From April’s 2024 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection to the Under-18 Draft, it’s already been a busy offseason for the Windsor Spitfires. Now, with the league’s summer break approaching on Monday, June 3, following the 2024 Memorial Cup in Saginaw, MI, the club has a chance to focus on another big task – their 2024-25 overage situation.
In the OHL, every team is allowed to dress three 20-year-olds (overagers) in any given game. Until the Jan. 10 trade deadline, teams often carry more and slowly whittle down their options. Last season, general manager Bill Bowler started with forwards Oliver Peer, Jacob Maillet, and Alex Christopoulos, along with defenceman James Jodoin. However, through multiple moves, he finished with defenceman Djibril Toure and goaltender Max Donoso. Now, the club has a new batch of potential overagers to think about for next season. While a couple are likely to stick around, others could be a toss-up, and it’s going to make for an interesting summer.
Abraham Likely to Lead Returnees
Forward Ryan Abraham
Leading the way for the group that’s likely to return is forward Ryan Abraham. The 5-foot-8, 169-pound Livonia, MI native was the Spitfires’ first-round pick in 2020. In his rookie season (2021-22, thanks to COVID-19), he put home 46 points in 64 games and showed a pesky, gritty side that reminded some of Boston Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand.
In 2022-23, Abraham got hurt mid-way through the season and finished with 35 points in 29 games. However, he returned in 2023-24 and, despite some early inconsistency, made a charge at the end to finish with a career-high 31 goals and 66 points in 64 games. That includes points in 30 of his final 36 games (51 points).
Abraham brings a combination of much-needed offence, grit, and consistency to the club in 2024-25. While his grit led to some penalty troubles at times, he showed enough leadership to earn an alternate “A” at points last season. If he can continue to build upon that, this feels like a no-doubter for an overage slot.
Forward Noah Morneau
This is a story that any young OHL player can appreciate. Drafted by Bowler in the 15th round in 2020, forward Noah Morneau is a testament to what happens when you work your tail off.
The 6-foot, 160-pound Windsor native just needed a chance to prove he could play juniors. After the club drafted him seven spots from the bottom of the draft, he set on a mission, spending a season with the LaSalle Vipers Jr. B club to earn his keep. He scored 45 points in 39 games and showed that team-first effort that management loves. When he came to the Spitfires’ camp in 2022-23, he forced their hand by working hard, showing some offence, and being a kid who refused to stay down.
In his rookie season, he had 25 points in 65 games playing a defensive role for a team that was offensively stacked. Unfortunately, they eventually lost in the first round to the Kitchener Rangers. In 2023-24, he returned as a veteran who wanted to earn his spot again. His role increased and he put home 34 points in 66 games, plus showed leadership in the room and the community.
Morneau is proof that hard work will get you places. He was a 15th-round pick but never gave up and always put the team first. Now, the local product has a very good shot of being one of the three overagers on the Spitfires in 2024-25. This unsung hero story may just continue!
The “Maybe” Group
Forward Colton Smith
The term “what could have been!?” comes to mind here. Colton Smith, the son of former Spitfires’ great D.J., was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in Windsor. In 2020, he was drafted in the second round by the London Knights, much to the disappointment of Spitfires’ fans. After all, who doesn’t want a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder who came advertised as offensive and, like his father, quite physical?
Related: Windsor Spitfires’ All-Time OHL Roster
Smith had a solid rookie season (2021-22) with the Knights, scoring 18 points in 41 games. However, his time in London was short-lived as Bowler acquired him in June 2022, sending a fourth-round pick in 2025 the other way. This felt like the perfect match… but was it?
In 2022-23, Smith lived up to his hype, scoring 47 points in 62 games and protecting his teammates when necessary. It had all the makings of a match made in heaven. However, when 2023-24 came around, the veteran hit a wall. He had just seven points in 31 games heading into the Christmas break, finishing the season with 28 points in 68 games. His physical play and consistency in all areas also disappeared. From start to finish last season, he knew he had to be better. The question: is he worthy of an overage spot in 2024-25?
Last season, he showed small flashes of being the dominant power forward that everyone knows he can be. However, you need more than flashes to be an overage player. His skating needs work and he has to show consistency in production to have any shot of a final season. Everyone wants him to hit his potential but, if he wants to get there, it’s going to take a lot of work this summer.
Forward Ryan Struthers
This one is seesawing between the “maybe” group and the last group because a gut feeling says it’s not necessarily over. Last September, Bowler made a minor move by bringing in 19-year-old forward Ryan Struthers from the Mississauga Steelheads in exchange for future considerations. In two seasons, split between the Steelheads and Niagara IceDogs, the 6-foot, 160-pounder had just four goals and 15 points in 93 games. However, the Spitfires felt they could get him more ice and more opportunity to show what he had.
In camp, Struthers showed very well, creating offence, and getting under opponents’ skins, and there was a chance this could really work out. He eventually made the club and seemed to fit right in. History wasn’t on the Spitfires’ side but maybe it needed to be re-written.
Unfortunately, the story didn’t turn out as expected. The veteran was a healthy scratch for long stretches and, when he did play, it was mostly fourth-line duty in 45 games (five points). When he got into the lineup, he showed speed, tenacity, and a physical presence. His offence wasn’t where they needed it to be but it wasn’t from a lack of heart.
As they head into 2024-25, this becomes an interesting case. Right now, Struthers has minimal value; Bowler might be able to get a late-round pick for him. Does the veteran try his luck with the Spitfires? Does he look for another club? Does he head to college and start a new chapter? It’s tough to write him off but also tough to say he’ll be back. So, we’ll stick him here for now and see how the summer plays out.
Thanks for the Memories
Defenceman Connor Toms
Last season, the Spitfires’ defence struggled from day one (last in the league in goals against all season) and Bowler knew that they needed help. In November, he brought in 19-year-old Connor Toms from the Soo Greyhounds for a late pick. The former third-rounder had 19 points in 56 games in 2021-22 and over 100 OHL games on his resume, so the talent seemed to be there. While just 5-foot-11, 172 pounds, this felt like a low-risk, high-reward situation. Unfortunately, the risk took over.
While the experiment started off fairly well, it became obvious that he wasn’t the answer. His time with the club saw him record just four assists in 49 games along with a disappointing plus/minus rating of minus-40. He was the sixth-or-seventh defenceman on many nights and they even used him on the fourth line when injuries took over late in the season.
Toms did his best for the club but it just didn’t work out like anyone had hoped for. Bowler took a chance and, while it was a decent idea, this feels impossible to salvage. The club is going to need a proven veteran overage player next season and it’s likely a “thanks for everything and good luck in the future” to Toms. He tried but the cards just aren’t there.
Forward Valentin Zhugin
Each season, every team in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) can have two Import players (any player whose parents reside primarily outside of Canada or the United States). Last season, the Spitfires had Swiss defenceman Rodwin Dionicio, 19, and Czech defenceman Josef Eichler, 18.
Dionicio was traded to the Memorial Cup-host Saginaw Spirit in November. When you send out an Import, you likely need to bring one in, so Russian forward Valentin Zhugin came aboard. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder had already played for the Guelph Storm from 2021-23 and showed a good offensive awareness. He managed 35 points in 50 games for the Spitfires, however, something always felt off, like he just wasn’t clicking.
In March, the Spitfires won the OHL Draft Lottery, earning the first overall pick in April’s Priority Selection. That also meant they have the third overall pick in July’s CHL Import Draft. During their Draft Orientation Camp in late April, Bowler said that Zhugin was not returning next season, they would be keeping Eichler, and using the third overall pick to bring in a young talent.
Zhugin gave the Spitfires some offensive depth but an amicable split isn’t a bad thing for either party. Hopefully, he’s able to continue his hockey career, whether that’s in the OHL, back home, or somewhere else.
This summer is going to be a potentially franchise-altering one for the Spitfires. While the OHL Priority Selection and the Import Draft are both very important, figuring out their overage situation is right up there. These are the players that will be leading the youngsters into the new era. It’s a task that Bowler cannot take lightly.
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