Ex Spitfires with Spirit
After back to back finishes atop the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League, the Spitfires missed the playoffs in 2023-2024. But two key players who started the season in Windsor are now competing for the Memorial Cup with the Saginaw Spirit.
They are high scoring, high octane defenseman Rodwin Dionicio (in photo at left) and overage forward Alex Christopoulos.
Both were traded by the Spitfires to Saginaw in mid November of 2023 as part of a four player deal that also saw Windsor gain two second round draft picks and a fourth.
Most notably, the 19-year old Dionicio — who recently signed a National Hockey League contract with the Anaheim Ducks — has been a standout for Saginaw. He led all OHL defensemen in playoff scoring with 17 points in 17 games, including five goals. Those totals followed a regular season in which Dionicio tallied 25 goals, 48 assists, 73 points in 60 games divided between Windsor and Saginaw. Of those numbers, Dionicio had 20 goals, 33 assists, 53 points in 44 games for the Spirit.
Christopoulos had a bit less of an offensive impact for Saginaw from his forward position. While he did combine for 30 regular season goals between Windsor and Saginaw, Christopoulos was less of a factor in the playoffs for the Spirit with three goals, four assists, seven points in 17 games.
Saginaw is the host team for the 2024 Memorial Cup championship tournament.