Windsor Spitfires 2023-24 Off-Season Thread

[tomschman]

If

IMHO…Bowler will be retained. After all the draft will be coming up shortly and that is the priority. Should ownership change the new owners might go in a different direction. Nothing will get finalized re coaching until the CHL season is over. At that time we can hopefully get a good coaching team in place. At least we will have choices. When Smith was fired we found ourselves with a slim group of prospective coaches and it showed. I’d like to see us hire a local face/former player if possible as head coach.

Bowler was going to be fired, it should have been during the season. The scouting staff could do the draft, but a team without a GM or Coach is not something that a drafted player or their parents would want to come to play for. At this point, I don't see any alternative but to keep Bowler.

 

[Cherrydon]

Letang suspended indefinitely.

 

[TheGremlin]

I’ve been hard on the goalies all year. I think i just expect more from that position then others since i used to play that position and i expect things that i’d expect from myself. They played better down the stretch even tho they didn’t get a win. Defence was just brutal all year and when Beller is on the radio talking about how they don’t take their man or aren’t strong enough on the puck in their zone then you know it is a big issue as he doesn’t seem to criticize the team much.

 

[windsor7]

I’ve been hard on the goalies all year. I think i just expect more from that position then others since i used to play that position and i expect things that i’d expect from myself. They played better down the stretch even tho they didn’t get a win. Defence was just brutal all year and when Beller is on the radio talking about how they don’t take their man or aren’t strong enough on the puck in their zone then you know it is a big issue as he doesn’t seem to criticize the team much.

It was obvious at training camp yet Bowler did nothing..

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Spitfires quickly turn the page on 2023-24 season after season-ending loss to Spirit

The Windsor Spitfires quickly turned the page on the 2023-24 season.

windsorstar.com

Bowler isn't really comfortable talking at all.

 

[HockeyPops]

I don't know too many execs who would have been comfortable talking about that season.

 

[OHLTG]

Bowler's never struck me as a talkative, "here's some deep info" type guy. As I've said before, in that sense, he's a complete 180 from Rychel. Is it good? Is it bad? That's personal preference. I liked Rychel's style but I respect that Bowler is closer to the chest.

 

[Cherrydon]

Well article in Star Bowler says Newberry is welcomed back. He also states he wants to get a new head coach. Not sure that means naming either Torres or Newberry or someone new. Disturbing is the league already has held its random number generator for the draft lottery and is simply announcing it tonight. Why not show it live ( the actual draw) Branch is retiring!!@ yeah. Like I said I ran a number generator 10 times and the Spits finished 1 or 2 8 times out of 10 we'll see how Branches number generator may differ lol.

 

[ohloutsider]

Well article in Star Bowler says Newberry is welcomed back. He also states he wants to get a new head coach. Not sure that means naming either Torres or Newberry or someone new. Disturbing is the league already has held its random number generator for the draft lottery and is simply announcing it tonight. Why not show it live ( the actual draw) Branch is retiring!!@ yeah. Like I said I ran a number generator 10 times and the Spits finished 1 or 2 8 times out of 10 we'll see how Branches number generator may differ lol.

Announced tomorrow night.

 

[OHLTG]

I'm not a fan of the "it's already been determined" lottery. Do it live tomorrow night so there's no issues.

 

[windsor7]

Well article in Star Bowler says Newberry is welcomed back. He also states he wants to get a new head coach. Not sure that means naming either Torres or Newberry or someone new. Disturbing is the league already has held its random number generator for the draft lottery and is simply announcing it tonight. Why not show it live ( the actual draw) Branch is retiring!!@ yeah. Like I said I ran a number generator 10 times and the Spits finished 1 or 2 8 times out of 10 we'll see how Branches number generator may differ lol.

No one from behind the bench should be back.
Bowler "hiding "

 

[punch1943]

Well article in Star Bowler says Newberry is welcomed back. He also states he wants to get a new head coach. Not sure that means naming either Torres or Newberry or someone new. Disturbing is the league already has held its random number generator for the draft lottery and is simply announcing it tonight. Why not show it live ( the actual draw) Branch is retiring!!@ yeah. Like I said I ran a number generator 10 times and the Spits finished 1 or 2 8 times out of 10 we'll see how Branches number generator may differ lol.

I read the article myself and it seemed to me as if he has already a coach in mind. Then again perhaps it’s just my wishful thinking. I sure hope the Spits don’t trade away any of the picks in the second round. I hope someone can post a list of the top 40 players available in the first two rounds I’d like to read about the potential guys available.

 

[HockeyPops]

They come out with a draft guide right before the draft, and you can find writeups in there on many of the top prospects. Keep an eye out for it.

For reference, here is last year's guide:

https://cdn.ontariohockeyleague.com/uploads/ohl/2023/04/20235649/2023OHLDraftGuide.pdf

 

[OHLTG]

I read the article myself and it seemed to me as if he has already a coach in mind. Then again perhaps it’s just my wishful thinking. I sure hope the Spits don’t trade away any of the picks in the second round. I hope someone can post a list of the top 40 players available in the first two rounds I’d like to read about the potential guys available.

It would almost be better to trade away fourths or beyond. Your 1st will make the club, your 2nds should make it, and your 3rd should be a solid prospect in LaSalle.

 

[windsor7]

I'm not a fan of the "it's already been determined" lottery. Do it live tomorrow night so there's no issues.

It's been running like this for a few years.
Now Windsor is involved u want it to magically change right before? Ugh

 

[OHLTG]

It's been running like this for a few years.
Now Windsor is involved u want it to magically change right before? Ugh

What? lol ... That's a weird twist, even for you. BTW, did you know it was predetermined? I didn't.

 

[Cherrydon]

Announced tomorrow night.

Yes. Thinking today is Wednesday lol one of those weeks.

 

[Cherrydon]

They come out with a draft guide right before the draft, and you can find writeups in there on many of the top prospects. Keep an eye out for it.

For reference, here is last year's guide:

https://cdn.ontariohockeyleague.com/uploads/ohl/2023/04/20235649/2023OHLDraftGuide.pdf[/URL

http://I imagine it will be posted sometime after the 30th when the OHL cup is finished.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Soooo. Seasons over, im betting all involved are glad. Pretty much a disaster from day 1. We all have talked on end about whats wrong. Brutal decision on coaching staff, ended the season before it started. Yes in hindsight. The annual decision not to address the D bit hard this year. The poor player choices, very few of these guys have the required grit to play competitively in this league and a number are lacking in size. Waiting as long as they did before firing the HC then the ensuing mutiny of other coaches. The goalie coach we lost was infinitely better than the one hired. The decision not to hire a HC and the massive mistake with another asst coach. A number of these players havent progressed. The players damn near had a mutiny of their own…. We all could go on. Who is to blame for most of this? Bill Bowler. Then to save some face he guts the team, makes a few more poor decisions and the team ends the year on a lengthy losing streak. He leaves the team short on talent and age. Again BB fault. Yes he acquired some pics but at what cost this year? I could then add on how disliked a person he is, how that hurts internally and in hockey circles and the euro draft.
Now some think he deserves another chance, and that’s your opinion. Me? Theres no chance he returns! Reality? I don’t believe the owners can/will cut him loose. He is invested in to many places to replace him easily.
So if thats the case how do you fix it?
The high picks are a start but they MUST be hits. Best available with the first, the next 2 at least one is a big, gritty D man maybe 2 depending on what your looking at in the euro draft. I look to trade some picks for a quality defender. The new HC MUST come with some serious cache! Id let him choose his asst’s and id beg our old goalie coach to come back.
OA players shouldnt be a tough choice, that will depend if they choose to return. Make sure every player has an intense summer. We need to bulk a number of these guys up. BB needs to look hard in the mirror, he must fix his attitude and his relationships all around, be a better person Bill!
Excited to see where we pick, league might hate Nia more than Wind right now lol. I really hope they have a plan for a euro pick. Thanks for reading, I encourage discussion without getting ridiculous.

I'm not a fan of the "it's already been determined" lottery. Do it live tomorrow night so there's no issues.

Every draft result is predetermined before it's televised. NBA does it that way, NHL does it that way and now MLB. It's held with all execs and overseen by one of the big four auditing firms to ensure transparency. There would be too much chaos if you did it right there live.

 

[Cherrydon]

Every draft result is predetermined before it's televised. NBA does it that way, NHL does it that way and now MLB. It's held with all execs and overseen by one of the big four auditing firms to ensure transparency. There would be too much chaos if you did it right there live.

Yes. That is the normal procedure but it take less than 10 seconds to do it live and televise it. No big deal. That would bring more excitement and less doubt to the resuls for those who think things are say somewhat fixed or predetermined.

 

[windsor7]

What? lol ... That's a weird twist, even for you. BTW, did you know it was predetermined? I didn't.

Yes I did

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Bowler continually uses the Soo Greyhounds example from last year to now. The Greyhounds changed about 10 players from what they ended last year with. They also added a healthy Allard and Gibson this year.

Soo also never sold off any players last year unless you include Savard in that group. They took their lumps kept the same coach and GM. The two are nothing the same.

Yes. That is the normal procedure but it take less than 10 seconds to do it live and televise it. No big deal. That would bring more excitement and less doubt to the resuls for those who think things are say somewhat fixed or predetermined.

They have a reputable auditing firm conducting the draft. This idea that drafts are somehow fixed need to mix in a water every now and then. The problem is that you usually have 10000 different permutations of numbers. It would be far to difficult to run it live.

 

[Cherrydon]

Random weighted number generators run in a millisecond. It is not like lottery balls and air tubes. Niagara gets 4 "balls" Spits "3" so on. It is run once by the program. I am not saying it is fixed but some may think that since the draw has already occurred.

 

[Cherrydon]

Niagara finished last both 2023, 2023 and got 4th Overall and 2nd last year in the lottery. Maybe 3rd times a charm? Or weighed odds mean sweet sh-t when run once.

 

[OHLTG]

Random weighted number generators run in a millisecond. It is not like lottery balls and air tubes. Niagara gets 4 "balls" Spits "3" so on. It is run once by the program. I am not saying it is fixed but some may think that since the draw has already occurred.

I'm sure there's a logical way to do it live. It would save a lot of doubt after the fact. Whether the league would ever do that is another story.