Rise of the Spitfires
Rebuilds apparently don’t take very long in Windsor. A mere year removed from a season in which they missed the Ontario Hockey League playoffs, the Spitfires have more than doubled their point total from ’23-24 to ’24-25.
After finishing in 19th place overall among the 20 teams of the OHL in ’23-24 with 44 points from a record of 18-42-8, the Spitfires are the no. 2 seed in the Western Conference in ’24-25 with a handful of games left to play in the regular season. Windsor has a record of 43-16-6 and has surpassed the 90 point mark for the third time in the past four seasons — while finishing atop the standings of the West Division on all three of those occasions.
The splendid success of the Spitfires can easily be traced to a hockey operations department that is led by general manager Billy Bowler.
To be sure, the 50 year old Bowler ranks as a top GM in the OHL. In Bowler’s tenure to date as the main decision maker for the Spitfires, Windsor has put together records of 34-20-8, 44-17-7, 44-18-6, 18-42-8 — and this season’s record of 43-16-6 with three games to play on the schedule.
A thoughtful, intelligent person who knows how to build, operate, and sustain a hockey program — and how to treat people fairly and respectfully — Bowler, while confident in his abilities, likes to pass off credit to those around him. His praise begins with the Windsor ownership group of John Savage, Stephen Savage and Brian Schwab.
“We have great owners,” Bowler relayed to Hockey News Windsor. “They invest wisely. Our players and the hockey team in general do not lack for anything. We are very well taken care of.”
Meanwhile, the addition of veteran OHL coach Greg Walters to the Spitfires this season has more than paid dividends. A long time assistant and associate coach in the OHL with the Sarnia Sting, Walters displayed his winning ways through four full seasons as a head coach prior to being hired by Bowler and the Spitfires.
The 54 year old Walters began his head coaching process in the OHL in back to back seasons with the Oshawa Generals with winning records of 44-20-4 and 31-20-11. Walters then guided the Owen Sound Attack to two more winning seasons with records of 34-26-8 and 33-28-7 before heading to Windsor for this ’24-25 campaign.
Just being around Walters for a few minutes leads to the immediate impression that he is a friendly, outgoing person. And watching his demeanour on the bench shows that he is a players coach who is totally aware of what is going on around him and on the ice.
Walters is very ably assisted by a Bowler hired staff which includes assistant coaches Casey Torres and Kris Newberry, goalie coach Stan Matwijiw, skating coach Kathy McLlwain et al.
The on ice product of the Spitfires is an outstanding one, as evidenced from going to 90-plus points in ’24-25 from 44 in ’23-24.
Captain Liam Greentree and his import line mate Ilya Protas are the jewels of the Spitfire offense. Both of the 2006 birth year forwards are well over the 100 point mark this season and are signed National Hockey League draft picks — Greentree as a first rounder of the Los Angeles Kings and Protas as a third round pick of the Washington Capitals.
But there is a lot more than Greentree and Protas to the Windsor attack, including overages Noah Morneau and Ryan Abraham, projected 2025 NHL first rounder and 2007 birth date dandy Jack Nesbitt, and 2008 birth year rookie sensations such as Ethan Belchetz and J.C. Lemieux.
On the back end, the Spitfires are in good shape with a dependable brigade that includes overage Tnias Mathurin, 2005 birth year veteran Wyatt Kennedy, 2006 birth date point producers Anthony Cristoforo and Carson Woodall, among others.
And between the pipes, the Spitfires have 30 game winner Joey Costanzo, a 2005 birth year workhorse who has had way more good games than off night performances this season.
Led by Bowler as the astute GM, a clear cut proven winner in Walters as the head coach, and a plum talent pool of players, the Spitfires have ascended from the dungeons of the OHL to a top balcony of the league in the space of a single season.
The word rebuild is short term in Windsor.