The Windsor Spitfires got a small taste of their post-trade deadline team on Thursday night. While it’s just one game, a big win over a conference rival has left a good first impression.
Coming into this 2025-26 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season, the club was looking square at an OHL Championship run. When general manager Bill Bowler made a blockbuster move with the Sudbury Wolves on Monday, ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, it signaled it was go time. On Thursday, the club introduced two new players to their fans – forwards Nathan Villeneuve (Seattle Kraken) and Alex Pharand (Chicago Blackhawks) – as the rebuilding Erie Otters paid a visit to the WFCU Centre. Despite the one-sided contest, the team is thinking big picture. Here are four takeaways.
Belchetz Continues to Light Lamp
Villeneuve joined captain Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings) and forward A.J. Spellacy (Chicago Blackhawks) on the top line while Pharand joined the second line of Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia Flyers) and highly-touted 2026 NHL Draft prospect Ethan Belchetz.
In the first period, the Spitfires skated out to the 6,240 fans in attendance and didn’t let up. They put 10 shots on Otters’ goaltender Charlie Burns. However, it was the visitors who struck first thanks to veteran Callum Hughes. That’s all they would get, though.
Spitfires’ defenceman Carson Woodall tied it up soon after, then Belchetz went to work with his first. He took the puck off the transition, waited, and snapped it blocker side. Pharand picked up his first assist as a Spitfire on the play.
From there, the line of Belchetz, Pharand, and Nesbitt took over. They combined for four goals and four assists, including the hat-trick from Belchetz, who now has 25 goals (second in the OHL). The Spitfires scored four in the opening 40 minutes before cruising to a 9-1 win. They outshot the Otters 31-11, who tried but simply couldn’t keep up.
Ethan Belchetz had 3g and 13 different Windsor #Spitifres grabbed at least one point in a 9-1 win over the Erie #Otters on Thursday night at the WFCU Centre. #OHL pic.twitter.com/q6ifL05gzY
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) January 9, 2026
After the game, Belchetz credited his hat trick to head coach Greg Walters, who said physical play would help his game.
“He’s been telling me that the ice is going to open up for me as soon as I start getting back to being physical,” Belchetz said. “That’s my A-game. That’s going to spark everything for me if I go out with a big hit or just be physical.”
Scoring nine goals is nice, but the team’s pride and joy all season has been their defence. Walters said that was still an important factor on Thursday because the playoffs will be a different beast.
“The biggest thing for me are our habits and giving up 11 shots on net,” he said. “Those are the things that have to continue to happen here. You’re not going to win 9-1 in the playoffs; you’ll win 2-1 or 3-1. Our habits away from the puck and only giving up 11 shots is something I was really proud of.”
Pharand Ready for Any Role Spitfires Assign
Coming to a new team after five seasons in one city isn’t easy. Pharand wasn’t just a Wolves’ alternate captain; he was born in Sudbury. The city has a place in his heart.
Fortunately, the Spitfires’ players, management, and billets have made the transition easier. He joined Nesbitt and Belchetz on the second line and, while Belchetz had the hat trick, Pharand had two assists. He looked poised and comfortable. After the game, he said he’s played both centre and right wing, but it doesn’t matter to him where he winds up.
“I want to win,” Pharand said. “I’ve been in the league for five seasons now and I’ve only won a single playoff series. To be a part of this team is amazing and I’ll do whatever role the staff wants me to fulfill to help the team win night-in and night-out.”
The two assists were important. It made an impression, not just on the fans but on the team as well. He had 26 points in 37 games for the Wolves this season after 59 points in 65 games last season. He can produce, and given this is his final season, he expects consistency from himself.
“At the end of the day, I have to perform,” he said. “I’m an overager (20-year-old) and the Spitfires gave up a lot of picks and young guys for me and Villeneuve … I have to be good every night. I have to perform, be hard to play against, and be that power forward that they want me to be. I’m expecting big things from myself.”
It’s only one game, but two assists and a clear chemistry with Nesbitt and Belchetz is certainly a good start.
Villeneuve Makes Early Mark
While the Pharand, Nesbitt, and Belchetz line took a lot of the attention, it was hard to ignore the gritty game from Villeneuve, who was alongside Greentree and Spellacy.
The trio looked comfortable with each other from the start, showing an offensive chemistry that you simply can’t teach. While Greentree had a goal and Spellacy was held off the scoresheet, Villeneuve was a different story.
The 19-year-old threw his body around, drove the net, was there to help teammates in scrums, and scored his first two goals as a Spitfire. The first one even came on a rare penalty shot. It was a debut that most players would dream of.
One of the newest Windsor #Spitfires, forward Nathan Villeneuve, also had an impressive debut with a pair of goals including a slick move on a rare penalty shot. #OHL pic.twitter.com/QBocp0dH9k
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) January 9, 2026
After the game, the veteran said he’s been around Walters before, so the entire transition, including his linemates, was made easy.
“I had Walters as a coach in U-17 (World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2022-23), so the systems were kind of the same as when I was there,” he said. “Greentree and Spellacy are both amazing players and high-end draft picks. They made it easy for me.”
While Villeneuve came to the Spitfires with an impressive 16 goals and 44 points in 28 games with the Wolves, he said his job isn’t to be a superstar. In fact, Walters made it clear to him what the club is looking for.
“I’m not here to change anything for (the Spitfires),” Villeneuve said. “I’m just here to help them win. Walters made that pretty clear; I’m not here to be a superstar, I’m here to play the systems and play the right way. I’m willing to do that. Yeah, I want to make an impression for the fans, but at the end of the day, I’m a team player and points don’t really matter to me. I’ve already showed myself in this league that I can put up points, so I’m just here to play the right way and win a championship.”
Spitfires’ Depth Proves Vital
While Villeneuve and Pharand were a huge part of Thursday’s win, you couldn’t overlook the impressive performance from the Spitfires’ third and fourth lines.
From day one, Walters has raved about his depth, including Ethan Garden, Cole Davis, 2025 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import second-rounder Beksultan Makysh, 2025 OHL Draft first-round pick John McLaughlin, and 2025 OHL Draft fifth-round pick Caden Harvey. When the NHL prospects were in camps, the club relied on these five to steady the ship, and they responded with seven straight wins to open the season.
Since then, they’ve had consistency issues, but when the chips are down, Walters knows what he has. On Thursday, they combined for another two goals and three assists, eating up valuable minutes to help the top lines while showing physicality, speed, and energy.
Related: Spitfires Sign 2025 2nd Round CHL Import Pick Makysh
After the game, Walters said the additions, including defenceman-turned-forward Anthony Cristoforo, give the coaching staff plenty of options. It’s something he’s relishing.
“We have so many options now as coaches,” he said. “It’s unlimited on what we can do with this lineup. Does Cristoforo come up and play forward? Our best guys are our best guys, but you watch Makysh, McLaughlin, and Harvey tonight, they’re great players who add to our depth. If we decide to put a checking line, go Davis, Spellacy, Garden, or Pharand, the list goes on and on. The biggest thing is our depth.”
It should be noted that while Pharand and Villeneuve played, new defenceman Jakub Fibigr didn’t. He was brought in from the Brampton Steelheads on Wednesday, but after winning silver with Team Czechia at the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship in Minnesota on Monday, they gave him some rest. He went back to Brampton to get his things before coming to Windsor. He was at the arena on Thursday and will get a practice in before their game on Saturday on the road against the Saginaw Spirit.
