Spitfires trade Memorial Cup winners Vilardi, Day
Windsor has eye to future by getting back promising centre and a raft of draft picks
With the calendar change to 2018, the long rumoured, blockbuster trade between the Windsor Spitfires and Kingston Frontenacs was finalized early Monday.
Spitfires’ general manager Warren Rychel continued to push his rebuilding agenda this season by dealing 18-year-old forward Gabriel Vilardi and 19-year-old defenceman Sean Day to the Frontenacs. Ironically, the two will make their debut for the Frontenacs on Friday against the Spitfires.
“I mean, we won (the Memorial Cup) last year and in order for a team to be successful in the next, two, three, four years, this was necessary,” Rychel said of the trade. “It’s a necessary evil of junior hockey to have to restock the cupboard. I can’t thank Gabe and Sean enough for what they did.”
The significance of Monday’s announcement is that it comes on the first day of a 10-day window Ontario Hockey League teams have to deal players taken in the first round of last year’s draft.
Coming back to the Spitfires is 16-year-old centre Cody Morgan, who was Kingston’s first-round pick in April’s OHL Draft.
Morgan had a no-trade clause in his agreement with Kingston, but had no issue waiving it to be dealt to the Spitfires.
“I thought (Windsor) would be a really good opportunity for me,” the five-foot-11, 193-pound Morgan said. “(They) won the Memorial Cup last year, a winning team and a great organization.”
As well, Windsor receives Mississauga’s second-round pick in 2020 along with second-round picks from Kingston in 2022, 2024 and 2025. Windsor also gets Kingston’s third-round pick in 2020 and its third-round pick in 2023, which is conditional on Vilardi playing one playoff game for the Frontenacs.
“It’s a big trade,” Rychel said. “Four seconds is significant, no matter what years.”
A Kingston native, Vilardi has been out all season with a back injury, but has been cleared to play. He was the second pick overall in the 2015 OHL Draft, an all-star forward at last year’s Memorial Cup while going on to be a first-round pick by the Los Angeles Kings in June. Vilardi must play another year in the OHL next season unless he can crack the Kings’ lineup.
“I’m 99 per cent sure he’s an NHL player next year,” Rychel said. “That’s what made this deal possible.
“Obviously, if he’s back next year, we never move him. There are no guarantees in life, but we’ve got some pretty good friends in L.A. and, with his development, I think he’ll be an NHLer next year.”
If he does return to the OHL, Windsor will also get Kingston’s second-round pick in 2027 and 2028.
“Gabe’s one of the nicest kids we’ve ever had here,” Rychel said. “Such a work ethic and all he wants to do is play hockey and he’s going to his hometown, which is kind of special.”
The 19-year-old Day was granted exceptional status to play in the OHL a year early in 2013. He would have been Windsor’s pick that season had the club not lost its pick to league sanctions for recruiting violations.
After struggling for parts of three seasons in Mississauga, Day, who has been signed by the NHL’s New York Rangers, came to Windsor last season and played a major role in the team’s Memorial Cup run.
“Sean came here and learned a lot from (former head coach) Rocky (Thompson) and Trevor (Letowski) and this is a good opportunity to go to a good team,” Rychel said.
Last year’s run to a Memorial Cup title cost the Spitfires 22 draft picks with 13 of those being second-round picks and another four of them being third-round picks.
Now, Vilardi and Day join fellow Memorial Cup champs Aaron Luchuk, Logan Stanley and Hayden McCool in being dealt by the club. In return, the Spitfires have acquired eight picks in the second round, likely four more in the third round and a pair of fourth-round picks.
“It had to be done,” Rychel said of the deal.
As well, the Spitfires added 17-year-old centre Curtis Douglas and now Morgan, who was the 12th pick overall in the 2017 OHL Draft.
“Most importantly, we got a first-round pick coming back,” Rychel said in reference to Morgan. “He was heavily scouted. We really liked him, but he was picked before we had an opportunity. He’s a good player with offensive flare.”
The OHL trade deadline for overage players is Jan. 9 and the deadline for all deals is Jan. 10 and Rychel likely isn’t done dealing.
“We have to look at everything,” Rychel said. “With (33) games left (in the regular season), I think we’re still a playoff team, no matter what trades we make.
“You have to look to the future. If you can get another younger player, you have to look.”