Spits GM not panicking
The Spitfires have been sputtering of late and have surrendered their lead atop the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. But despite the fact that Windsor has fallen behind the Kitchener Rangers and Flint Firebirds in the Western Conference standings, Spitfires’ general manager Billy Bowler (in photo above) isn’t pushing the alarm button.
Windsor is 5-4-1 in its last 10 outings and the Spitfires scored just one goal in losing 3-0 to Kitchener and 2-1 to Flint in recent back to back games. Still, Bowler has remained calm and collected in view of the latest struggles.
“Kitchener is a good team, Flint is a good team … Sault Ste.Marie is a good team … and so are we,” Bowler said evenly when asked by Hockey News Windsor if there are any concerns with the Spitfires’ play of late. “In looking at the game tapes, we aren’t far off.”
Bowler took a big swing at the OHL trade deadline when he dealt promising 2008 birth year forward J.C. Lemieux and a cargo of draft picks to the Sudbury Wolves for a pair of veteran forwards in Nathan Villeneuve and Alex Pharand.
But while Lemieux has flourished in Sudbury with 10 goals in just 15 games, Villeneuve (who has a 2006 birth date) and the overage Pharand (who was born in 2005) haven’t exactly been lighting it up in Windsor.
Villeneuve, a second round National Hockey League draft pick of the Seattle Kraken, had 16 goals, 28 assists, 44 points in just 28 games for Sudbury at the time of the trade. Since joining the Spitfires, Villeneuve has five goals, 12 assists, 17 points in 18 games.
Pharand, meanwhile, has just three goals, eight assists, 11 points in 19 games with Windsor after tallying 10 goals, 16 assists, 26 points in 37 outings for Sudbury.
Again, Bowler is not worried.
“It can take time to adjust to a new team and a new city. Villeneuve was in his fourth season with Sudbury and Pharand had been there for five years,” noted Bowler.
And really, Bowler further noted, the Spitfires were looking ahead to the playoffs when they traded for the 6 foot, 195 pound Villeneuve and the 6 foot 3, 200 pound Pharand.
“With the addition of Villeneuve and Pharand (from Sudbury) and (defenseman) Jakub Fibigr (from the Brampton Steelheads), we feel as though we have a team that is built for this year’s playoffs,” Bowler said. “Again, there are a lot of good teams out there. But we like who we have.”
UP NEXT: The Spitfires have three tough games in as many days coming up. They are home to the Peterborough Petes on Thursday, are in London to play the Knights on Friday, and then play host to the Barrie Colts on Saturday.