Windsor Spitfires 2023-24 Off-Season Thread

[the dog]

What else did they have him listed at? It was listed as 5'9 last night.

Ohl cup status 5' 11 183 pounds

 

[Cherrydon]

What else did they have him listed at? It was listed as 5'9 last night.

OHL cup guide said 5-11 so I though he is growing, why Parker would say 5-9" maybe is closer to the truth. Someone is off 2 itches. My wife says size matters lol.

 

[OHLTG]

OHL cup guide said 5-11 so I though he is growing, why Parker would say 5-9" maybe is closer to the truth. Someone is off 2 itches. My wife says size matters lol.

I don't have an answer as to why that was put in the paper. I know that when I looked for Valentini, 5'9 was most common and, for Belchetz, 6'4 209 was the most common one. I didn't see 6'5 230 until a few minutes ago. Once the OHL Draft Guide comes out, we'll get the official stuff....... usually.

 

[FiveHoleo]

Things should be sweet around here, everybody gets what they want! The crusties got to see the team fail spectacularly this year and sell off assets while the fans get to enjoy the anticipation of a great talent pulling on a Spitfire sweater at the draft. Everybody wins. Of course that changes as soon as the pick is made and it's clearly the wrong guy, so I figured I'd stop by and enjoy this rarest of hfboards Windsor Spitfire thread moments. There is genuinely nothing to complain about, but you can feel free to prove me wrong.

 

[Teflon]

Guys, players physical attributes change as the draft nears. Some accurate, some not so much. The onus is on teams to do the homework.

 

[Teflon]

Few guys at the ohl cup. Who is your fav? Who would be your pick to come here? Brst fit? Im leaning on the big boy Belc but he hasnt looked as dominant as i thought he might. Believe he was sick to start tho.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Few guys at the ohl cup. Who is your fav? Who would be your pick to come here? Brst fit? Im leaning on the big boy Belc but he hasnt looked as dominant as i thought he might. Believe he was sick to start tho.

Well based upon how many times when the Spits hit a rut and cited the flu (4 to 5 times this year) Belchetz seems like a great pick....... All in good fun just make sure you hit on #1 and find very good players in round 2.

What's being lost and ignored is that this came off the rails within 20 games and never recovered. This rarely actually happens in junior hockey.

 

[OHLTG]

I don't think there's a wrong answer here.

Valentini is a bit on the smaller side but had an outstanding Cup, stats-wise. He's been slowly climbing the ranks all season.

Belchetz is a beast and had a great Cup, too. Can his game translate to the OHL?

Wassilyn has been the hype train since day one and has the earlier stats to back it up. He didn't play in the Cup, though.

If I HAD to rank them... Belchetz, Wassilyn, Valentini? Offensively, you're probably gold no matter what you do. The questions become about character, off-ice person, and how well their game will translate to the next level. Bowler has a tough job ahead of him.

 

[windsor7]

I don't think there's a wrong answer here.

Valentini is a bit on the smaller side but had an outstanding Cup, stats-wise. He's been slowly climbing the ranks all season.

Belchetz is a beast and had a great Cup, too. Can his game translate to the OHL?

Wassilyn has been the hype train since day one and has the earlier stats to back it up. He didn't play in the Cup, though.

If I HAD to rank them... Belchetz, Wassilyn, Valentini? Offensively, you're probably gold no matter what you do. The questions become about character, off-ice person, and how well their game will translate to the next level. Bowler has a tough job ahead of him.

Bowler needs to just do his job and put out the best product on the ice. Bowler didn't do that this year

 

[ohloutsider]

Few guys at the ohl cup. Who is your fav? Who would be your pick to come here? Brst fit? Im leaning on the big boy Belc but he hasnt looked as dominant as i thought he might. Believe he was sick to start tho.

My order with my limited knowledge is - Beltechtz, Valentini and then Wassilyn. Really can't go wrong with any of those picks. Windsor, Sarnia and the Petes will end up with a franchise player . Just need the coaching staff to develop that.

 

[Knownothing]

When was the last time a large body went 1st overall and became a dominate force during his OHL career ?

 

[OHLTG]

Byfield was bigger and did alright but, looking through past drafts, there hasn't really been anyone Belchetz's size near the top. He's a bit of a unicorn, good or bad.

 

[LeProspector]

I don't think there's a wrong answer here.

Valentini is a bit on the smaller side but had an outstanding Cup, stats-wise. He's been slowly climbing the ranks all season.

Belchetz is a beast and had a great Cup, too. Can his game translate to the OHL?

Wassilyn has been the hype train since day one and has the earlier stats to back it up. He didn't play in the Cup, though.

If I HAD to rank them... Belchetz, Wassilyn, Valentini? Offensively, you're probably gold no matter what you do. The questions become about character, off-ice person, and how well their game will translate to the next level. Bowler has a tough job ahead of him.

Valentini has always been seen as one of the best in his age group, it’s been Belchetz who has “slowly climbed ranks” as you put it to be in contention for this spot.

 

[Knownothing]

Byfield was bigger and did alright but, looking through past drafts, there hasn't really been anyone Belchetz's size near the top. He's a bit of a unicorn, good or bad.

Byfield was on a good clip to dominate before his OHL career was cut short. Only two seasons played before moving to the AHL. Would have dominated for sure.

Valentini has always been seen as one of the best in his age group, it’s been Belchetz who has “slowly climbed ranks” as you put it to be in contention for this spot.

On the balance of risk, I’d be inclined to take Valentini

 

[ohloutsider]

Byfield was on a good clip to dominate before his OHL career was cut short. Only two seasons played before moving to the AHL. Would have dominated for sure.


On the balance of risk, I’d be inclined to take Valentini

The hard part is they only get 1 pick in the first round so it really comes down to which one will fit the system of a likely new head coach? Bowler has to have an idea of the direction of this team and pick accordingly.

 

[Knownothing]

Byfield was on a good clip to dominate before his OHL career was cut short. Only two seasons played before moving to the AHL. Would have dominated for sure.


On the balance of risk, I’d be inclined to take Valentini

I believe the Spits need a centre at #1. If the brass see it the same way it’s Wass or Valentini.

 

[StingUpdates]

I am no scout so don't take my thoughts as anything more than a fans perspective haha.

Been watching all three alot since the lottery. Can find some full games of Wassilyn, Valentini on YouTube by searching their team names. Not as easy for Belchetz but there's a few clips on him.

Valentini has elite hockey IQ. So crafty & terrific vision. I was a big fan of Wyatt Johnston & he gave me similar vibes. Not a speedster but slows the game down to his pace. Makes his linemates better. Draws defenders. Good shot too. From the games I saw, good on draws & was good on PK.

Wassilyn looks the part. Big kid. Great skater. Effortless stick handler. Gonna be one of the better skaters in the league when he's 17/18/19. Had far worse linemates then Valentini or Belchetz. Great shot. Always tries to make plays happen, for better or worse, haha. His motor/effort definitely needs work. At times he just floats around waiting for the puck. But if that gets worked on IMO he has the highest upside of the 3 because he's got some of Belchetz size & Valentini's skill while being the best skater of the 3.

Belchetz is the scariest solely because how many 6'5" kids actually become dominant. But hes a solid skater. Not fast but not slow. Not a wonky stride which is good. Good hands especially for 6'5.. solid shot. Does use his size. Saw him throw multiple big hits. Would like to see him use his teammates more but I can't be mad cause he almost doesn't have to some games haha.

I really don't think our teams can do wrong here truthfully. Fans are gonna love watching all 3 for completely different reasons.

Apologies for writing a novel on your board, haha.

 

[OHLTG]

Novels on this topic are good; the more we learn, the better we are.

The more I read on all three players, the more I'm content with whoever is taken. They all bring something significant that should be franchise-changing for the Spitfires. Wassilyn has been the Draft's poster boy for a while and has off-the-chart offence, Valentini is an elite playmaker, and Belchetz is the monster with offence. I want to know their characters now; how are they in the room? How are they as potential leaders? How will they mesh with the community and fans? This is going to be both a stressful two weeks and really fun at the same time.