Windsor Spitfires 2023-24 Off-Season Thread

[hockeylegend11]

Does anyone have the date for the draft lottery? I know the draft is April 12th and 13th but I can't find anything on the lottery?

Date is Wednesday March 27 for the OHL lottery draft order at 7.00 available to view online.

 

[windsor7]

Zito played 5 games and had 6 points. Better than a point a game. Bowler would have no idea he would bail after 5 games. It wasn't an easy trade being that it involved 3 teams. Your hindsight glasses in full focus for this one.

Bowler staying on is not necessarily my choice but his long history with the ownership group will give him a longer lease. That is why I think he stays. But he certainly will have to improve and quickly if they decide to keep him into the future.

The biggest part as stated earlier is trying to backfil roster spots with JrB players and no real coach to at least setup a system that they can work with. You will see a larger than normal turn over this year and, fingers crossed, a quality coach to make it better. It can't be much worse.

If Bowler hires a quality coach it will make his own job easier and safer. That's a problem that only he can solve. Be safe.

Don't go cheap..

 

[OHLTG]

I dont think Zito was a poor pickup. It gained us a couple picks i believe.

From what I've gathered, the end result was something like Zito plus two picks for two picks. So, with Zito out, it's something like 4th in 24 + 5th in 25 leaving and a 3rd in 27 + 5th in 25 coming in? Basically a wash. Zito sticking would have made it a solid deal for Bowler.

 

[ohloutsider]

Don't go cheap..

Define cheap?

You can spend a million dollars on the worst coach ever but even after that still have a bad team. Quality is the most important factor. That will come for the present pay scale for that value. Cheap should never be the thing you want to value as a driving factor.

 

[OHLTG]

I've always wondered how fans would have reacted if Smith did well, if he brought them to home ice or at least up to the sixth seed?! The "they went cheap" talk was constant when he failed but would it have still been there if they did well?

 

[spits]

So the OHL draft lottery determines the order the OHL picks in the import draft? Is that new?

 

[windsor7]

I've always wondered how fans would have reacted if Smith did well, if he brought them to home ice or at least up to the sixth seed?! The "they went cheap" talk was constant when he failed but would it have still been there if they did well?

Have to know about coaching...

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Except regarding Zito,it appears he has trouble getting along with head coaches,Savard, Niagara, North Bay and then back at Windsor.
There is no doubt he could have help the team but 4 team movements in 2 years is not a good look and he deserves more then a pass imo.

You trashed Savard. You're critical of Niagara. You praised Bowler for Zito and now Zito is the issue. Never change.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

I've always wondered how fans would have reacted if Smith did well, if he brought them to home ice or at least up to the sixth seed?! The "they went cheap" talk was constant when he failed but would it have still been there if they did well?

 

[HockeyPops]

So the OHL draft lottery determines the order the OHL picks in the import draft? Is that new?

I didn't think that was true. Did you see this somewhere?

 

[spits]

I didn't think that was true. Did you see this somewhere?

Stated in the release today:

The Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for the first four picks of the first round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection as well as the 2024 OHL U-18 Priority Selection (held Wednesday, April 17th at 7:00pm) along with the 2024 CHL Import Draft.

 

[DetSpitsFan]

I hate defending Bowler but you make so easy.
Zito walked away, can't blame that on Bowler but you'll try.
Toure is out from a suspension ( his fault not Bowlers) and now out for the rest of the year with an injury, again Bowler did not inflict the injury.
Got Donoso off waivers for free, so how can that be a bad decision?

This team is in a terrible rebuilding mess. One of Bowlers true mistakes was over selling. You need to keep enough skill around to stay competitive and shelter some of the younger guys. Toure was doing that but did not end well. And of course you need a qualify coach to guide that group. Bowler failed miserably at that one. Bowler will still be around I'm sure but if he does not put a proper head coach in place with quality assistances and they flounder next year he may be the one looking for a job.

How the coaching situation is handled in the off season is far more important than what happens in the draft. If you want proof of that look at the mess in Sudbury. Top level skill all around ( except maybe goalies) and a coach that has made a disaster of it all.

I'm actually looking forward to the end of this season. Last year's playoffs and this years regular season have been something I would never wish on any teams fanbase, what a mess. Not sure it can get any worse, feel for the players. Be safe.

I won’t say he oversold until 2026, let’s see if it pays off. Moving all the pieces we did, none were coming back next year. We moved out a “softer” forward in Peer which made space for Zito, he walked away. We moved Maillet, it freed up space to bring in a goalie to take some pressure off Joey, his numbers are worse than Michelones here.. but we got a 12th round pick - big woop. We moved Mancini and basically went from an 8th to a 2nd, and Toure provides a bit more intimidation to shelter the young guys, then he got hurt.

The teams been playing without an OA skater for weeks.

I also wonder how big bowlers eyes were for that top 4 pick? He may have over sold intentionally. You can’t tell the kids, go out there and lose, but you take away enough pieces and they won’t have much of a choice.

And I’d love to say this league has a history of fair and equal practices, but the OHL seems quite displeased with Niagara… I wouldn’t be surprised if they finish last and that ‘lottery’ doesn’t give them a top pick.

 

[DetSpitsFan]

Highest Spits can finish is 18th. For that to happen, Spits would need to win out and Pete’s lose out. Pete’s get 2 Points, or Windsor fails to in any game, it guarantees Spits a bottom 2 finish.

We lead Niagara by 3 points.

Niagara has:
Barrie (tues) 8th
Brantford (weds) 4th
Mississauga (thurs) 2nd
Sudbury (sat) 5th

Windsor has:
Erie (thurs) 5th
London (fri) 1st
Saginaw (sat) 2nd

Both teams have a 3 in 3, I really see Windsor losing out, and Niagara maybe winning vs Barrie. Windsor May get a break vs saginaw. London could have secured the conference by then, May lead to some players being rested.

 

[OHLTG]

I can see Windsor winning on Thursday; they've done pretty well against Erie this season and I know how much playing in front of the fans means to them. London is going to be a shyteshow. Saginaw miiiiight rest some guys to give a shot.

 

[StuStatsSpits]

2024 OHL Draft Ranking - Elite Prospects

2024 OHL Draft Rankings Update - Top 70

 

[OHL4Life]

I've always wondered how fans would have reacted if Smith did well, if he brought them to home ice or at least up to the sixth seed?! The "they went cheap" talk was constant when he failed but would it have still been there if they did well?

why, you should focus on more realistic things like winnig the lottery or meeting the real sant clause

i mean, his nickname was 'jughead' for a reason.

 

[OHLTG]

why, you should focus on more realistic things like winnig the lottery or meeting the real sant clause

I've met the real Santa - dude is a class act!

 

[windsor7]

I've met the real Santa - dude is a class act!

Fantasy land...

 

[OHL4Life]

I've met the real Santa - dude is a class act!

and that meeting is way more realistic then your other post

 

[Cherrydon]

Bottom line is if Smith did well we obviously wouldn't be complaining. His hire could have been from ownership or only Bowler's decision. Either way he had a decent squad to start getting year and it tanked. Bowler had fire sale rightfully so. I am not giving Bowler a pass, especially after the assistant coach debacle. Ownership knows the inside details needed to make a decision to move on with Bowler or not based on their initial direction.

 

[OHLTG]

NIA loses in extra time tonight. They're now two points back, each with three games left. (edited because I can't math tonight, apparently)

 

[ohloutsider]

NIA loses in extra time tonight. They're now two points back with a game in hand. We have three games left, they have four.

No tonight was the 4th game, they have 3 left.

 

[OHLTG]

No tonight was the 4th game, they have 3 left.

I mathed wrong, whoops. Still, two points back with three games left.

 

[Cherrydon]

The current ranked top 5 for the draft is Valentini, Wassilyn, Nyman, Hage. Belchetz. Size concerns for Valentini 5-8" Nyman and Hage 5-9" ?? .Wassilyn 6-2" Belchetz 6-4".

 

[OHLTG]

The current ranked top 5 for the draft is Valentini, Wassilyn, Nyman, Hage. Belchetz. Size concerns for Valentini 5-8" Nyman and Hage 5-9" ?? .Wassilyn 6-2" Belchetz 6-4".

Where was this posted?