Windsor Spitfires 2024-25 Season Thread, Part I

[DetSpitsFan]

Also, good on Froggett, had a limited quantity of the puck which can be way tougher than seeing a lot of shots.. Had a couple real good pad saves.

Also on the Saginaw game, no fault to Joey. Not much he could do on those, and when it’s a 3/4 goal swing, even if one was an iffy one, not sending the blame in that direction.

Oddly we had a ‘bad’ weekend, and goaltending isn’t deserving the fault.

Lineups healthy now, Everyone is back, no excuses out on the eastern trip this weekend!

 

[three dog night]

Was it a small crowd today nothing on the box score

 

[OHLTG]

Was it a small crowd today nothing on the box score

Roughly 5,550? From what I'm told. I don't know why it wasn't on the OHL site.

 

[thespitslurker]

Was not pretty but we won and kept it close with the... Peterborough Petes. Yeah im not thrilled with how this game went:

- Did anyone check if this team has a pulse? Because if not we might need to call the CDC and tell them that there was a zombie outbreak at the WFCU this afternoon.
- The refs were even somewhat nice to us imo and gave us some good PP opportunities but unfortunately you have to actually try on the PP to score goals so...
- I would give credit to *Easton* Rye for standing on his head & keeping his team him the game but holy crap Windsor shoots so poorly. Just nonstop instances of either shooting really wide or shooting to the center of the goalie's chest.
- I thought Woodall (and maybe Walton) were the only competent D tonight. Kinda sad that adding the 7th D didn't matter because the majority of them played bad.
- That 3-on-0 was something alright. Im glad the broadcast mentioned that Walton said he should've just shot it on the breakaway because like... no shit everyone else in the stands thought that lol
- When Josef effing Eichler has to save this team by scoring a subpar goal so late in the game you know the offense is really screwed.
- Outwater, Gaymes, Morneau and Garden did good tonight and were able to get some points.
- Somewhat sad that getting back three 16 year olds sounds so optimistic right now. At least Belchetz and Lemieux had a pretty good tournament. Hopefully they can come back with a bit of energy from the tourney because we might have to rely on them to get out of this funk 0_o
- Can someone tell Spellacy to keep two hands on his stick for Gods sake? Like every other play of his he either lost the puck on an easy pass or he was slipping on the ice like he doesnt have skates on.
- But yeah overall not a good game for any of our supposed top players. I get they probably dont wanna play on a Sunday at 4 PM but put the effort in. Because I can guarantee a majority of the other teams are trying harder.

Good luck on the road you'll need it at this rate. Look at what wearing those St. Clair Jerseys has done to us lol

 

[spits]

That was an ugly win. Everyone on here summed it up pretty good. Hate to say it but Greentree and Spellacy have been subpar recently. Greentree again just tries to do too much and loses it.

Spellacy is a great skater but unfortunately, his hands don't match his speed. Not sure how he managed to not even get a shot on that 3 on 0. Don't think you have to worry about either of them making the NHL as a 19 year old next season. Not gonna happen. Still good players and hard workers but need more time to develop. That's what the O is for.

Next year is the year to go for it as most are back except Protas and the OA's. This year I would just add a solid d-man. Someone on here mentioned Petrovski, I believe it was OHL Outsider. I agree.

Why is nobody talking about Newlove? He is expected to be drafted in this year's NHL draft. Bowler has him signed and he's basically the 3rd string goalie? I know it's a tough situation with JC and Frogett but gotta figure something out.

We knew the squad would not play at an .800 win % mark all season, we'll see if they can get back to playing with more enthusiasm. They come out sleeping in every game now. Nice to get Lemieux, Hicks, and Belchetz back this week.

 

[OHLTG]

A few thoughts...

The good:

- Aside from the first goal, I thought Froggett played alright. He has moments where he doesn't look completely sure, but he made the saves he needed to.
- I loved Eichler and Walton's reaction to Eichler's goal.
- That was Cristoforo's first ever empty netter. I know he has critics that yell "you're a defenceman!", but as long as he's playing well at both ends, he's fine to do what he needs.
- A very physical game, one of the better ones this season. I know the players appreciated that.
- Protas has this crazy ability to be silent, then quickly score like it's nothing. That goal was out of a video game and he kind of chuckled as he celebrated. We all wanted an impact Import... we got it!
- Well done on the Remembrance Day ceremony!

The Not-so-Good:

- The goal against. I don't know if Froggett was screened but...
- 1/7 on the PP. They had looks, Rye made great saves, but you have to capitalize on lengthy PP time. They're trying to be cute. Get it on net. Good things can happen. See: Eichler.
- A 3-on-0 with no goal? Nah, come on...
- Greentree needs Belchetz. He's trying to do it all himself and, while he's putting up the points, it looks frustrating at times.

It wasn't a pretty game but I wasn't expecting that. Peterborough doesn't just roll over; most of their games this season have been one or two goal differences. I figured 3-2 so I wasn't that far off. Get some practice in and hit the road for North Bay.

 

[windsor7]

A few thoughts...

The good:

- Aside from the first goal, I thought Froggett played alright. He has moments where he doesn't look completely sure, but he made the saves he needed to.
- I loved Eichler and Walton's reaction to Eichler's goal.
- That was Cristoforo's first ever empty netter. I know he has critics that yell "you're a defenceman!", but as long as he's playing well at both ends, he's fine to do what he needs.
- A very physical game, one of the better ones this season. I know the players appreciated that.
- Protas has this crazy ability to be silent, then quickly score like it's nothing. That goal was out of a video game and he kind of chuckled as he celebrated. We all wanted an impact Import... we got it!
- Well done on the Remembrance Day ceremony!

The Not-so-Good:

- The goal against. I don't know if Froggett was screened but...
- 1/7 on the PP. They had looks, Rye made great saves, but you have to capitalize on lengthy PP time. They're trying to be cute. Get it on net. Good things can happen. See: Eichler.
- A 3-on-0 with no goal? Nah, come on...
- Greentree needs Belchetz. He's trying to do it all himself and, while he's putting up the points, it looks frustrating at times.

It wasn't a pretty game but I wasn't expecting that. Peterborough doesn't just roll over; most of their games this season have been one or two goal differences. I figured 3-2 so I wasn't that far off. Get some practice in and hit the road for North Bay.

44 still needs a lot work on defensive side..

 

[Teflon]

The goal. From my view our player deflected it in.

 

[ohloutsider]

Greentree had to carry the team last year. This year he has a supporting cast but he is still trying to do it on his own. Seems to struggle to recognize that. You can see it from the play of Abraham and Protas. They are coasting because why bother if 1 of your linemates is trying to skate through 3 defenders every single shift. Walter's needs to be all over this.

Nesbitt is missing Belchetz. They were a great tandem and the play of Nesbitt has dropped a bit since Belchetz left for the tournament.

Spellacy- I agree with others, he just can’t put feet, brain, hands into the same space. He will figure it out.

Christoforo- sad that others won't give him some credit but he is playing much better than last year. No he is not Ellis but he is playing more like you would expect. Leading the league in plus/minus for most players would be applauded but here he gets grade 6 name calling.

Woodall for me seems to have hit a wall. Not playing bad but not really any better than last year. Was hoping for more from him.

Walton and Eichler have both showed improvement. That is all you can ask is development from year to year.

Froggett looks shaky but really any goalie getting 3 games in 3 months would be.

This is the Costanzo we expected last year. As the league tightens up I'm hoping he can keep this up. Saginaw game showed he is dialed in, just need his team mates to play with the same intensity.

#91 is not an OHL defenseman. Hicks needs to take his spot.

Moreau has played steady and I like the willingness to shoot but hes an OA for a reason.

Mathurin is just what the doctor ordered. Steady, not flashy but is playing key moments and for the most part keeping the D on track. Great mentor.

At the start of the year I was all in to keep Martin but man oh man too many untimely penalties. I blame this a bit on the coaching staff putting him out there at key moments of the game and it is costing the Spits momentum.

All in all it has been a great start to the year and once the coaches make the tweaks I've asked for all should be fine in Spitland! Lol! Be safe!

 

[windsor7]

Windsor escaped with a win
Probably played 1 period.
The Novemberance Day ceremony was good.
Decent crowd for a 4pm Sunday game.
Protas has a great shot.
Defense soft. Not physical enough.
Horrible passing especially out of their own defensive zone. Need to make better 1st pass.
Pp was awful.
Lots of practice needed still.

 

[Cherrydon]

The first unit has been outplayed by the second PP for a few games now. Mostly credit to Woodall holding his position at the point and the forwards working hard in the corners battlng pucks. Morneau, Spellacy and Outwater. Like to see Belchetz on that unit. Need to get bodies in front of the net to screen and have a bumper position and control some movement from behind the net better. Shot accuracy needs to improve. We don't have any D with a cannon so those wrist shots must be on the net and lower. Over the net shots of target are not tipable and no rebound opportunities.

 

[OHLTG]

The goal. From my view our player deflected it in.

Appreciated.

 

[OHLTG]

Christoforo- sad that others won't give him some credit but he is playing much better than last year. No he is not Ellis but he is playing more like you would expect. Leading the league in plus/minus for most players would be applauded but here he gets grade 6 name calling.

You don't go from a -45ish to a +23ish without development. He's even said, multiple times, that he's worked on his own game and the systems are much improved. I wouldn't have been surprised if he was traded this season for a fresh start but I guess Walters WAS his fresh start. Once you know what to expect from him, you're golden.

Woodall for me seems to have hit a wall. Not playing bad but not really any better than last year. Was hoping for more from him.

I was not expecting him to have the worst plus-minus on the team. I like his game but he goes unnoticed a lot more than I had hoped for.

Walton and Eichler have both showed improvement. That is all you can ask is development from year to year.

Walton's done a 180; he's physical, showing some leadership, and getting the puck towards the net. I'll take it.

Mathurin is just what the doctor ordered. Steady, not flashy but is playing key moments and for the most part keeping the D on track. Great mentor.

Cristoforo has mentioned that Mathurin's been a big influence on him. I'll admit, I didn't know much about Tnias' game before he arrived, but Bowler hit the nail on the head here.

At the start of the year I was all in to keep Martin but man oh man too many untimely penalties. I blame this a bit on the coaching staff putting him out there at key moments of the game and it is costing the Spits momentum.

Martin's great for intimidation and eating up minutes to help the top lines rest, but, yeah, his needless penalties don't help anything. I'd rather see him shove a guy to the ice instead of cross-checking him, especially after whistles. Take a number, get him back later.

 

[windsor7]

You don't go from a -45ish to a +23ish without development. He's even said, multiple times, that he's worked on his own game and the systems are much improved. I wouldn't have been surprised if he was traded this season for a fresh start but I guess Walters WAS his fresh start. Once you know what to expect from him, you're golden.


I was not expecting him to have the worst plus-minus on the team. I like his game but he goes unnoticed a lot more than I had hoped for.


Walton's done a 180; he's physical, showing some leadership, and getting the puck towards the net. I'll take it.


Cristoforo has mentioned that Mathurin's been a big influence on him. I'll admit, I didn't know much about Tnias' game before he arrived, but Bowler hit the nail on the head here.


Martin's great for intimidation and eating up minutes to help the top lines rest, but, yeah, his needless penalties don't help anything. I'd rather see him shove a guy to the ice instead of cross-checking him, especially after whistles. Take a number, get him back later.

Mostly soft play..