Spitfires late round lookers
The Spitfires staged a recent three day training camp at Windsor’s WFCU Centre. And among the youngsters who stood out to this observer were a pair of late round picks from the 2025 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
They are 13th round pick Luke St. John and 14th rounder Ty Dubreuil. And Spitfires director of player personnel Mark Seidel told Hockey News Windsor that he “wholeheartedly” agrees that St. John and Dubreuil were among a handful of younger players who stood out at the three day camp.
St. John, a defenseman, and Dubreuil, a forward, both looked good in a series of scrimmages as 2009 birth year skaters who gave early impressions that they could well play in the OHL at some point.
St. John is poised to play the ’25-26 season with the Windsor Jr. Spitfires of the Under 18 level of the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario, though he could possibly latch on with a junior A team somewhere.
The 5 foot 10, 160 pound, St. John skated in 35 games, regular season and playoffs included for the Under 16 Jr. Spitfires in ’24-25 and showed an offensive upside from his blue line post while sniping 14 goals, 13 assists, 27 points.
As for Dubreuil, the 5 foot 10, 170 pound right winger put up 17 goals, 17 assists, 34 points in 32 regular season games for the North Bay Under 16 Trappers of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association’s Great North League in ’24-25 and added a goal in three playoff outings.
Dubreuil will move up to the junior A level to further develop his game in ’25-26. He has signed with the two time reigning champion Sudbury Cubs of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
The Spitfires, under general manager Billy Bowler, have a recent history of success with late round draft picks. The most notable one is graduated forward Noah Morneau, who ended his OHL career in style with Windsor in ’24-25 by totalling 43 goals, 47 assists, 90 points in 80 games, regular season and playoffs included.
Morneau, who was a 15th round pick by the Spitfires at the 2020 OHL priority selections draft, will play at the Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association level with the Bowling Green State University Falcons in ’25-26.
As for the Spitfires, with training camp wrapped up, they will now progress into the pre season with an exhibition slate of four games.