This is pretty fair the season ticket holders will fluctuate year to year for obvious reasons. Also this is why this Memorial Cup is different a lot of the guys part of this Memorial Cup were traded for eg. Nattinen, Addison, Day, Brown, Laishram, Knott, McCool, Bracco. Tough to have a proper rebuild when most likely the only guy you can get any assets in return for is Brown. They will get picks back but that most likely only puts them back to neutral which is fine but then you need to start the process from scratch. The good part is Bowler is full time and they brought in Evola. Proof that they need to draft really freaking well in order to get back to being a good team and a top franchise in the league. No more drafts like 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011. You probably won't get much from the 2017 class so it starts with 2018 if they can acquire picks.
Windsor Spitfires 2017-18 Season Thread (Part 1)
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This is pretty fair the season ticket holders will fluctuate year to year for obvious reasons. Also this is why this Memorial Cup is different a lot of the guys part of this Memorial Cup were traded for eg. Nattinen, Addison, Day, Brown, Laishram, Knott, McCool, Bracco. Tough to have a proper rebuild when most likely the only guy you can get any assets in return for is Brown. They will get picks back but that most likely only puts them back to neutral which is fine but then you need to start the process from scratch. The good part is Bowler is full time and they brought in Evola. Proof that they need to draft really freaking well in order to get back to being a good team and a top franchise in the league. No more drafts like 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011. You probably won't get much from the 2017 class so it starts with 2018 if they can acquire picks.
OHLTG
Registered User
Legend - I didn't mean "woohoo, we're losing", but I have no issues having a lesser season after winning the title. It's part of the process. The last year-and-a-half has been one of the most interesting in team history. Now we see how the next few seasons will go; it's somewhat unchartered water.
punch1943
Registered User
As per Peter Parker...
#OHL Windsor #Spitfires @SpitsHockey will extend a training camp invitation to Louis Latta, who played for the Sarnia #Sting last season.
Per twitter....
Also lookout for former Ottawa 67 defenceman Will Brown, I believe that he will be in attendance for Spitfires camp.
#OHL Windsor #Spitfires @SpitsHockey will extend a training camp invitation to Louis Latta, who played for the Sarnia #Sting last season.
Per twitter....
Also lookout for former Ottawa 67 defenceman Will Brown, I believe that he will be in attendance for Spitfires camp.
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title seasons?
if they didn't host the memorial cup they wouldn't of been there.
how long has it been since they had a title season where they actually won playoff series? 2010.
ohloutsider
Registered User
Maybe the Spits will dress 10 D this year....
Sarnia wasn't going to bring him back and released him and the Spits made a waiver claim I believe it costs $1000 to make a claim. Spits are really scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Spits
2011 is the last time they won a series going to the final 4,losing to Owen Sound, winning 2 series,after winning back to back cups.
As for your 1st comment, Windsor didn't make the rules just played and won by them, showed with a healthy, focused lineup,combined with great coaching, and great play a deserving champ.
3 cups and 2 league titles in the last 9 years is unmatched in the OHL no matter how u cut it.
2011 is the last time they won a series going to the final 4,losing to Owen Sound, winning 2 series,after winning back to back cups.
As for your 1st comment, Windsor didn't make the rules just played and won by them, showed with a healthy, focused lineup,combined with great coaching, and great play a deserving champ.
3 cups and 2 league titles in the last 9 years is unmatched in the OHL no matter how u cut it.
Hopefully in the future the organization is committed to building a very good hockey program and not just a team for a one on year. Overall there's more value into building a very good organization consistent drafting of minor midgets, imports, maintaining picks increasing the value of your current draft picks enabling you to make trades. People act like rebuilding is the only alternative but it's not. Windsor has a lot of built in advantages that they don't take advantage of especially when you look at the yo-yo that has been the Windsor Spitfires since 2010.
OHLTG
Registered User
Memorial Cup title is still a title. Would you rather them have beat London but lose to OS/Erie and then lose the Cup?
Re Rychel bringing in Latta/Brown - Can't hurt to have veterans come in and see what they bring. Nothing to lose. It's not like they're all going to make the club, either.
This comes down to whether you'd rather compete every year, but not win it all, or rebuild, contend, win, and repeat. I'd take the latter.
OHLTG
Registered User
Newly-acquired F Matthew MacDougall has turned down NCAA and will join Windsor. He was acquired in a deal with Barrie earlier this summer. According to Windsor Star, he had a full-ride to UMass-Amherst starting in 19-20 but will now join Windsor.
http://windsorstar.com/sports/hockey/highly-touted-macdougall-spurns-ncaa-offer-to-join-spitfires
Rychel feels he'll be a top six forward with good offence. MacDougall said in the article that Windsor put in a huge effort to get him and he saw that passion.
http://windsorstar.com/sports/hockey/highly-touted-macdougall-spurns-ncaa-offer-to-join-spitfires
Rychel feels he'll be a top six forward with good offence. MacDougall said in the article that Windsor put in a huge effort to get him and he saw that passion.
aresknights
Registered User
The goal should be to do both. And its proven teams can over a multi year stretch. Esp teams with built in adv over some others which the Spits, among others have.
It doesn't have to be one or the other.
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Spits
Nice signing, anytime I can get a guy that I had rated in the 1st round, for a 4th round pick I will do it.
Nice signing, anytime I can get a guy that I had rated in the 1st round, for a 4th round pick I will do it.
OHLTG
Registered User
It's also nice to see that any issues with NCAA players coming here are not as strong as earlier thought to be.
Exactly people act like being consistently good and winning championships are mutually exclusive but they aren't. London has been consistently good they won a Memorial Cup in 2016. Oshawa is getting to that point 7 straight playoff appearances won a Memorial Cup in 2015 and look like contenders this upcoming year. Soo has consistently been good for the past 5 years now or so and look to be contenders again. They have a big advantage with their division because Saginaw isn't good, Flint is rebuilding showing signs of being better, Sarnia is consistently in the middle and the Spits are a yo-yo. The Spits missed a golden opportunity to rule the western division for a long time but people don't seem to see that.
I agree, the Spits made 2 huge mistakes (and that does not include some questionable draft choices and trades).
1. The couldn't decide in 2010 - 2011, if they wanted to go for a 3rd straight Mem Cup or rebuild. They started to rebuild by doing several trades with Mississauga that sent Cantin and Shugg to Missy for Rychel and Ebert. If WR had drafted his son in the first round instead of Webermin, he would have had Cantin, Shugg and Rychel. Then at the deadline he changed directions on the rebuild by not trading Kassian and Ellis.
2. The got caught with their hand in the cookie jar and had to forfeit 4 draft choices. A high price to pay for making illegal payments. Especially since one of the players is believed to be Jack Campbell, who has turned into a major disappoint both at the OHL and Pro levels.
aresknights
Registered User
Very true.
Kudos to Windsor for grabbing back to back early in WR/BB tenure, and taking adv of a host year in the OHL with little to no competition for host gig. Very positive accomplishments.
Esp the back to back.
But what coulda been....as you've pointed out. A couple different decisions and Windsor very well of could have run their division and the West conf for that 5 yr lull.
Sports are a tough business.
OHLTG
Registered User
The Cantin/Shugg deal was happening, regardless.
To be fair, Campbell was a rock and a very highly-touted prospect before he came to Windsor. It was the mental aspect that got to him here.
...and haven't won an OHL title in that time.
Right just as Windsor hasn't won an OHL title in the past 5 years.
Here is the 5 year snap shot
Soo Greyhounds
.672 win%
3 division titles
28-23 playoff record 5 series victories
17 NHL draft picks
Windsor Spitfires
.539 win%
4-12 playoff record
9 NHL draft picks
2 missed seasons of playoffs
Are you going to try and tell me you would much rather have the Windsor Spitfires over the past 5 years than the Soo Greyhounds?
Add hosting and winning memorial to that snap shot; and, it changes the whole picture. It took 20 years for the bills to recognized as a great football team despite being in four or five superbowls, all losses. The hounds had one excellent team; since then, they were not a real threat to win a championship.
Spits
Agreed, excellent post,winning the cup is the clincher for me re past 5 years,the fact Windsor won despite being under sanctions made it more sweeter,a big middle finger to league hierchary.
Agreed, excellent post,winning the cup is the clincher for me re past 5 years,the fact Windsor won despite being under sanctions made it more sweeter,a big middle finger to league hierchary.
The Bills still had to win playoff games to reach that point. Spits didn't have to win anything last year in order to make the Memorial Cup. They played 4 great games in May and they got their reward. There's something to be said for putting out a good product year after year. If someone would rather side with a .539 win% over .670 that's their choice but their choice would be shrouded with bias.
The only consistency the spitfires have had the last 5 years other than winning the bid for the memorial cup is come April 2nd, the ice needs to be removed as there is not hockey played in that area at that time. 
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OHLTG
Registered User
We have a Memorial Cup. What do you think? I'm going to go on a limb here and say that if Windsor had won division titles over the years, but not an OHL title or Memorial Cup, people on here would have been annoyed that the management couldn't get them over the hump.
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