Garden party for Spitfires
Ethan Garden might have been a top two rounds pick at the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft if it was a virtual certainty that the Michigan born centre would commit to play in the OHL.
But with no such assurance, Garden lasted until the ninth round when the Windsor Spitfires made the Detroit Little Caesars scoring sensation the 164th pick of the ’24 OHL priority selections process.
After taking a low risk chance on Garden (in photo at left) in the ninth round, Spitfires general manager Billy Bowler referred to the 5-foot-7, 160 pound skater as a “high end talent. He is a skilled forward and he could be considered a steal if he shows up to play for us in Windsor.”
Well, show up in Windsor he has as Garden officially signed a standard OHL educational package contract with the Spitfires today.
To be sure, Garden was an electrifying presence for Little Caesars over the course of the 2023-2024 season with 43 goals, 49 assists, 92 points in 58 games for the Detroit elite squad.
Garden becomes the sixth player from this year’s priority selections draft that the Spitfires have signed.
The others are first rounder Ethan Belchetz, second rounders J.C. Lemieux and Carter Hicks, third rounder Max Brocklehurst and seventh rounderJake Windbiel. Belchetz, Lemieux and Brocklehurst are all forwards, Hicks is a defenseman and Windbiel is a goalie.
