Dark side of the Spitfires
There have been masterly goalie coaches over the years who have been consummate tutors for more than one Ontario Hockey League team. Names that promptly come to mind are Terry Barbeau, formerly of the Soo Greyhounds and Saginaw Spirit and Bill Dark, erstwhile of the London Knights and Hamilton Bulldogs, now of the Windsor Spitfires.
The 72-year old Barbeau, who was also the goalie coach for the Lake Superior State University Lakers of the Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association for a number of years, is still in the game as the net instructor for both the Soo U16 Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League and the U18 Soo Indians of the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association. Barbeau also privately tutors goalies in the Sault Ste. Marie minor hockey ranks including youngsters Lucas Martin and Owen Whitehead at the U14 level.
Then there is Dark, who has been part of OHL championship teams with London, Hamilton and Windsor. Besides the OHL titles with three different teams, the 63-year old Dark was also the goalie coach for Windsor when the Spitfires won the Memorial Cup in 2009. So, suffice to say that Dark has played a major role in the success of a number of OHL goalies, the majority of whom have moved on to the pro ranks.
This is Dark’s second go round in Windsor. He was with the Spitfires from 2005 to 2009, then spent six years with London and one more with Hamilton before returning to Windsor a few years ago as the Spitfires director of goaltending in charge of scouting and development.
As for the Spitfires current and long term goalie situation, Dark told Hockey News Windsor that this is “the best prospect pool that the team has ever had. It puts the club in an incredibly good situation for the next four to five years.”
At the top of the net chart is Joey Costanzo, who has a 2005 birth date. Costanzo has already appeared in 98 OHL games — 81 of them with Windsor. The Spitfires acquired the former second round pick of the Niagara Ice Dogs from the 2021 priority selections draft via trade two years ago. Costanzo has a career record of 41-41-5 over three OHL seasons.
Next in line is Carter Froggett, who has a 2006 birth date. A sixth round pick by Windsor at the 2022 OHL priority selections draft, Froggett has since played for the London Jr. Knights of the Under 18 level Hockey Alliance and the London Nationals of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League. He also got into two OHL games with the Spitfires in ’23-24.
Dark, as Windsor’s goalie guru, told Hockey News Windsor that Froggett is “probably the best raw athlete I have ever worked with … he excels at many sports besides hockey including baseball, volleyball and track and field.”
Then there are four other younger goalies behind Costanzo and Froggett on the Windsor depth chart.
The Spitfires took one goalie at the 2023 priority selections draft, opting for Gabe Donohue in the 10th round. Donohue has a 2007 birth date.
And the Spitfires took two goalies at this year’s 2024 OHL priority selections draft, getting Chicago native Jake Windbiel in the seventh round before snagging northern Ontario lad Cam Ingram in the 13th. Windbiel and Ingram both have 2008 birth dates. Then, at the subsequent 2024 OHL supplemental draft, Windsor added yet another goalie when it made Michael Newlove the first overall pick. Newlove has a 2007 birth date.
And the man in charge of working with and developing the Spitfire goalie crew is the aforementioned Dark, who besides all of his success with three OHL teams, has also been a part of three title teams with the University of Western Ontario Mustangs and four more with the Jr. B London Nationals.
Quite the Dark side!