Spits a sixth into the season
As a team in transition with so many first-year players in the lineup, the Windsor Spitfires have held their own through 11 games of the ’26-27 Ontario Hockey League season.
Shots Advantage. While the Spitfires are just below the .500 mark with a record of 4-5-2, they have outshot the opposition in eight of their 11 games to date. Not only that, Windsor has allowed more than 30 shots in a single game only once this season. And that came on October 2 in Guelph when the Western Conference-leading Storm eked out a 4-2 win over the Spitfires with 31 shots on goal.
Points Parade. Rookie import Bogdan Yakushevsky leads the Spitfires in scoring with six goals, six assists, 12 points. Up next are Anthony Cristoforo with 4-5-9 totals (in just seven games), John McLaughlin, also with 4-5-9 numbers, defenseman Andrew Robinson at 1-8-9 (in just eight games), Max Brocklehurst (in photo at left) with 4-4-8 stats and Caden Harvey with a 2-6-8 tally (in only eight games.)
First OHL Goals. The following Spitfire rookies have all scored at least one OHL goal: Bogdan Yakushevsky, Michal Svrcek, Ty Bergeron, Hamza Havusic and defensemen Jesse Debruyn and Drake Gram. Yakushevsky has six goals, Svrcek has three and the others all have one.
Between The Pipes. Rookie Jake Windbiel has a 3-1-0 record to go with a 2.74 goals against average and .867 save percentage. Meanwhile, second year goalie Michael Newlove has a 1-4-2 record with a 3.30 goals against average and .854 save percentage.
Scouting The Spitfires. Mike Dawson, who is a veteran and well respected amateur scout with the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League, relayed to Hockey News Windsor that he “can see the pro potential” in Spitfires rookie forward Ty Bergeron (in photo at left.) Dawson added that the 6 foot 1, 200 pound Bergeron — who with a 2009 birth date is eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft — “needs to show that he can score.” Thus far in his rookie season with the Spitfires, Bergeron has one goal, one assist, two points in 11 games. Notably, after going point-less in his first 10 games of this season, Bergeron had a goal and an assist in his most recent outing, one in which the Spitfires defeated the Owen Sound Attack. Bergeron — who was a third round pick by the Spitfires from Detroit HoneyBaked at the 2025 OHL priority selections draft — is a client of Windsor native and former NHL goalie Eddie Mio of Octane Sports Management.
Spits Add Local Lad. Windsor native Thanasi Marentette has come full circle. A 2007 birth year defenseman who can also help out on the forward lines, the 6 foot, 210 pound Marentette (in photo at left) has been obtained by the Spitfires from the Peterborough Petes for the bargain price of a 10th round pick at the 2030 OHL priority selections draft. Marentette, who played minor locally for both the Sun County Panthers and Windsor Jr. Spitfires, was picked by Peterborough in the 10th round of the 2023 OHL priority selections draft. Spitfires general manager Billy Bowler noted that Marentette “brings a different dynamic to our hockey team. He plays a physical style of game and can play defence or forward.” Marentette appeared in 72 regular season games and one playoff match during his time in Peterborough and had no goals, two assists, two points with 93 minutes in penalties.
Home And Home With Hounds. The Spitfires play at Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday of this week and then in a quick turnaround Windsor will be at home to the Greyhounds on Saturday in a 7:05 p.m. opening face-off at the WFCU Centre.
Sound Of The Bell. All Spitfire games are broadcast live on radio station AM 800 CKLW with the timeless Steve Bell and the play by play.
