Windsor Spitfires 2022-23 Off-Season Thread (Part 8)

[hockeylegend11]

This teams D is BRUTAL as is its grit! I will take a guy with physicality over any of the other OA’s. Malpractice? I think not. Im not a Maillette fan so thats why i made my choices. I just think theres to many guys like him here. BB still needs to address the teams toughness as well.

Interesting re the defense when Costanzo played goal he and Windsor were 5th best in goals against and save percentage, yet when Onuska played he was 21st in save per centage and goals against,toss in Sobelev who missed to 1/3 of the schedule, Dioncio only played 34 games here,Henault, Perrott,Ribau all gone from the previous year,my view defense is a team game not just defensemen doing their jobs.
If Sobelev returns to go along with Dionicio, Christoforo,DeAngilis, that's a good starting 4 and in my view better then Renwick,Holmes and Jodoin who aren't or won't be returning this coming season.
As for Maillet,while I like Peer too,I feel Maillet is better defensively,more durable and showed great chemistry with Greentree,love to have both but 1 will probably be gone.

 

[hockeylegend11]

DeA and Dio are both going to be invaluble to the team this season so I can't see either being dealt until there's an offer that Bowler can't refuse.

Personally, I don't have an issue with going younger, but it could create some serious growing pains that I'm not sure fans are ready for. Dio/DeA as your top-two is fine, but is Cristoforo ready to be three and is Woodall ready to be four after a very small taste last season? I don't know.

Sobolev is another one that I think means more to the club than you'd get in any return. He's physical, responsible defensively, and chips in a few points. I know there are multiple teams who head into 2023-24 with an 03 Import so the trade options would be even less than normal.

It's not going to be an easy decision, regardless.

I do think Christoforo is ready to be considered top 3 guys on the backend,showed great stuff last year both offensively and defensively ie blocking shots,great pick by Bowler where he was chosen last year best overall 16 year old dman imo.
I agree about Sobelev, I do hope he returns as an OA,as I mentioned in another post he along with Dionicio, DeAngilis and Christoforo make a solid 4 dmen coming back nice mix of offense and defense amongst that group,and I do think this team will perform better defensively overall with a new coach.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

This teams D is BRUTAL as is its grit! I will take a guy with physicality over any of the other OA’s. Malpractice? I think not. Im not a Maillette fan so thats why i made my choices. I just think theres to many guys like him here. BB still needs to address the teams toughness as well.

His physical play didn't contribute to a better overall D. They're not contending for anything this upcoming year. Having a guy take up an OA/import slot instead of developing a D for the future isn't helping the team.

 

[OHLTG]

Even if you have Sobo, you're still developing 2-3 rookies/sophomore D on a nightly basis. It's not like Sobo is going to take the spot of a rookie who urgently needs playing time. There's going to be room for both veterans and youth in either direction.

 

[windsor7]

Interesting re the defense when Costanzo played goal he and Windsor were 5th best in goals against and save percentage, yet when Onuska played he was 21st in save per centage and goals against,toss in Sobelev who missed to 1/3 of the schedule, Dioncio only played 34 games here,Henault, Perrott,Ribau all gone from the previous year,my view defense is a team game not just defensemen doing their jobs.
If Sobelev returns to go along with Dionicio, Christoforo,DeAngilis, that's a good starting 4 and in my view better then Renwick,Holmes and Jodoin who aren't or won't be returning this coming season.
As for Maillet,while I like Peer too,I feel Maillet is better defensively,more durable and showed great chemistry with Greentree,love to have both but 1 will probably be gone.

Defense still wasn't good.
Noticeable to most.

 

[ohloutsider]

Love this discussion. Nice to see different sides and views on "hockey" related topics.

I agree this is not a go for it year so how you handle OA's and rookies has to be handled differently. You have to keep a veteran presence so the rookies are not placed in bad spots and overwhelmed so to speak. But you have to get the same rookies playing time. Tough balance and hopefully a new coach understands what they are walking into this year.

Up front there is lots of balance so who you keep as veterans probably has less impact. Defense is a different story. I'm still bitter about them trading Ride. He would have been coming into his own this year and with him here Sobelev would not be a need. Problem is I don't see any rookies coming from the JrB ranks that will have any significant contribution on defense . They are very short on OHL caliber D. Know nothing about this year's drafted D and hopefully at least one can step in as a 7 in the roster? So until there is a clearer picture on who can play at this level I'm very OK with keeping Sobelev. Good thing about all of this is decisions don't have to be finalized until after preseason.

Any rumors on a new coach? The new coach would want to have some say on the type of players they want along with molding the direction of the retool.

Do we think there might be a surprise trade for a vet, maybe even Sobelev to a contender that will give them the younger D they need? Enough of my mornings rambling, carry on.

 

[Knownothing]

I do think Christoforo is ready to be considered top 3 guys on the backend,showed great stuff last year both offensively and defensively ie blocking shots,great pick by Bowler where he was chosen last year best overall 16 year old dman imo.
I agree about Sobelev, I do hope he returns as an OA,as I mentioned in another post he along with Dionicio, DeAngilis and Christoforo make a solid 4 dmen coming back nice mix of offense and defense amongst that group,and I do think this team will perform better defensively overall with a new coach.

Did watch Per

I do think Christoforo is ready to be considered top 3 guys on the backend,showed great stuff last year both offensively and defensively ie blocking shots,great pick by Bowler where he was chosen last year best overall 16 year old dman imo.
I agree about Sobelev, I do hope he returns as an OA,as I mentioned in another post he along with Dionicio, DeAngilis and Christoforo make a solid 4 dmen coming back nice mix of offense and defense amongst that group,and I do think this team will perform better defensively overall with a new coach.

Did you watch Parekh, I know you did. He was far better than Christoforo. I don’t think it was close.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Did watch Per

Did you watch Parekh, I know you did. He was far better than Christoforo. I don’t think it was close.

Parekh was not far better then Christoforo especially considering Parekh was chosen earlier in the 1st by Saginaw,special teams yes,total points no, 41-37 in favor of Christoforo,plus/ minus in favor of Christoforo 10 to 3, goals Parekh,21 ,Christoforo 6,assists Christoforo ,35,Parekh 21,no doubt both had excellent 1st seasons,Christoforo imo better defensively especially blocking shots,more durable he missed 0 games to injury Parekh 12.
End of the day Bowler's 1st 3 picks last year Christoforo, Greentree and Spellacy,considering where they were chosen in rounds 1,2,3 the best picks overall in the draft.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Did watch Per

Did you watch Parekh, I know you did. He was far better than Christoforo. I don’t think it was close.

Parekh had a better year imo. Also their respective playoffs sealed it imo. Also Parekh looks to be in a better situation currently and into the future.

 

[ohloutsider]

Parekh had a better year imo. Also their respective playoffs sealed it imo. Also Parekh looks to be in a better situation currently and into the future.

Parekh is better, Dickinson is better as well but there really is not much of a gap between them. Christoforo and Dickinson will get to play more meaningful minutes this year so hard to say how they will fair by the end of the year. Watching Brock's list will give a clue on how the scouts see them.

 

[rve24]

Parekh had a better year imo. Also their respective playoffs sealed it imo. Also Parekh looks to be in a better situation currently and into the future.

That Dickinson kid did ok as a 16 yr old D also esp. all around game.
I didn't see the other 2 enough to judge but if either had a better rookie year the OHL got some top 10/20 NHL D picks upcoming

 

[OHLTG]

In reality, all three should be pushing for first-round NHL draft statuses in due time. It makes for a creative, fun race over the next couple of seasons.

 

[Knownothing]

I didn’t take the time to surf the stats. My assessment was based on the eye test. Parekh played meaningful minutes in games against the Spits, was relied upon in all situations, pushed the play offensively and was solid on D. Both Parekh and Dickinson were 1st All Rookie Team selections while Christo was 2nd team. Nothing against him, had a great season, should turn out to be a good prospect. Was joint pointing to a differing view from HL11 “best 16 yo D” assessment and comment. There was no draft position condition to his comment.

 

[Knownothing]

Still hoping for EW as coach.

 

[OHLTG]

Let's not forget that Cristo was behind multiple veterans during a contending season. Saginaw was a much younger defensive core which gave Parekh the chance to play in bigger situations. That plays a factor.

 

[Cherrydon]

Should be interesting after Seravalli reported on his podcast to expect NHL suspensions to be announced soon over the 2018 WJC debacle. Time to hit this front and center and set the tone moving forward that this type of behavior is not acceptable and is not tolerated. Thankfully there are no Spitfires involved in this.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Let's not forget that Cristo was behind multiple veterans during a contending season. Saginaw was a much younger defensive core which gave Parekh the chance to play in bigger situations. That plays a factor.

I think the bigger factor here is that Parekh played in a more friendly system for an offensive blue-liner like himself. Saginaw‘s system gives defenders like him the green light to do whatever they want to in the offensive zone, and it worked out to great effect last season for more than one offensive defender.

Look at Pavel Mintyukov, if he stayed on Saginaw last year he could have won the Red Tilson, as soon as he was traded to a more structured system, his numbers dropped significantly, meanwhile Parekh stepped in admirably for him for Saginaw and his numbers post trade increased significantly.

I think that although Cristoforo was given a lot of rope as a rookie blueliner for the Spits, probably the most since Ellis to be honest - if he were to have been swaped in place of Parekh, he would look more impressive as a result, maybe just not as many goals because he has an absolute muffin of a shot, in comparison to Parekh.

 

[OHLTG]

From Brock Otten...

52. Windsor Spitfires - Josef Eichler - Defense
The Tomas Hebek selection definitely didn't work out for Windsor last season. So...why not go back to the same well this year? Eichler is a late born 2005 who played for the Czechs at both the Hlinka and U18's, although in more of a depth role. Of course, Windsor could have just kept Sobolev around, but they already have an OA crunch heading into next year, so this makes more sense. Truthfully, Eichler sounds a lot like Sobolev anyway.
Scouting Report:

Very physical defender, much more than his size would suggest (6'0). Eichler can make a solid first pass and has offensive potential. - Czech Prospects

 

[Cherrydon]

Well something on the kid since it's been crickets from the Spits so far.

 

[DetSpitsFan]

Christoforo vs Parekh seems like a silly debate. They’re different types of players. The last time we had an overly offensive defensemen, people were calling for Henaults head on a stick.

Parekh was dynamite with the puck, played a steady game, but has his faults as well. Systems play a factor as well. Both are tremendous players and I think both are in the right organization to grow.

I’m not overly concerned about D. If we’re working on helping the young core grow, isn’t it best we have one overage import D man, rather than an overager separate from an import? Eating 2 roster spots vs 1?

Hard to speak until we see Eichler at camp, and it is a “rebuild” year but I know what we’re getting with Sobo, and I like it. If we get the chance to keep him on D, I go for it

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Christoforo vs Parekh seems like a silly debate. They’re different types of players. The last time we had an overly offensive defensemen, people were calling for Henaults head on a stick.

Parekh was dynamite with the puck, played a steady game, but has his faults as well. Systems play a factor as well. Both are tremendous players and I think both are in the right organization to grow.

I’m not overly concerned about D. If we’re working on helping the young core grow, isn’t it best we have one overage import D man, rather than an overager separate from an import? Eating 2 roster spots vs 1?

Hard to speak until we see Eichler at camp, and it is a “rebuild” year but I know what we’re getting with Sobo, and I like it. If we get the chance to keep him on D, I go for it

If you want Sobolev back you're not going to see Eichler in camp unless you're moving Dionicio. No reason to have an import come over unless he already has a roster spot. You're probably not going to trade Sobolev either. The time to move him was before the draft. The reason he probably wasn't moved is because teams don't want to have an import and OA.

 

[Teflon]

Whats wrong with having a solid, experienced D man thats an OA’r and a euro?

 

[OHLTG]

If Sobo comes into camp healthy and ready to go, it's him and Dionicio, without question. Eichler is just an insurance thing at this point, I'd imagine.

On another note... Cristoforo and Greentree named to Canada's U18 roster at Hlinka.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Whats wrong with having a solid, experienced D man thats an OA’r and a euro?

Well you only have 60 OAs in the league, and possibly 40 imports. There's a reason why teams tend not to keep an OA import in that slot. The Spits are losing 110 total goals, 34% that's a lot to replace especially if you keep Sobolev and it will be at the expense of Maillet/Peer/Christopolous.

 

[OHLTG]

The question might become - who's more valuable to their group, Sobolev or Maillet (who I'd imagine is the odd-man out within the forwards)? Right now, I'd argue Sobolev.