Windsor Spitfires 2015-16 Season Thread (part 4)

[hockeylegend11]

Knights

I hope the Memorial Cup committee was not watching the Windsor vs Rangers series. They could see the non fan support Windsor gets for their games. 3200 for 1 game and 3300 for the other game. They could see that Windsor cant keep a lead. They can see that Windsor has only won 1 playoff game in 5 years and none on the road. The one thing they DONT want for a hosting team is to go in the back door and not have a long playoff run. Makes the CHL look foolish and they don't want to be embarrassed. They can see that Windsor doesn't have any hotels or eating places around the arena.

I am not sure if any of that matters but it if it does it would be all strikes against Windsor on hosting.

They won't care about winning playoffs, only roster projection on ice.Would not be any more embarrassing then London,who back doored in and did even worse in 2014 Mem Cup tourney, not a dig but the truth,I will take my chances.

 

[Sec108]

It is what it is, the Spits are a one line team, if you shut them down your pretty much getting a W.Exit lemieux and enter keller and its still the same.

The diff between the team that lost in the first rd to Sarnia/Stamkos and then next season went all the way is, that team had the meat and potatoes of a team in the making.This team is all potatoes with no meat.Way to many holes again this yr in the off season in every dept. except goal.

 

[windsor7]

They won't care about winning playoffs, only roster projection on ice.Would not be any more embarrassing then London,who back doored in and did even worse in 2014 Mem Cup tourney, not a dig but the truth,I will take my chances.

They want a team to actually go deep in the playoffs though. Not be out quickly. Yes I know London was out early. I was very happy about that. But I don't want Windsor to be the next laughing stock of the CHL.

Winning matters.

 

[h10*]

Windsor was just too young this year. Next year is a year older and a year stronger. Also don't forget Kitchener could be the best team in league this year.. They are probably top 3 or 4 at the least though in a deep league.
good season for a young team that was bad last season.

 

[Sec108]

I hope the Memorial Cup committee was not watching the Windsor vs Rangers series. They could see the non fan support Windsor gets for their games. 3200 for 1 game and 3300 for the other game. They could see that Windsor cant keep a lead. They can see that Windsor has only won 1 playoff game in 5 years and none on the road. The one thing they DONT want for a hosting team is to go in the back door and not have a long playoff run. Makes the CHL look foolish and they don't want to be embarrassed. They can see that Windsor doesn't have any hotels or eating places around the arena.

I am not sure if any of that matters but it if it does it would be all strikes against Windsor on hosting.

Branch and co. have already made the org. look foolish so why would they care if they put the final nail in by them hosting with a team that isnt ready and really make them look like fools.What kind of org. would bid to host something so big with sanctions still being a monkey on their back for the next 2 drafts.??? To me it doesnt make any sense.This team doesnt project well.Kitts should get it even though they didnt bid, that team will be ready.

And the arena is empty bc fan's have seen through the smoke and mirrors.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Spits

It is what it is, the Spits are a one line team, if you shut them down your pretty much getting a W.Exit lemieux and enter keller and its still the same.

The diff between the team that lost in the first rd to Sarnia/Stamkos and then next season went all the way is, that team had the meat and potatoes of a team in the making.This team is all potatoes with no meat.Way to many holes again this yr in the off season in every dept. except goal.

While the D struggled in the playoffs, they were the 3rd youngest D in the league and finished in the top 7 in the league for goals against,and despite all 7 can return we know 2 won't thinking Sanvido for sure,the others except Chatfield, 18 and under ,in fact all but Burns are 17 and under, big difference.
Roster projection wise I see no team better,some equal or close.
Work to do yes if this were a veteran team I would be worried however most hockey people feel Windsor's best players are or were their best for the most part.

 

[windsor7]

Branch and co. have already made the org. look foolish so why would they care if they put the final nail in by them hosting with a team that isnt ready and really make them look like fools.What kind of org. would bid to host something so big with sanctions still being a monkey on their back for the next 2 drafts.??? To me it doesnt make any sense.This team doesnt project well.Kitts should get it even though they didnt bid, that team will be ready.

And the arena is empty bc fan's have seen through the smoke and mirrors.

I would of loved to see Windsor bid for the Mem Cup the next time it came around. Windsor would have all their pics. Sanctions would be all done. Fans might actually start coming to the games again.
Foolish bidding this time around unless they knew there was not many teams bidding and this was the ONLY way they could ACTUALLY win the bid. SAD TIMES.

 

[aresknights]

They won't care about winning playoffs, only roster projection on ice.Would not be any more embarrassing then London,who back doored in and did even worse in 2014 Mem Cup tourney, not a dig but the truth,I will take my chances.

Did even worse than what? Not sure what Ya mean.

But as always bring London into the convo

They were 2 time OHL winners with a good #,of returnees projected and picks to trade.
Kinda the same spot that Spits fans complain about not getting 2011(yes , minus the CHL titles- but both league champs)

 

[hockeylegend11]

Knights

Did even worse than what? Not sure what Ya mean.

But as always bring London into the convo

They were 2 time OHL winners with a good #,of hey returnees projected and picks to trade.
Kinda the same spot that Spits fans complain about not getting 2011(yes , minus the CHL titles- but both league champs)

Talking about 4th in Conf,2nd round elimination,and we won't talk about their performance in the tourney, no talking about the city and Mem Cup bid,Mark did not go all in and it cost them.Rychel has gone all in both times and won, he will go all in again and history may repeat.

 

[Sec108]

Legend.......all i can say is if he does go all in, Id like to know what trade bait and assets could he use that wouldnt put the team in the cellar for the next 6 yrs after hosting this thing and then if selling is on their agenda, what idiot would buy a team in that bad a shape and little fan support to make it worth while.??

 

[windsor7]

Legend.......all i can say is if he does go all in, Id like to know what trade bait and assets could he use that wouldnt put the team in the cellar for the next 6 yrs after hosting this thing and then if selling is on their agenda, what idiot would buy a team in that bad a shape and little fan support to make it worth while.??

Very interesting question.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Spits

Legend.......all i can say is if he does go all in, Id like to know what trade bait and assets could he use that wouldnt put the team in the cellar for the next 6 yrs after hosting this thing and then if selling is on their agenda, what idiot would buy a team in that bad a shape and little fan support to make it worth while.??

I will try and answer that question in the coming days though not tonight.

 

[CharlieGirl]

This Spits team will be a force next year -- the experience gained this year by all the young guys will be invaluable, and there is so much talent. Give them another year of experience and growth and they'll be right there with the top teams.

DiPietro sure doesn't play like a 16 year old kid -- he's going to be one to watch for the next few years.

This was a tough loss for your boys (other than the unnamed meathead) but there are far brighter days ahead.

 

[ohloutsider]

Very interesting question.

We all agree not enough assets now - look to Oshawa last year. Bought big at the deadline and won - sold everything on the shelf this year and got those assets back. They will be good again in a couple of years. If we get the m-cup Warren will start wheeling and dealing the next day.

 

[rangersblues]

This Spits team will be a force next year -- the experience gained this year by all the young guys will be invaluable, and there is so much talent. Give them another year of experience and growth and they'll be right there with the top teams.

DiPietro sure doesn't play like a 16 year old kid -- he's going to be one to watch for the next few years.

This was a tough loss for your boys (other than the unnamed meathead) but there are far brighter days ahead.

I'll second that. I think sunny days ahead for Windsor.

 

[sec111]

And the arena is empty bc fan's have seen through the smoke and mirrors.

Explain this quote further not sure what you mean

 

[RayzorIsDull]

There were many strides made this year but for the better part of the 5 games they didn't look very good. They would look good for stretches of play whether it was 5 or 10 minutes but for the whole 60 minutes there was something severely lacking. Some if it was experience but there were some of the older guys like DiGiacinto, Chatham, McCool, Sanvido who didn't perform well in the least.

I am not going to say they got out coached but I am surprised Thompson stuck with the Fischer-Brown-Latour(Lemieux) line out against Robinson-MacInnis-Bracco. That line was beaten like a drum 5 on 5 all series. Like I said there might be some lack of experience but 18 year old Bracco was better than 18 year old Fischer by a large margin.

Discipline has to improve a lot especially on the road, took the 3rd/4th most penalties on the road this year and proceeded to have one of the worst road PK's in the league. It showed again during the playoffs and whether it's players becoming more disciplined or an adjustment in style it needs to addressed. The idea having a bunch of big forwards has some merit but it really doesn't gain much traction in round 1 where everybody is fresh. They need an injection of speed, creativity and guys that want to shoot the puck. As mentioned earlier Fischer and Lemieux love to shoot the puck but the latter is gone and won't be easy to replace.

I wouldn't bring McCool back he actually was worse this year, he doesn't put many shots on net, he's a center and won 42% of his faceoffs this year. What role does he serve if he can't win faceoffs, doesn't skate that well, and not a threat to put the puck on net. He has a nice shooting % but if you don't put the puck on net much then it really doesn't serve a purpose. There isn't a forward that fell of a cliff more than DiGiacinto over the last 40 games of the year where he scored 3 goals(including playoffs.) I have no doubt that if you gave Vilardi and Carter bigger roles next year they could easily outperform McCool/DiGiacinto. The question is if they can move Luchuk or Vilardi to win because Luchuk had a much improved year but in order for him to really excel he needs a top sniper with him. The team became too reliant upon Fischer-Brown-Lemieux. Latour did what he could but he still struggles for extended periods eg. like with Oshawa after the deadline and he struggled for the final 20 or so games with the Spits.

As for defense Stanley made a lot of strides but might have been one of the worst D on the Spits in the playoffs along with Sanvido. We can chalk some of it up to youth but on the other hand if the team wins a Memorial Cup bid then guys like Sanvido and Burns are expendable. They would need to find out if Nother is actually capable of playing 15-20 minutes on a Memorial Cup contender as well. Chatfield needs to improve his coverage in his own zone and reading plays better, he gets puck watching far too much and loses track of where he is.

The good thing for a change is goaltending seems to be settled but at the same time they will need to show enough love to Culina to where he is content with how much he's playing and the value he provides to the team.

The final point is it hasn't been mentioned but if they win the Memorial Cup bid card management is of the utmost importance. People thought near the deadline they had more cards than they did but they only had 1 because they spent 4 or 5 on goalies. That shouldn't happen next year only 2 should be spent on goaltenders at most 3 if you need to make a move. Anything else and it's a failure on management. I understand people want to harken back to the 08 team and how they won a title in 09. The difference is if they win the bid they absolutely have to be a contender there is no other way around it. In 09 privately they might have been gunning for a title but there was no outside pressure of hosting a Memorial Cup or having to win it all. 16-17 would be completely different from that standpoint and they will need to be ready from the get-go. If you don't make the OHL Final as a host at the very least it should be viewed as a fail and the organization has never really had those type of expectations before.

 

[OHLTG]

I'll say more tomorrow, but wanted to post something quick tonight so people didn't think I bailed

Disappointing ending, but proud of what they accomplished this year. They've created an incredible foundation for next year and we're going to be a serious threat. It's going to be fun hockey.

 

[punch1943]

There were many strides made this year but for the better part of the 5 games they didn't look very good. They would look good for stretches of play whether it was 5 or 10 minutes but for the whole 60 minutes there was something severely lacking. Some if it was experience but there were some of the older guys like DiGiacinto, Chatham, McCool, Sanvido who didn't perform well in the least.

I am not going to say they got out coached but I am surprised Thompson stuck with the Fischer-Brown-Latour(Lemieux) line out against Robinson-MacInnis-Bracco. That line was beaten like a drum 5 on 5 all series. Like I said there might be some lack of experience but 18 year old Bracco was better than 18 year old Fischer by a large margin.

Discipline has to improve a lot especially on the road, took the 3rd/4th most penalties on the road this year and proceeded to have one of the worst road PK's in the league. It showed again during the playoffs and whether it's players becoming more disciplined or an adjustment in style it needs to addressed. The idea having a bunch of big forwards has some merit but it really doesn't gain much traction in round 1 where everybody is fresh. They need an injection of speed, creativity and guys that want to shoot the puck. As mentioned earlier Fischer and Lemieux love to shoot the puck but the latter is gone and won't be easy to replace.

I wouldn't bring McCool back he actually was worse this year, he doesn't put many shots on net, he's a center and won 42% of his faceoffs this year. What role does he serve if he can't win faceoffs, doesn't skate that well, and not a threat to put the puck on net. He has a nice shooting % but if you don't put the puck on net much then it really doesn't serve a purpose. There isn't a forward that fell of a cliff more than DiGiacinto over the last 40 games of the year where he scored 3 goals(including playoffs.) I have no doubt that if you gave Vilardi and Carter bigger roles next year they could easily outperform McCool/DiGiacinto. The question is if they can move Luchuk or Vilardi to win because Luchuk had a much improved year but in order for him to really excel he needs a top sniper with him. The team became too reliant upon Fischer-Brown-Lemieux. Latour did what he could but he still struggles for extended periods eg. like with Oshawa after the deadline and he struggled for the final 20 or so games with the Spits.

As for defense Stanley made a lot of strides but might have been one of the worst D on the Spits in the playoffs along with Sanvido. We can chalk some of it up to youth but on the other hand if the team wins a Memorial Cup bid then guys like Sanvido and Burns are expendable. They would need to find out if Nother is actually capable of playing 15-20 minutes on a Memorial Cup contender as well. Chatfield needs to improve his coverage in his own zone and reading plays better, he gets puck watching far too much and loses track of where he is.

The good thing for a change is goaltending seems to be settled but at the same time they will need to show enough love to Culina to where he is content with how much he's playing and the value he provides to the team.

The final point is it hasn't been mentioned but if they win the Memorial Cup bid card management is of the utmost importance. People thought near the deadline they had more cards than they did but they only had 1 because they spent 4 or 5 on goalies. That shouldn't happen next year only 2 should be spent on goaltenders at most 3 if you need to make a move. Anything else and it's a failure on management. I understand people want to harken back to the 08 team and how they won a title in 09. The difference is if they win the bid they absolutely have to be a contender there is no other way around it. In 09 privately they might have been gunning for a title but there was no outside pressure of hosting a Memorial Cup or having to win it all. 16-17 would be completely different from that standpoint and they will need to be ready from the get-go. If you don't make the OHL Final as a host at the very least it should be viewed as a fail and the organization has never really had those type of expectations before.

Not very much I disagree with in your evaluation. In fact after re-reading it I find nothing to argue over at all. Do changes need to be made? Certainly they do. Those changes will depend on if the Spits are awarded the host job for the Memorial cup.
I'll post later but will say the season and the Playoffs finished exactly as I figured they would so I can't be too disappointed....The team was greatly improved over last year but a huge amount of work is facing management heading forward...

 

[hockeylegend11]

Rayzor

Solid post overall,agree with much of what you have written, will speak to all of it in another post.
What I will say,is that Kitchener deserved to win the series, though not many figured it would end in 5, but and I know I am not the only one who wondersi if the complexion would have changed had Lemieux been in every game and Dipietro in goal from the start.The 1st one falls on the OHL for its ridiculous decision to back the officials on the match penalty and subsequent suspension to Lemieux, terrible call on the ice and even worse off.
The 2nd one falls on the coach, a rookie decision that I am sure he regrets,Dipietro should have been the man.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Many will say Windsor had only 1 line going in the playoffs, so did Kitchener, the line of Bracco, McInnis and Robinson out scored Windsor's 11-5, though Lemieux missed basically 3 games,however the rest of Kitchener scored 12 goals,4 by Mascarin, and Windsor rest of them scored 12.Only 2 skaters for Windsor did not register a point in this series, Auger and Boka,while 5 players did not for Kitchener
Mascarin had 8 points, Latour 6, overall it wasn't the other players who beat Windsor, it was the one line.

 

[hockeylegend11]

Rayzor

As mentioned before I agree with much of what you have posted so here is my response to all of what you written.
We are in agreement about the goaltending moving forward in regards to both tenders, it's an area I would not touch at this time.
You wrote about Sanvido, Digiacinto, Chatham, and McCool being playoff disappointments,don't disagree I expected better play from all of them,more offense except Sanvido, though I thought Chatham was the best of the 4.
I get what you are saying re line match ups though Rocky was hampered by the league with the Lemeuix suspension, their big line killed Windsor mostly on the PP,though their age and experience made the difference vs Windsor, Brown17,McInnis-19 the major one
On D ,I wrote about it earlier both Stanley and Sanvido had poor playoffs,I doubt Sanvido will be retained moving forward.
As for Burns I can see him being moved,though I do think both he and Nother should have played alot more, Rocky kept going back to Sanvido and Stanley when both were struggling.
I do like Nother's upside, very poised and would keep him.
Chatfield, Sergachev, Stanley, Nother, Auger would be the 5 I keep for starters on the D,Burns and Sanvido moved as 2 others would be brought in,one an O/A,probably 3, though the 8th would be a youngster, be it Gauvin,Stephenson, Graham,Fineman,or a drafted player from this year.
Upfront, McCool and Digiacinto disappointed me the most, and while I am willing to start next year with both,I could see both being moved before or early
I see more prominent roles for Vilardi and Carter,especially Vilardi, I would have played him to death in this series, he was Windsor's best forward last night.
I think Luke Boka- with a summer of work will come back even better, he improved alot in the 2nd half, not to be measured in points,but overall play.
Luchuk's play suffered when Digiacinto's went into the tank, the line with Carter,played very well prior to Lemieux arriving, once that happened Carter got bumped,Latour joined the line,and inconsistency followed,I say put Carter back with Luchuk and Digiacinto and see what happens.
No doubt additions will be made upfront,4 of 12 need to be replaced at the minimum, think at least 6 new forwards will be brought in and if Clayton Keller is one of them look out,he will impact like McInnis, Bracco Tkachuk.
Start me with Brown, Fischer, Keller,Vilardi, Luchuk,Carter,Boka, McCool, Digiacinto,though the last 2 could be moved ,with an o/A replacing Digiacinto, toss in a Euro forward, they have their eyes on 1 that I know of.We know other forwards will have to brought in,whether it's organizational, drafts, free agency or trade.
No doubt discipline on the road penalty wise has to get better, it did improve from 19th to 13th,and the PP really improved from last season
Alot of work to done for sure,but the foundations in all areas has been laid,talented youth in all areas, Dipietro, Stanley, Sergachev, Brown, Vilardi, Fischer, Carter, Nother,Luchuk.
I am looking forward not backward
More about my feelings re Mem Cup later as well as roster adds and debate.

 

[scokan]

Legend.......all i can say is if he does go all in, Id like to know what trade bait and assets could he use that wouldnt put the team in the cellar for the next 6 yrs after hosting this thing and then if selling is on their agenda, what idiot would buy a team in that bad a shape and little fan support to make it worth while.??

didnt WR and BB buy a team in that kind of shape?

 

[ohloutsider]

didnt WR and BB buy a team in that kind of shape?

^ Like^ - it was actually worse.

 

[punch1943]

didnt WR and BB buy a team in that kind of shape?

IMHO The difference is huge. Put yourself in the shoes of the potential buyers (the Cyphur Group) sp. what a great opportunity to be lead owners of a team hosting the Memorial Cup. Imagine the publicity & the potential additional revenue the acquisition would generate.
Now put yourself in the position of BB. What better time to divest yourself of an investment that is treading water at best?
Perhaps those closer to the team have inside info that the rest of us don't have, but it would not surprise me in the least to hear ( after the Memorial Cup is awarded) that the Spits will be changing majority owners...