Windbiel’s way to Windsor
He has been deemed ready for the Ontario Hockey League two years after being taken by the Windsor Spitfires from the AAA Chicago Mission in the seventh round of the 2024 OHL priority selections draft. A 6 foot 4, 215 pound, 2008 birth year goalie, Jake Windbiel has spent the past two seasons on apprenticeship with Windsor’s top affiliate, the nearby LaSalle Vipers of the Greater Ontario Hockey League.
Windbiel has certainly shown well for the middle of the pack Vipers over two full GOHL seasons in LaSalle.
In ’24-25, as a 16-year old rookie, Windbiel fashioned a regular season record of 17-13-0 with a 3.52 goals against average and .898 save percentage. In ’25-26, Windbiel posted a regular season record of 19-12-2 with a 3.49 GAA and .899 save percentage. And come the first round of the playoffs, Windbiel was a standout as the no. 7 seed Vipers gave the no. 2 seed Elmira Sugar Kings a scare before dropping the best of seven series four games two. Windbiel went the distance for LaSalle in the series with a 2-4-0 record, 2.98 GAA and a sparkling .919 save percentage.
As for his OHL debut, the big puck stopper has appeared in one regular season game for Windsor to date. It happened during the ’24-25 regular season on December 29 on the road up in Sault Ste. Marie. I happened to be at that game and Windbiel did a good job in a 7-6 win over the Greyhounds. Despite allowing six goals, Windbiel made 32 saves — several of which were clutch — as the Spitfires stole the 7-6 victory in a hostile Soo environment.
Net Worth. The aforementioned Jake Windbiel will begin the ’26-27 OHL season with the Spitfires alongside 2007 birth year holdover Michael Newlove. Newlove had a record of 12-4-2 with a 2.76 GAA and .886 save percentage as a rookie backup to since graduated workhorse Joey Costanzo in ’25-26. Costanzo departs Windsor after four highly successful years and a regular season record of 102-50-14. He also fashioned a playoff record of 16-7-4 in the Windsor net as one of the best goalies to ever tend the net for the Spitfires. Costanzo represents one of many good trades that Spitfires general manager Billy Bowler has made over the years, picking up the ace goalie in a deal with the Niagara IceDogs back in 2022.
feature photo of Jake Windbiel by Bob Davies
