Windsor Spitfires 2024-25 Season Thread, Part II

[tomschman]

Euros? Does Portras(Sp ? ) have a shot?,

I don't know if Russia and Belarus are still suspended. If Belarus is not, Protas is probably invited.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Proud of this team and the way they played as a team throughout most of these last 3 games resulting in 3straight wins,now 5-1-1 in their last 7 and that is with 4 of them on the road.
Spits power play as mentioned came alive going 4/7 tonight, though it should be mentioned that Ottawa prior to the game was a league worst 20th of 20 teams on the PK,and the Spits took full advantage.
That being Ottawa was really good on the PP tonight tool as they went 2/3.
Means that Windsor in 6 of their last 7 games have allowed only 6- 5 on 5 goals total ,and now some of the big scorers are coming alive, Greentree with 2G,1A,Protas 1G3A,and Morneau 2A,huge line for Spits tonight no doubt.
Nesbitt and Davis both added 1G1A tonight.
Greentree wound up with the winner his 1st winning goal of the season,now 11 different Spits have a least 1 game winner to their,Morneau and Nesbitt lead the way with 3 winners each, last year neither one of them had a game winner should mention Christoforo and Walton have 2 game winners each this season so far.
The only player of note still looking for a game winner this year is Ryan Abraham.
I like it when we have Gaymes and Martin in the lineup adds to the toughness to survive in this league.
All in all very pleased with the results this weekend, team seems to have recaptured some of bravado from early in the year,can't sneeze at 3 straight wins,4 straight without a regulation loss,contributions from everyone from goal on out.
Things aren't getting easier this week as Windsor takes on Saginaw this Wednesday night at home.

 

[spits]

A great weekend. They only gave up 19 shots tonight. Many on here, myself included, always state they need to bring in another d-man. I think they do, but they simply do not give up many shots. Important to acquire a d-man who will buy into this system.

Big game by the 1st line. I would keep the top 3 lines the same as they were tonight. Also good to see Nesbitt clicking now with 20 points in 24 games. Huge development in his game. One player who needs to get going is Spellacy.

Saginaw dropped their game against London, so Spitfires stand 9 points ahead of Saginaw in 1st. A win on Wednesday gives them a lead of 11 points and Saginaw about to lose Misa and Parekh to WJs. Going be interesting to see what Saginaw does regarding going for it again or selling.

Regarding Protas, there is no Russia or Belarus in the IIHF so he will be here.

 

[OHLTG]

A few thoughts...

Goals against:

1. A bit of a defensive breakdown as two of the forwards are taken but the third comes in and buries the rebound
2. On the PK, the 67's forward was left alone glove side and one-times it in.
3. A bit of a reversal behind the net, pass out front catching Costanzo going the wrong way. Someone has to communicate that.

The good:

- Belchetz finally gets one at home, and on the PP to boot. Put the big body in front and good things will happen.
- Heck, 4/7 on the PP in total should have the team thrilled. Belchetz, Greentree, Nesbitt, and Protas doing a lot of the heavy lifting, which was nice to see. They got creative, had chances, and it paid off.
- The last time the Spitfires scored more than one PPG in a game? Oct 26.
- Eight players with points, mostly the top line guys. That's fine; we know the bottom guys can chip in when they need to but you need your top guys contributing every night.
- Costanzo played well despite three goals on 19 shots. He made some big saves and I don't blame him for any of the goals, really.
- Loved country night! I'm a big Shania fan so zero complaints haha

The not-so-good:

- Honestly, I didn't like the first period. It was sloppy, disorganized hockey that gave me a bad feeling about the rest of the game. Fortunately, they turned it around, but it wasn't fun to watch.
- I'm an Ethan Martin fan; he's a good physical presence. But, man, the needless penalties!! Then, Gaymes gets a misconduct in the same stoppage... for what?
- Am I the only one who thinks Abraham is getting lost in the shuffle? He went from a big piece last season to very under the radar now and I don't think that benefits him. He's at a point-per-game, which is fine, but it's getting more and more rare to go "Oh, great game by Ryan!" I want to see him at his best and I'm not sure that's here right now.


I was hoping for four points this weekend so will gladly take six. They just beat two solid contenders and a very good Ottawa team so it's hard to find much room to complain. Like Greentree said in post-game, there's always room to improve so they'll back to practice this week.

 

[ohloutsider]

Windsor may be without Greentree and Spellacy. Spellacy played well for the US in August and may get and invite. While Greentree was not invited in August, his performance this season might put him on Canada's radar.

I don't think so this year but both will be on the radar next year.

 

[rve24]

Belarus (and Russia) are still banned from IIHF competition or else he'd be a lock

TY

 

[tomschman]

A few thoughts...

Goals against:

1. A bit of a defensive breakdown as two of the forwards are taken but the third comes in and buries the rebound
2. On the PK, the 67's forward was left alone glove side and one-times it in.
3. A bit of a reversal behind the net, pass out front catching Costanzo going the wrong way. Someone has to communicate that.

The good:

- Belchetz finally gets one at home, and on the PP to boot. Put the big body in front and good things will happen.
- Heck, 4/7 on the PP in total should have the team thrilled. Belchetz, Greentree, Nesbitt, and Protas doing a lot of the heavy lifting, which was nice to see. They got creative, had chances, and it paid off.
- The last time the Spitfires scored more than one PPG in a game? Oct 26.
- Eight players with points, mostly the top line guys. That's fine; we know the bottom guys can chip in when they need to but you need your top guys contributing every night.
- Costanzo played well despite three goals on 19 shots. He made some big saves and I don't blame him for any of the goals, really.
- Loved country night! I'm a big Shania fan so zero complaints haha

The not-so-good:

- Honestly, I didn't like the first period. It was sloppy, disorganized hockey that gave me a bad feeling about the rest of the game. Fortunately, they turned it around, but it wasn't fun to watch.
- I'm an Ethan Martin fan; he's a good physical presence. But, man, the needless penalties!! Then, Gaymes gets a misconduct in the same stoppage... for what?
- Am I the only one who thinks Abraham is getting lost in the shuffle? He went from a big piece last season to very under the radar now and I don't think that benefits him. He's at a point-per-game, which is fine, but it's getting more and more rare to go "Oh, great game by Ryan!" I want to see him at his best and I'm not sure that's here right now.


I was hoping for four points this weekend so will gladly take six. They just beat two solid contenders and a very good Ottawa team so it's hard to find much room to complain. Like Greentree said in post-game, there's always room to improve so they'll back to practice this week.

As far as Gaymes's misconduct, he is our 12th or 13th forward. He took an opponent with him. I consider that a positive.

 

[ohloutsider]

Great game considering the 3 in 3 scenario. Nice to see the pp wake up, but the pk took a hit. I said it yesterday that Spits play better on an aggressive pk and not as well when they go stagnant. So last night they dropped into the box and just stood there, wallah 2 goals against. I really hope somebody on the staff figures this out as special teams can be the biggest factor in winning or losing games. Enough negative Nancy stuff, lol.

Nesbitt is becoming a fav of mine. Not only playing better in the offensive zone but much more engaged in the D zone. He was right in the scrums in front of the Spits net. His size is a big help there.
Sorry for some haters but I really like this year's Christoforo. It has been a total turn around from last year. He is now starting to use his body and make some hits. At least he is attempting to play better and try stuff outside his comfort zone. It's a development league, give him some credit. I would prefer to have him over Parekh and thankfully we do.

Costanzo has also had a much better year. Top 5 goalie in the league. Not sure we saw that coming. Better D play in front of him has helped but he is still making timely saves.

2 players I'm hoping more from is Abraham and Woodall. Both are playing OK but not the improvement I was hoping for.

The 4 rookies have been great. Really can't ask for anything better than what they have shown so far. I'm a big Hicks fan but the other 3 have been solid for first year players.

Never had Windsor sitting in 1st place 1/3 of the way into the season on my dance card but I'll take it. Puts alot of pressure on Bowler on what to do at the deadline. I still think the goal is 1st in the division and prep and experience for next year but Bowler should have a feel for what is in the cards for next year and that should drive his decision on this year.

Just like any good GM this time of year, the phone bill is on the rise. Lots of rumors and speculation out there. Trade deadline is only about 6 weeks away so stay tuned.

Be safe.

 

[windsor7]

Windsor with another win.
Had some puck luck.
Ottawa took a ton of penalties.
Top line played well.
Costanzo played well again.

 

[Teflon]

Team has got back to its winning ways! Great to see! Tough weekend but getting 6 points is huge!
Im still looking for some D help tho. I know broken record lol. Team needs imho. A big shot from the blue line, a big body to clear the net. You get both with the right acquisition.

 

[Cherrydon]

Great game as i commented on last night. My one criticism was in the 3rd after it was 4-3 a certain D went super deep and parked at the side of the net. 4 Spits all at the net and if the 67's had chipped the puck out, a guaranteed odd man rush/breakaway could have easily tied the game. That selfishness can not happen. Play smarter.

Team has got back to its winning ways! Great to see! Tough weekend but getting 6 points is huge!
Im still looking for some D help tho. I know broken record lol. Team needs imho. A big shot from the blue line, a big body to clear the net. You get both with the right acquisition.

Absolutely correct.

 

[windsor7]

Great game as i commented on ladt night. My one criticism was in the 3rd after it was 4-3 a certain D went super deep and parked at the side of the net. 4 Spits all at the net and if the 67's had chipped the puck out, a guaranteed odd man rush/breakaway could have easily tied the game. That selfishness can not happen. Play smarter.


Absolutely correct.

That certain d man is always deep in the offensive zone. Out of position

 

[OHLTG]

As far as Gaymes's misconduct, he is our 12th or 13th forward. He took an opponent with him. I consider that a positive.

That's fair but I still found it needless.

Just like any good GM this time of year, the phone bill is on the rise. Lots of rumors and speculation out there. Trade deadline is only about 6 weeks away so stay tuned.

I'm very interested to see what Bowler does. The goal is adding without upsetting the room; we've seen both sides of that equation.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Team has got back to its winning ways! Great to see! Tough weekend but getting 6 points is huge!
Im still looking for some D help tho. I know broken record lol. Team needs imho. A big shot from the blue line, a big body to clear the net. You get both with the right acquisition.

I think it will be harder to acquire a D than people think. In the east 9 points separate 2nd and 9th in the conference and some of them have hopes of contending. Petes are full rebuild. I don't see a lot of sellers out there.

 

[Teflon]

Guess it depends on how bad they feel the need is for a D man. Might be easier if they send bodies that can help a team…

 

[Cherrydon]

Need to bite the bullet at some point. Might as well be this year to set up for this year to some degree. Sell and buy and focus heavily for next year. We'll need 1 OA for sure, possibly 2-3 depending on JC staying and if Outwater continues to improve and stays healthy. Eichler can't stay imo. OA and Import taking up 2 critical spots. Need 1 import possibly 2 if Protas assigned AHL. BB should have an answer from Washington before import draft. That's not addressing the D directly unless imports are D and acquired OA'S are D but last minute OA acquisitions are expensive as hell anymore. Should move 1 of 24 or 44 for a defensive minded gritty D with offensive flair Mews would be nice for sure. Nothing personal, trying to build a solid team we sell know the issues present.

 

[tomschman]

The Spits will get a break on Wednesday against Saginaw. Misa will be in Oshawa for the Prospects Challange.

 

[hockeylegend11]

The Spits will get a break on Wednesday against Saginaw. Misa will be in Oshawa for the Prospects Challange.

Hopefully Windsor will take full advantage, will have to focus containing Joey Willis who has 13 goals in his last 5 games.
That being said Windsor did win in OT,in the 1st game of the season for both and Windsor was missing Protas, Greentree and Spellacy, while they were missing Pareh,a 5-4 win.

 

[Cherrydon]

WJC. Expect an invite to Greentree and possibly Spellacy for team USA. London should have 6 at camp amongst TC and their 2 Finnish imports. The Spits need to make the most of December pocketing points over London while they will be seriously short for a month. 3 are shoeins for TC and both imports are expected easily to make team Finland. Barkey still possible for TC which would make 6 biggies out of their lineup. The issue for us is we won't see the real Knights until January 9th to see how we may match up head to head going into the trade deadline Jan 10th.

 

[rve24]

I think it will be harder to acquire a D than people think. In the east 9 points separate 2nd and 9th in the conference and some of them have hopes of contending. Petes are full rebuild. I don't see a lot of sellers out there.

Add in LK may be looking for a similar type D to bolster the team this and next years as they have few OA options. Might drive up the price again/ might not (see...SW) As always the deadline will be interesting for us fans and will show managements cards. It'll come down to who wants to pay the price.

 

[DetSpitsFan]

Even though we won’t see London full, we’ve seen the rest of the conference. Without a collapse… we win the conference if we stand pat. And I’ve liked how we’ve faced Kitchener.

It’s weird. This teams showing what it can do in spurts. So far this season, early, they played physical and made it work. Middle, blew up offensively and can win putting up a lot. Recently, after struggles, have been successful winning low scoring/defensive minded games (throw out the outliers in Kitchener W and Sudbury L).

It seems the roster we have can do it all and are buying into the systems. Now as long as we can play the right game against the right team, good things can happen.

I’m selfishly glad so many guys are missing from the 13/14 WSR/LDN Series, I can’t make those lol

 

[hockeylegend11]

Now that we have just passed the 1/3 mark of the regular season schedule interesting to see the differences from last year after 24 games.
Spits are currently 17-5-2 with 36 points,last year after 24 games Spits were 6-17-1 with 13 points.
The PP and PK this season is 3rd best and 7th best,last season it was 14th and 19th best.
This season Windsor has scored 100 goals and have allowed 63 +4 empty netters
Last year 89 goals for and 118 +7 goals against.
This year Spits are 9-2 at home and 8-3-2 on the road,last year they were 3-9-1 at home and 3-8- on the road.
Goalie Joey Costanzo currently leads the league with wins 14--4-1, and has a goals against average of 2.34
Last season he was 4-10 with a 5.55 goals against average.
Should note he won only 10 games all last year has already surpassed that with 14.
Players who have improved from last year
Jack Nesbitt has 11G,9A in 24 games,last year 16GP-2G,0A,Noah Morneau has 8G,16A in 24 games,last year in 22 games he had 2G,5A,Anthony Christoforo has 5G,13A so far this year with a +27, last year1G,12A,and was a -19.
Ryan Abraham has 8G,15A in 23 games,last year 20GP-5G,5A
Conor Walton has 2G,3A and is a +11 last year 0G,1A in 20GP and was a -6.
There are a couple of others who have better comparable but these players are the more noticeable.
All I can say is what a difference a year makes so far.

 

[windsor7]

Now that we have just passed the 1/3 mark of the regular season schedule interesting to see the differences from last year after 24 games.
Spits are currently 17-5-2 with 36 points,last year after 24 games Spits were 6-17-1 with 13 points.
The PP and PK this season is 3rd best and 7th best,last season it was 14th and 19th best.
This season Windsor has scored 100 goals and have allowed 63 +4 empty netters
Last year 89 goals for and 118 +7 goals against.
This year Spits are 9-2 at home and 8-3-2 on the road,last year they were 3-9-1 at home and 3-8- on the road.
Goalie Joey Costanzo currently leads the league with wins 14--4-1, and has a goals against average of 2.34
Last season he was 4-10 with a 5.55 goals against average.
Should note he won only 10 games all last year has already surpassed that with 14.
Players who have improved from last year
Jack Nesbitt has 11G,9A in 24 games,last year 16GP-2G,0A,Noah Morneau has 8G,16A in 24 games,last year in 22 games he had 2G,5A,Anthony Christoforo has 5G,13A so far this year with a +27, last year1G,12A,and was a -19.
Ryan Abraham has 8G,15A in 23 games,last year 20GP-5G,5A
Conor Walton has 2G,3A and is a +11 last year 0G,1A in 20GP and was a -6.
There are a couple of others who have better comparable but these players are the more noticeable.
All I can say is what a difference a year makes so far.

Yeah no tanking as what happened last year..

 

[Teflon]

Easy folks. You have to believe teams will tinker with rosters. What we see today isnt what we see come playoffs. Sell, buy, stand pat…. Injuries can also play a roll. Honestly i trade anyone who wont be here next year if that can help next year. Yes a deep run will help with experience so that also plays a part. Lots to decide.

 

[OHLTG]

Easy folks. You have to believe teams will tinker with rosters. What we see today isnt what we see come playoffs. Sell, buy, stand pat…. Injuries can also play a roll. Honestly i trade anyone who wont be here next year if that can help next year. Yes a deep run will help with experience so that also plays a part. Lots to decide.

Regarding the players who won't be here next season - that's Abraham, Mathurin, Morneau, and likely Martin. Costanzo is likely to return, barring some strange situation, as is Outwater. I'm not moving Mathurin and Morneau isn't likely to be moved short of "blown away" type of offer. Abraham is the wild card; I could see him being moved for the right price. As I've said before, he has the production and has toned down the needless penalties, but he's also slipped off the radar a bit.