Expectations run high for Spitfires
Competition will be stiff for dozen slots vacated during off-season exodus
There will be no time to savour the success of last season for the Windsor Spitfires.
Players checked in for training camp on Sunday and did testing and the squad will hit the ice for the first time on Monday. New head coach Trevor Letowski says there’s a lot of work for staff and management to do.
“In the past, we’ve had some three-on-three (scrimmage) days, but we don’t have that luxury,” Letowski said. “We need every opportunity to evaluate these players in game situations and see who stands out.”
Coming off a Memorial Cup title, the Spitfires have lost 12 players from last year. That doesn’t include defencemen Mikhail Sergachev and Sean Day, who could both turn pro this season, while forward Logan Brown is expected to get an extended NHL look by Ottawa and forward Gabriel Vilardi is in Los Angeles nursing a hip injury.
Despite those losses, Letowski will make it clear to players that the expectations for the club will not be lowered.
“The first few days are very important for a new coach and the staff,” Letowski said. “You want to make sure the message is sent right away. Expectations are high.
“Just with what happened last year and the history of the program, players need to know it’s a privilege to play for the Spitfires and it’s a unique year for our team. There’s a lot of positions open.”
Mike DiPietro, who was the top goalie at the Memorial Cup, is the clear No. 1 in net, but Brock Baier and Lucas Patton are set to battle it out for the backup spot.
“Obviously, it’ll be a change of pace with a lot of new faces,” DiPietro said. “Now, it’s a new wave of young kids coming in. Work ethic determines how far you go in this league.”
There will be plenty of competition on defence if Sergachev and Day are indeed out of the picture. Tyler Nother and overager Austin McEneny return and the club hopes to move 2016 top pick Connor Corcoran into a fulltime role while the team picked up Hunter Carrick in a trade with the Ottawa 67’s.
First-round pick Nathan Staios and Louka Henault, who was the team’s second pick, will also figure in the mix along with Russian import pick Lev Starikov and former pick Thomas Stevenson, who signed with the team over the summer. Former pick Nick Gauvin will also be in camp along with former Ottawa defenceman William Brown.
“It’ll bring new opportunities,” Nother said. “I think the motivation is to try and get better. We’re going to have a lot of younger players and, being an older guy, my responsibility is to help them adjust because I remember when I was 16.”
Up front, beyond Brown and Vilardi, only overager Aaron Luchuk and Luke Boka were among the team’s top 12 forwards returning. The club is hoping for Boka to play a bigger role in the offence along with second-year men Cole Purboo, Tyler Angle and Chris Playfair.
The club has high hopes for Russian import pick Kirill Kozhevnikov and dealt for forwards Mathew MacDougall, Vinny DeSanctis and Luke Kutkevicius. Expect Igor Larionvo Jr., who played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last year, and Louis Latta, who played last season with the Sarnia Sting, to get a long look in camp.
“There’s a lot more jobs open,” Letowski said. “As a former player, that has to be exciting for everyone coming to camp.
“Some guys coming back are a year older and need to step up and hopefully fill more important roles, but nothing’s going to be given to anyone. They have to come in an earn it.”
The club is excited to be among six league teams taking part in the HarborCenter OHL Showcase in Buffalo, which starts on Friday. The club will play three games in three days against Flint, North Bay and Peterborough.
“We’re going to have a lot of turnover and it’s going to be exciting and to play on a big rink like that (in Buffalo) is going to be great,” Spitfires general manager Warren Rychel said. “It’ll be exciting and it’s good for the new coaches to spend time on the road. It’s a great idea and we’re happy to be part of it.”