Windsor Spitfires 2022-23 Season Thread

[ohloutsider]

North Bay looks like a strong team. Had the Spits on the ropes most of the first and third. The big difference in the game was Spits took advantage of their opportunities and North Bay did not. Spits score 3 on 7 shots in the first and North Bay 0 goals on 12 shots.
Onuska with his best game this year so far. Made some big saves, kinda like what he brought the end of last year.
Christoforo with a crazy breakup of a 2 on 1. He is quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Nice touch with the Christopoulos brothers for the puck drop ceremony. Good to see teams planning this kind of stuff.
Abraham getting under players skin seems to be a theme. Just not sure he does the team any service sitting in the box.
Nice win. Next 2 on the road. Hoping for the best but 3 in 3's are tough. Especially the first one of the year.

Go Spits Go!!!

 

[TheGremlin]

Spits now 7-0-3 in 1st 10,imagine how many goals they would have if Wyatt Johnston and Zito were here.

Honestly the probably wouldn’t have many more goals. Maybe a few but it wouldn’t be a big difference as ice time would be taken away from others so those players numbers wouldn’t be as good. Smith also has more goals then Zito right now and you wouldn’t have one if you didn’t trade the other more then likely.

 

[OHLTG]

I echo most of what's been said already.

Jumping out to the big lead is nice but you could tell that it was more NB's goaltending/D than a domination. The shots were pretty even throughout the first 40 minutes.

I don't know what started the Cristoforo/Smith/NB stuff at the end of the second but I'm glad Smith was there to protect the rookie. Why did Arnsby (I believe) give Cristoforo a shot with the stick after everyone had skated away? That's what caused the Abraham fight.

That said, Smith is really coming into his own and he's fun to watch. While not the smoothest/fastest skater, he can score and he's definitely got that grit to him.

Onuska was a beast, especially in the third period. You don't get outshot 18-2 and still win without some serious acrobatics.

 

[OHL 17]

Smith could be a lot better if he was in better shape. He is consistently last man into both zones.

He is extremely strong, thus a very heavy shot.......which equals goals.

I expect Savard to work with him and as the season moves along. and then he will be an extremely valuable player.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Smith could be a lot better if he was in better shape. He is consistently last man into both zones.

He is extremely strong, thus a very heavy shot.......which equals goals.

I expect Savard to work with him and as the season moves along. and then he will be an extremely valuable player.

He is the Spitfires version of Tomas Holmstrom.

 

[windsor7]

Windsor with a good win.
Took advantage of their opportunities.
Goalie was good. D was decent
Took off most of 3rd when up a lot
Need to be more physical.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Smith could be a lot better if he was in better shape. He is consistently last man into both zones.

He is extremely strong, thus a very heavy shot.......which equals goals.

I expect Savard to work with him and as the season moves along. and then he will be an extremely valuable player.

Colton Smith is not dressed tonight,took a shot on the leg last night,limped off and did not return for the 3 star selection when he was selected.
Other scratches are Dman James Jodoin and forward Jackson McLlwain.
McLlwain is taking the warmup but listed as an extra forward.
Drawing into the lineup is dman Thomas Hebek and Center Ethan Martin.
As expected Joey Costanzo gets the start in goal for Windsor against his former team again.

 

[Teflon]

Not a good start in the falls. Forwards are not back checking with any urgency, costanzo is only reason were still in it. First NF goal because meidema didnt come back hard.

 

[windsor7]

Not a good start in the falls. Forwards are not back checking with any urgency, costanzo is only reason were still in it. First NF goal because meidema didnt come back hard.

Bad habits

 

[OHLTG]

7-3 Windsor mid 3p, incl. Cristoforo's first OHL goal.

 

[OHLTG]

11-3...

 

[windsor7]

11-3...

Build confidence scoring

 

[Travis Bickle 77]

Well that was a entertaining game! O'Flaherty showed up for this game scoring 2 goals! Very good game for many Tonight! Renwick can sure blast it! Off to Erie in a tough to win in arena! Go Spits Go!!

 

[Cherrydon]

Great win after a sluggish first period. Abraham's goal late in the first got the ship righted. scoring from throughout the lineup. Nice to see lots of monkeys off backs. Miedema passing was stellar and unselfish tonight. Renwick's cannon was locked and loaded. Costanzo super solid all game stayed focused. Easier to say who didn't play well and I couldn't find one lol. Greentree is going to be a home run. All the rookies are playing excellent so early in their careers. I have to remind myself they are only 16. Greentree and Spellacy have the builds of19-20 yr olds. BB open that wallet and get a big tough D to clear bodies and invoke fear to the opposition and this team can make a long run again this year. I was going to say add another scorer as well but damm goals are coming throughout the lineup. Score 11 goals and Maggio and Christopoulis were not the leaders on the scoresheet. Who would have thought that. Finish off tomorrow in Erie with another win. Erie played tonight and have a longer drive home than the Spits from Niagara so fatigue should not be an excuse tomorrow.

 

[ohloutsider]

Oh my! Better grab on tight on the bandwagon. It's gonna get crowded up here!

 

[hockeylegend11]

Great win after a sluggish first period. Abraham's goal late in the first got the ship righted. scoring from throughout the lineup. Nice to see lots of monkeys off backs. Miedema passing was stellar and unselfish tonight. Renwick's cannon was locked and loaded. Costanzo super solid all game stayed focused. Easier to say who didn't play well and I couldn't find one lol. Greentree is going to be a home run. All the rookies are playing excellent so early in their careers. I have to remind myself they are only 16. Greentree and Spellacy have the builds of19-20 yr olds. BB open that wallet and get a big tough D to clear bodies and invoke fear to the opposition and this team can make a long run again this year. I was going to say add another scorer as well but damm goals are coming throughout the lineup. Score 11 goals and Maggio and Christopoulis were not the leaders on the scoresheet. Who would have thought that. Finish off tomorrow in Erie with another win. Erie played tonight and have a longer drive home than the Spits from Niagara so fatigue should not be an excuse tomorrow.

That was one game for the ages,15/18 skaters had at 1 point tonight,the only 3 who didn't were Greentree, Martin and Hebek.
3 players with 2 goals each,Abraham, O'Flaherty and Renwick, singles from Peer,Maggio,Christoforo, Sobelev and Maillet.
3 dmen had multiple points,DeAngilis, Renwick, Christoforo, and 2 had singles Sobelev and Ride.
Spits went 4-8 on the PP and 3-3 on the PK
PowerPlay now is 10th overall,PK is 14th
Solid game from Costanzo from the beginning, he has been pretty impressive during his 3 starts,ave is 2.95 and save percentage is .911.
Even the 3 guys who didn't register a point played well,Greentree, Martin and Hebek,especially Greentree and Hebek.
Spits now have scored 57 goals for the season for an average of 5.18 GF,they have allowed 38 goals for an average of 3.45 against.
Spits now only team that hasn't lost a game in regulation so far this season.
Let's hope Windsor didn't use up all their goals when they play at Erie tomorrow.
Jodoin will draw in for Sobelev who still awaits his American visa,would not surprise me if McLlwain dresses for Martin, while Onuska should get the start in goal.

 

[three dog night]

Didn’t expect that score after the first period most ever goals scored in Niagara.

 

[spits]

Another game, another victory in the books. Funny, before the game, a few Niagara fans in their thread were saying that the Spitfires didn't have much skill lmao.


Great performance by all. Greentree's skill is really starting to be on display out there. I also still can't believe how Cristoforo wasn't a top 5 overall pick in the OHL draft. Gotta give props to Bowler, he essentially got Maillet, Christopolous and Peer for nothing and they are key PPG players. 21-1-4 in their last 26 regular season games.

 

[Teflon]

Wow. Pep talk between periods worked lol. That was a thorough spanking after a lazy first! Nice job boys!!!

 

[Wolvesfan82]

That was an all around fantastic game for the spits. Every time I looked away from the tv they scored. Time to go 3 for 3 this week. Can't wait until they roll into Mississauga next weekend.

 

[OHLTG]

This club is one veteran crease-clearer away from being similar to last season. May be just a matter of who's available.

 

[KyGuy9]

What a start to the season it's been. I can't believe how many guys have taken a step forward in their development this season and the degree of that step forward. Abraham after his slow start is now tied for 4th in league scoring (Maggio right behind him), and his last string of 7 games have been reminiscent of Wyatt production-wise last year. DeAngelis took a much bigger leap than I thought he was capable of. Did not expect PPG productivity from Maillet, Christopoulos, Peer and Smith. The depth has been incredible, and the rookies have all made an impact greater than my expectations.

Bowler has found a niche with getting underachieving players for mid-round picks and hit homeruns on almost all these types of trades - Christopoulos, Maillet, Onuska, Smith, Costanzo. I had a lot of skepticism with what to expect from him but he's killed it on this front, and more than made up for his goofups like Pitre. He's set the bar with what he is capable of as a GM, and with that, can expect to be held to a higher standard by fans that will be critiquing his moves.

What a pick Cristoforo has been. Shocking that Windsor was able to get him at the spot they did - a team like Ottawa could have (and should have) nabbed him with their 2nd first-round pick right before Windsor and had both him and his MM defence partner Mews, let alone any of the other teams picking in the teens. Greentree and Spellacy have outperformed their draft positions and with Cole Davis and Froggett on the rise, this could be a monumental draft class. This core has the potential to carry success for the Spitfires for years to come.

Everything that could have gone right has pretty much gone right up to this point of the season. Honestly, before the season had I known that Cuylle's graduated, Zito would be dealt, and Wyatt (likely) wouldn't be back, I would have expected and planned to be in the running for the 1st overall draft pick. This team has it's holes and things to improve on, but it's been a very fun team to follow without basically any of the big-name star power expected on a top flight team. They genuinely look and play like a team. As someone mentioned, maybe the lack of the star players eating up ice time is the catalyst to this team's success, and it being true team success.

Things I'm watching for at this point:
- In the unlikely case that Wyatt is returned, how will that affect the team play, ice time distribution, and how will the team composition look
- Will Windsor's strong start have any influence on Dallas's decision with Wyatt
- (Assuming season success continues) how will the trade deadline be handled, will Bowler look to bring in a big name, would that even be the right move for this team
- How will the play of the rookies hold up as the season progresses
- How will the team react to adversity once it comes

Go Spits!

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Man - I don’t know how they’re doing it, they’re winning by committee - they don’t have too many NHL draft selections but the Spits have been in every game, every night.

And the Costanzo move by BB looks to have been genuius. Glad we were one of the teams that were able to take advantage of Niagara’s desperation. 3 times haha.

Ryan Abraham now sits 5th in league scoring after having only 1 point in his first 4 games.

Cristoforo now sits 4th in rookie scoring with 9 points in 11 games - also love how happy he was after getting the monkey off his back - what a steal he was at 22.

 

[hockeylegend11]

This club is one veteran crease-clearer away from being similar to last season. May be just a matter of who's available.

Agree on the crease- clearer
Names to consider ,Artem Grushnikov from Hamilton, drafted by Dallas,an 03 already signed,would mean trading Hrbek to make room for the Russian import,plays with an edge,perfect partner for Christoforo, Ryan Mast from Sarnia,Landon Cato from Niagara their captain plays with some bite,Braeden Hache from Kingston, has size and strength.
The last 3 are all 19 years of age as well and could have OA possibilities next year .
Only 3 guys are guaranteed gone next year and that's our overagers,everyone else has return possibilities.
My number 1 target would be Grushnikov

 

[hockeylegend11]

Man - I don’t know how they’re doing it, they’re winning by committee - they don’t have too many NHL draft selections but the Spits have been in every game, every night.

And the Costanzo move by BB looks to have been genuius. Glad we were one of the teams that were able to take advantage of Niagara’s desperation. 3 times haha.

Ryan Abraham now sits 5th in league scoring after having only 1 point in his first 4 games.

Cristoforo now sits 4th in rookie scoring with 9 points in 11 games - also love how happy he was after getting the monkey off his back - what a steal he was at 22.

And Colton Smith who like Abraham had only 1 point after 1st 4 games,put up 10 points in his last 6 games 5G,5A,before getting hurt Thursday night missed last night's scoring feast,was picked up for a 4th rounder,what a steal from London.
180 goals missing from last year's lineup and team scores like this.
I wonder what former Spits Zito and Ribau were thinking during and after last night's score playing for the other side.
Ribau we knew was going to be moved because of numbers OA wise,Zito wanted out