White vs Team Blue
- 10:15 a.m. – Scrimmage – Team White vs Team Red
- 11:30 a.m. – Scrimmage – Team Blue vs Team Red
- 5:00 p.m. – Scrimmage – Team White vs Team Red
- 6:15 p.m. – Scrimmage – Team Red vs Team Blue
- 7:30 p.m. – Scrimmage – Team Blue vs Team White
Sat., Aug. 31:
- 9:00 a.m. – Skills – Team White
- 10:15 a.m. – Skills – Team Blue
- 4:00 p.m. – Annual Blue-White Game
All of the scrimmages, games, and skills, including the Blue vs. White game, are free of charge and open to the public.
In total, 29 forwards, 15 defencemen, and seven goaltenders will take part in hopes of impressing Bowler, new head coach Greg Walters, and the rest of the Spitfires’ staff. While some will get a brief look before heading to their respective Junior A or B clubs, others may stick around for preseason or even the regular season.
Related: Windsor Spitfires Name Greg Walters New Head Coach
Among the attendees are 2024 first-overall pick forward Ethan Belchetz, captain forward Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings), 2024 CHL Import pick and Washington Capitals’ prospect forward Ilya Protas, newest defensive veteran Tnias Mathurin, veteran goaltender Joey Costanzo, and highly-touted 2024 pick goaltender Jake Windbiel. One name that’s not listed is veteran forward Colton Smith. He was eligible to take one of the three overage (20-year-old) spots this season but, with forwards Ryan Abraham and Noah Morneau already penciled in, and Mathurin joining earlier this month, Smith was the odd man out.
2024-25 Preseason Schedule
Following the Blue vs. White Game, the team will get started on the preseason. This season is a little different as the club brings the Essex County region into the fold.
They open up the preseason at home on Fri., Sept. 6 when they take on the Sarnia Sting at 7:05 p.m. at the WFCU Centre. After that, they head down I-75 in Michigan for a Sunday afternoon game against the Flint Firebirds. Following a few days of practice, they hit the road again, this time to face the Sting on Sept. 17 at 7:05 p.m.
Over the last several seasons, OHL teams have gone into their surrounding suburbs and communities for preseason games, bringing the OHL to the fans. The Spitfires are joining that trend this season. On Thurs., Sept. 19, the club will host the Firebirds at the Vollmer Complex in LaSalle (home of their Junior B affiliate, the Vipers) with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Two days later, on Sat., Sept. 21, the team goes to the Atlas Tube Recreation Centre in Lakeshore (Junior C’s Canadiens) to welcome the Niagara IceDogs to town for a 7:05 p.m. game. That concludes the preseason schedule.
The 2024-25 regular season gets going a few days later when the Spitfires travel to Saginaw on Wed., Sept. 25 to face the Memorial Cup Champion Spirit in the OHL opener. They’ll also face the Sting on the road on Fri., Sept. 27. The Spitfires’ own home opener is on Sat., Sept. 28 at 7:05 p.m. when they face the Kitchener Rangers. Tickets for all of the preseason games are now available on the Spitfires’ website. Regular season tickets go on sale on Sat., Aug. 24 at 10 a.m.
Sign up for our NHL Prospects & Draft Substack newsletter
