SPITFIRES’ GM FOCUSING ON FUTURE
Rychel was able to move veterans to gather 15 picks for 2018 draft, continue rebuild
The office phone stayed quiet Wednesday in the office of Windsor Spitfires’ general manager Warren Rychel.
“Not much (action) today,” Rychel said Wednesday. “Cold as ice.”
In reality, that shouldn’t have been a surprise since Rychel has been busy reshaping the roster since the summer, mere months after the team’s third Memorial Cup title in nine years.
It started in early August with the trading of defenceman Logan Stanley, and intensified over the last four weeks with the deals that shipped out veterans Aaron Luchuk, Sean Day, Gabriel Vilardi, Logan Brown and Austin McEneny.
“It was tense the last month,” Rychel said.
Some veteran players had hoped the overhaul would not happen. The club was an honourable mention early in the season in the Canadian Hockey League top 10 and players were hoping the club would add pieces to the roster for another title run.
However, that simply wasn’t realistic.
Rychel learned from 2011 there is a time to buy and a time to sell. The club did not deal Ryan Ellis and Zack Kassian in 2011 and opted to try and make it three straight trips to the Memorial Cup. The run came up three games short and — thanks in part to OHL recruitment sanctions — the Spitfires waited six years before being in position to again contend for a title.
Rychel would have had to sacrifice young pieces this year to try and make another title run with no guarantees for success and no way of recouping some of the 22 draft picks — including 13 picks in the second round and four in the third round — that were dealt last year to bring in the eight players necessary to compete for the Memorial Cup.
Instead, Rychel opted to rebuild and put the team back on even footing.
“We finally have picks back,” Rychel said. “We had to spend so much to host the Memorial Cup. I think this puts us back to developing young guys and being steady year-to-year. Not, ‘Oh my God, we’re going for it’ and empty everything out and restock. The future is good here in Windsor.”
Rychel has acquired 12 picks in the second round, two of which are conditional, five picks in the third round, one of which is conditional, two picks in the fourth round and one in the fifth round.
As well, he got 2017 OHL firstround picks back in centre Cody Morgan and defenceman Grayson Ladd along with a 17-year-old centre in Curtis Douglas who is six-foot-seven and 232 pounds.
Rychel gave credit to the work done by director of scouting and hockey operations Frank Evola and vice-president of hockey operations Bill Bowler.
“It was really taxing and Frank and Bill did a great job,” Rychel said. “I don’t think anyone’s traded for two first rounders in a rebuild and I’m happy with that.
“I thought I’d get two young guys, not three, and Douglas has already turned into one of my favourite players. He’s one of the toughest guys in the CHL and now we have to let that crop grow.”
Rychel accomplished that without trading goalie Mikey DiPietro, who will be key in helping to allow a young defence that features five rookies time to grow for the rest of this season.
“We restocked the (draft) shelves and we kept our goalie,” said Rychel, who has 15 picks for the 2018 OHL Draft including one in each of the first three rounds.
It’s a young team, but head coach Trevor Letowski has the club in position to battle for home ice in the first round of the playoffs down the stretch and DiPietro can tip the scales in that battle.
With at least 12 players set with at least two years of playing time, or more, left — which doesn’t count potential overage players — it’s a roster that’s only going to get better in time.
“I think we’ll have a real good team next year and in 2020 we have a really good chance to do damage and get to the top of the league,” Rychel said.