Windsor Spitfires 2021-22 Season Thread

[hockeylegend11]

Cfaub

Surprised at your comment re Kitchener not a top 4 team,assuming you meant conference, I see them,Windsor, SSM and London as the top 4 in the East,in no particular order,their question mark in goal has performed well early Cajan (Euro tender).
They will be a challenge and Windsor plays them twice in the next 2 weeks,Friday there,Sat Oct 30 here.

 

[member 71782]

Cfaub

Surprised at your comment re Kitchener not a top 4 team,assuming you meant conference, I see them,Windsor, SSM and London as the top 4 in the East,in no particular order,their question mark in goal has performed well early Cajan (Euro tender).
They will be a challenge and Windsor plays them twice in the next 2 weeks,Friday there,Sat Oct 30 here.

I don't see Kitchener as top 4 in the conference, they have no assets to add at the deadline and likely move a couple of players out if they are looking to contend in the next year or two.

They're a solid team and should finish top 6, but not 4. They would be a decent challenge for Medina to get things turned around.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

No doubt there's enough blame to go around but it all starts with Medina stopping the first couple of shots. Like Piiroinen, Medina plays well enough most of the game but gives a goal or two on the first couple of shots he faces and that changes how everyone plays in front of him. Instead of being able to focus on what they're supposed to do they start to scramble and put themselves out of position creating even more chances for their opponents.

If they're unsure of their goaltender it will affect everything else in their game. Are players going to go to the net as hard if they're concerned about missing a defensive assignment that gives up a scoring chance that they're unsure of their goaltender stopping?

If Medina comes out and looks solid on the first 5 or 6 shots of the game the team has confidence and can focus more on the offensive side of things.

It may be early but for your goaltender to struggle out of the gate and it start affecting everyone else this team will take much longer to gain traction and compete at a level they're capable of. If this is still going on when they hit the 10 game mark that becomes a problem they can't get away from. Maybe time to call Sarnia and look into their back up.

Medina isn't by himself in all of this but he's certainly a symptom of their struggles. Pretty much not being ready out of the gates is killing this team. They haven't scored the first goal of the game this year, they have only held a lead for 8 minutes total this year.

It's going to be tough for this team to be successful if Medina can't be even with the opposing goaltender or outplay him.

I think there were a lot of people extremely overrating the talent on this team. If Johnston and Cuylle aren't their best players every game this is going to be a struggle.

 

[OHLTG]

This team has plenty of potential but they still have to get to that level. They're young and inexperience will play a factor in games, at least in the first month or two. Sure, guys like Abraham and Miedema (and the other rookies, to a lesser extent) have huge ceilings but they've got a ways to go before reaching that. I don't blame the NHL scouts or the coaches, or anyone else for that matter, for saying this club could/should be near the top of the conference come March. If the pieces gel together properly, there's a lot of talent there. It's just not going to happen (likely) over the first month or two. That whole "marathon v. sprint" thing.

 

[nelli27]

This team has plenty of potential but they still have to get to that level. They're young and inexperience will play a factor in games, at least in the first month or two. Sure, guys like Abraham and Miedema (and the other rookies, to a lesser extent) have huge ceilings but they've got a ways to go before reaching that. I don't blame the NHL scouts or the coaches, or anyone else for that matter, for saying this club could/should be near the top of the conference come March. If the pieces gel together properly, there's a lot of talent there. It's just not going to happen (likely) over the first month or two. That whole "marathon v. sprint" thing.

Peer is another player that looks like he has some skill. I don't know much about him.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Oliver Peer is an 18 year old free agent signing from training camp where he was impressive throughout , and also during the exhibition season.
Can play both Center and Wing,kill penalties, and I too was impressed how played against London.
Good observation Nelli,I thought he was one of a few Spits that night that performed well vs London.
Heard he grew almost 6 inches in height the last year or so,plus 25 pounds,understand from his agent that Windsor was one of 5 or 6 teams interested in his availability, and not being smart,heard that London was one of teams interested.

 

[2023]

Medina isn't by himself in all of this but he's certainly a symptom of their struggles. Pretty much not being ready out of the gates is killing this team. They haven't scored the first goal of the game this year, they have only held a lead for 8 minutes total this year.

It's going to be tough for this team to be successful if Medina can't be even with the opposing goaltender or outplay him.

I think there were a lot of people extremely overrating the talent on this team. If Johnston and Cuylle aren't their best players every game this is going to be a struggle.

Cuylle and Johnston haven’t been the best players since game 1.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Cuylle and Johnston haven’t been the best players since game 1.

I agree about Cuylle since game 1,not Johnston.
Johnston was pointless in game 1,then the next 2 games he had 2G,2A,then pointless in the game in London.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Cuylle and Johnston haven’t been the best players since game 1.

I never said that. I was referring to them having to be their best players to be successful.

 

[member 71782]

So there's 20 teams in the league, all have two rookie classes.

Before the season started some were pointing out how Windsor would be a contender because they would have one of the older rosters.

Windsor has one of the most experienced or at least older D groups but giving up a lot of goals.

Some feel Windsor has one of the top forward groups, rookies through vets but can't score much.

19 other teams are in a similar position but only Windsor needs that time to gel.

Those team who haven't lost and some feel Windsor has a better roster, all that youth in their line up seems to be gelling just fine.

All those other teams who, like Windsor had vets away at camps for varying amounts of time seem to be gelling just fine.

Good thing we can attribute the problems to just needing time to gel. Another month ot so all those teams gelling right now will be so far ahead of Windsor that by the time they gel it'll be just in time to find another reason for their struggles like how tough all their opponents are that they have to play so often unlike other teams in a different conference or division.

The team has issues that go beyond simply needing time to gel and I have a feeling some vets are going to struggle within this new roster.

 

[OHLTG]

Peer is another player that looks like he has some skill. I don't know much about him.

To add to what Legend said - Peer made the team through hard work and that 200-foot game. He's not going to lead anyone in scoring but reminds me a bit of Chris Playfair; does a bit of everything, hard on the PK, fills in where needed, etc. It's very early in the season but I appreciate what he brings to the rink.

As far as the team gelling v. inabilities - we're 10-days into the season. New coach. 11 new players.

Strangely, while Windsor does have one of the more "experienced" rosters (I use that term loosely) on EP, only five guys have played over 100 OHL games... and one of those is in the AHL now. 15 players have less than a full season to their credit. Whether we like it or not, this is an inexperienced roster.

 

[member 71782]

There were a lot of people on this thread claiming the age and experience of this roster made them a contender, which I disagreed with and was in a smaller minority.

Now they're inexperienced regardless of their age yet 19 other teams are in the same boat with most not having the issues gelling that Windsor is.

Some were expecting to struggle for various reasons, mainly due to the inexperience of their returning vets but here our returning vets were supposed to make us contenders, not be excuses for a poor start.

I said most of our vets would be the reason why they weren't contenders, I was being negative.

Now they're the reason why Windsor needs time while younger teams with even more inexperienced vets, less talent according to the stats that were being posted are gelling just fine.

This is a team that on paper is capable of finishing top 4 in the conference but they aren't contenders.

They need two upgrades on D, they a consistent scoring top 6 forward and they need need a consistent goaltender at the minimum.

They won't get the D upgrades from within but can one or two of their forwards along with one of their goaltenders step up? That remains to be seen.

 

[nelli27]

Spits 1st in the OHL in category of "most experienced team" (i.e. # of OHL games played), and are the 4th "oldest team" (avg 18.04 yrs). Bra Wavers on the Petes board provided the official numbers/website if you guys want to check it out.

 

[member 71782]

So 4th oldest, so it's not a youth issue and for the most part the kids have been fine if people's expectations are you don't count on rookies to be a contender.

Most experienced, who would have thought that? I mean if people expect this team to contend then realistically you would expect an experienced veteran core. It takes more than experience though.

Must be some other issues.

If there's any issues with a veteran core not gelling then it's likely more than new faces. Either skill sets don't match or possibly a couple of players not happy with their new role or spot in the line up?

I like what Savard has been trying to do so far, playing a more uptempo style that tries to create chances in the offensive zone with a group that should be able to fill the net. There seems to be a few players not playing their game, a few who need to stop trying to do too much and D that understand offensive contributions are nice but commitment in your end own helps out as well.

There's a number of players/vets who like to play in front of the net as we've seen in the past but most of the time this team, in the offensive zone have been playing around the perimeter. When they've been out front of the net they've been in each other's way while their opponent has 4 players putting pressure on the 3 around the perimeter taking away passing and shooting or forcing low percentage shots and turnovers. The worst part is there always seems to be at least one D down low getting caught and little to no time to get back. Someone pointed out Sobolev looked like he was always forechecking, so has Robinson and was Henault last game. The rest as well to a lesser extent. The forwards have been doing a decent job trying to cover for them but when Cuulle spends a large part of his shift covering for the D, he's not going to score too often. Other's as well.

Hopefully this week off they can get some things straightened out.

 

[OHLTG]

The issue with "most experienced" on EP is they go by games played. You could have Boka, Purboo, and 20 sophomores who each played 30 games. That'll get you 1200 games of "experience", though we know that'd be a very inexperienced team. We're not far off - four guys with 100+ games (not incl. Foudy) and 11 guys with fewer than 10. That's not experienced.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

The issue with "most experienced" on EP is they go by games played. You could have Boka, Purboo, and 20 sophomores who each played 30 games. That'll get you 1200 games of "experience", though we know that'd be a very inexperienced team. We're not far off - four guys with 100+ games (not incl. Foudy) and 11 guys with fewer than 10. That's not experienced.

So you're saying they're not experienced then??

 

[spits]

I feel many on here are overreacting considering we are only four games in the season. Some are talking like the season is almost a write-off after four games, lol. Barrie, who is expected to be one of the best teams in the CHL, only has five points in five games... Is their season over as well?

If the Spitfires don't improve their play after 10-15 games, then you can start to criticize the team. The goaltending obviously needs to be better but they have only scored 10 goals in four games. Will Cuylle needs to be better. He has one goal, and it was on a wide-open net. A player like him should be a 40-goal scorer this year, especially playing on a line with Johnston. Again, it's too early to really judge anything. We knew the goaltending would be subpar. To me, the offense has been the biggest issue.

 

[FiveHoleo]

Somebody needs to think of the children! How ruined and broken will they be as a result of this 1-2-0-1 start to the season? It's entirely likely the negative impact could be generational. I don't want to tell my future grandchildren that the Spits started 1-2-0-1 and I sat there and did nothing.

 

[hockeylegend11]

I feel many on here are overreacting considering we are only four games in the season. Some are talking like the season is almost a write-off after four games, lol. Barrie, who is expected to be one of the best teams in the CHL, only has five points in five games... Is their season over as well?

If the Spitfires don't improve their play after 10-15 games, then you can start to criticize the team. The goaltending obviously needs to be better but they have only scored 10 goals in four games. Will Cuylle needs to be better. He has one goal, and it was on a wide-open net. A player like him should be a 40-goal scorer this year, especially playing on a line with Johnston. Again, it's too early to really judge anything. We knew the goaltending would be subpar. To me, the offense has been the biggest issue.

Excellent post fully agree,next 6 games should be interesting, Owen Sound,at Kitchener,at Owen Owen Sound this week,next week vs Guelph and Kitchener at home,followed on the following Wednesday a game at Flint.
Overall ,more offense needed from those capable ie Cuylle, expect youngsters Miedema and Abraham to improve, more offense from the likes of Zito,McDonald, and Maggio upfront, not concerned about Johnston, Henault after 1 game to adjust to the OHL,I expect him to lead the D offensively, team is 1-1-0-1 last 3 games including the shootout loss to London which most agree could have gone either way.
Not a real problem with Medina outside of game 1 vs Sarnia,when he was bad,and in the 1st 2 periods of that game Windsor badly out playing the Sting 28-11 and losing 3-2 going to the 3rd.
Three areas to improve as well,after playing both the PP and PK pretty well the 1st 2 games,3PPG for and none against,allowed 2 PPG vs London and not scoring on the PP in the 2 games did make a difference
Improving in the faceoff circle needs to happen to,Savard a former center should have role in fixing this more then the other coaches.
I am surprised at the negativity unfortunately no,most dont contribute much when things are going good,interferes with their narratives.

 

[Cherrydon]

After this week 10% of the season will be played already. If you fall too far behind it will be tough to gain much ground. I'm not saying it will be game over or throwing in the towel, it is just the team needs to take each game seriously and come out prepared and ready to go out of the gate. With the west playing only the west there are going to be a ton of 1pt loses in this division. Need to turn to wins in regulation to make gains in the standings this year more than ever. I'm hoping for a big turn around this week.

 

[member 71782]

Must be touching a nerve on here.

State the obvious when it's not all butterflies an rainbows and I'm being negative.

Ignore most of what's gone on and you too can be a superman.

No one has said this is the end of the world or that this can't be turned around so people need to stop getting their pom poms in a knot.

I and others have only stated was happened and brought back people's past comments to show that based on what they've said there appears to be a few issues with how things have worked out in the early going.

Goaltending, as I've said has looked good after they've given up the first two goals. Even when Medina gave up five against London he still made some big saves.

People like to use some very narrow parameters to put some stat out that is supposed to show Windsor is doing just fine.

Fact. Windsor has not scored a goal before being down by two in any game yet.

Fact. Windsor has the held the lead in any and all games for less than 10 minutes, combined.

Fact. Windsor, a team that is supposed to be a top offensive team according to some has scored 10 goals this season, 2.5 per game.

Fact. Windsor, a team that is supposed to be a top defensive team according to some has given up 17 goals this season, 4.25 per game.

Fact. Medina, some were calling a top 5 to 10 goaltender in the league is currently ranked 16th in the league with a 3.88 GAa, 0.865 GAA while giving up 15 goals on 111 shots in 232 minutes and was pulled in game 1. In the rankings he trails 3 rookies.

It's early in the season, plenty of time to turn things around but there appears to be a few issues.

Medina has looked, once he's given up a couple but until then he looks disinterested.

D'Amico looks like a completely different player and not in a positive way. He too looks disinterested and like he forgot how to play the game the way he's had success at it.

Johnston looks like he's trying to do it all.

Cuylle looks like he knows he has to cover for the D in the offensive zone while they're busy trying to forecheck and put the puck in the net and don't realize they're D.

Everything is backwards at the moment, definitely not the right direction.

 

[OHLTG]

No one has said this is the end of the world or that this can't be turned around so people need to stop getting their pom poms in a knot.

I think it's more that it's been a week... that's it... and people are already looking at all of the bad things on the club. Yes, they're not 4-0. Yes, they've got issues that need to be addressed. But, given they're in serious turnover, new coaches, and it's been 19-months since their last game, maybe a week isn't enough time to gel and figure things out.

 

[OHLTG]

A couple of things to note this afternoon...

Spitfires are doing a 75th "Anniversary Edition Game" on Thurs v. OS.



Also... Ryan Abraham given a "C" rating in the preliminary NHL "Players to Watch" list. He's the only Spitfire listed so far.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

I think it's more that it's been a week... that's it... and people are already looking at all of the bad things on the club. Yes, they're not 4-0. Yes, they've got issues that need to be addressed. But, given they're in serious turnover, new coaches, and it's been 19-months since their last game, maybe a week isn't enough time to gel and figure things out.

How are they going to address these issues? Baisov would give them the ability to dress 12 forwards but that alone isn't fixing things. You talk about turnover/coaches and 19 months and every team is dealing with that even with 6-7 new coaches in the league.

You know 1 team that had turnover with the roster and coaching the Hamilton Bulldogs who are dressing 7 rookies every night as well. The best part about this year is you're going to find out a lot about your GM/scouts/players. Every team is on similar footing, some teams might be older on the margins but overall every team is in the same boat.

You were salivating at the expectations of this season and now you're pumping the breaks?? What happened???

 

[OHLTG]

How are they going to address these issues? Baisov would give them the ability to dress 12 forwards but that alone isn't fixing things. You talk about turnover/coaches and 19 months and every team is dealing with that even with 6-7 new coaches in the league.

You know 1 team that had turnover with the roster and coaching the Hamilton Bulldogs who are dressing 7 rookies every night as well. The best part about this year is you're going to find out a lot about your GM/scouts/players. Every team is on similar footing, some teams might be older on the margins but overall every team is in the same boat.

You were salivating at the expectations of this season and now you're pumping the breaks?? What happened???

Is every team dealing with half of their roster gone AND two new coaches? Probably not. While there are no excuses, you can't ignore this situation. It's just not realistic.

I'm not "pumping the breaks" on anything. I've said from the start that this team has plenty of potential and that it's "a marathon, not a sprint." I'm not concerned about their record a week into the season. If they're still struggling in mid-November or into the Christmas break, then that's another story. You dress 11 first-year/new players every night, plus two new coaches, and it's going to take a while to everything into place and that whole "well-oiled machine" idea.