Spits sign sizeable stopper
American born goalie Jake Windbiel has opted to sign with the Windsor Spitfires over pursuing a U.S. college hockey scholarship. The 6 foot 4, 210 pound puck stopper was scooped up by the Spitfires in the seventh round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft from the Tier 1 AAA Chicago Mission.
In 40 games with Chicago over the course of the 2023-2024 season, Windbiel posted a record of 33-5-2 with a .936 save percentage, 1.75 goals against average and 10 shutouts while tending twine for a national championship team.
Windbiel was full of words when asked about signing an OHL educational package with Windsor.
“I am honoured to be signing with the Windsor Spitfires as they have a deep history of developing professional hockey players who are also really good people.” Windbiel relayed. “My experiences with the organization have been awesome so far and I can’t wait to get started as a Spitfire soon.”
Bill Dark, who is Windsor’s director of goaltending in charge of scouting and development, told Hockey News Windsor that Windbiel “is one of the best 2008 goalies in the United States. We were lucky to be able to grab him and add him to our stable of young goalies. He projects to a very high upside.”
And Spitfires general manager Billy Bowler commented about the size and potential of Windbiel. (pictured at left in a Chicago Mission uniform.)
“Jake is a highly rated goalie with tremendous upside,” said Bowler. “To get him where we did in the draft, with his potential and upside, we feel very fortunate. He has a big frame and covers a lot of net. He has all the things you look for in a player and a goalie with size, potential and a pedigree. He is very athletic, making him able to make saves you think he can’t get to.”
Windbiel was one of two 2008 birth year goalies who the Spitfires took at the 2024 OHL priority selections draft. The other is Cam Ingram, who the Spitfires drafted in the 13th round. Ingram hails from the Sault Ste. Marie area farming community of Echo Bay.
Windbiel is the fourth player from the 2024 OHL priority selections to recently sign with Windsor. The others are first rounder Ethan Belchetz and second rounders J.C. Lemieux and Carter Hicks. Belchetz and Lemieux are both forwards and Hicks is a defenseman.