Surprising Spitfires soaring in OHL West
First-year GM Bowler staying patient until he knows how good team can be
The Windsor Spitfires, like so many OHL teams right now, are in wait-and-see mode.
They haven’t lost in regulation time in 13 games and find themselves atop the Western Conference standings. They’re well ahead of schedule and most pundits’ expectations, which could spark temptation to go all-in for another Memorial Cup chase.
“We don’t know exactly what we are just yet,” first-year GM and franchise all-time leading scorer Bill Bowler said, “but it’s fun figuring it out. We’re just enjoying our start here. We’re not in any place to make decisions. All I know is we like our group and we like our people. We just hope we can keep improving, and we’re enjoying it until we have to make some decisions.”
In some ways the numbers don’t add up to a winning combination. The Spits have three overtime losses, tied for most in the league. Their only scorer in the top 25 is 19-year-old veteran Tyler Angle, who could hit career highs in goals and points by the midseason mark.
They have surrendered five goals in a game seven times, but won four of those contests.
Their goaltenders Kari Piiroinen and rookie Xavier Medina sport save percentages well below the acceptable .900 mark.
Piiroinen, the Finnish import, is the elder statesman at age 18.
“Our goaltending has made timely saves and allowed us to win more games than we’ve lost,” Bowler said. “Our goalies have been very good. They’re two young guys and I’m confident they’ll only get better.”
The club’s pillars up front are
Jean-luc Foudy and Will Cuylle, who are sixth and eighth respectively in team scoring. Foudy, though, has three game winners, including beating his older brother Liam’s London Knights last month at Budweiser Gardens.
The two teams clash against Friday in London.
“We’ve liked the way we’ve played offensively,” Bowler said. “We’ve been well-balanced and got some contributions from a lot of different people on different nights. You’re going to need that, and it’s resulted in some wins for us.”
It’s not just the forwards, either. Last spring, the Spitfires were torched by London’s best defencemen Adam Boqvist and Evan Bouchard in a first-round sweep. They learned from it.
So far, Windsor has received a combined 62 points from its mobile back end, led by Vegas prospect Connor Corcoran (22 points in 21 games).
“Up front, people are playing to their potential,” Bowler said, “and the production isn’t just coming from the forwards. It’s the entire group pitching in.”
They’re succeeding despite a turbulent off-season, when the team nearly changed hands, then said goodbye to longtime GM Warren Rychel, who delivered three Canadian Hockey League titles.
“It starts at the top,” Bowler said. “Once ownership was stable, it runs through the organization. I’ve been around a couple of years and have been lucky enough to be around a lot of good people like Warren. The transition has been good. Everybody does things different. You take from everyone you’ve been associated with and put your own identity into it.
“There isn’t one particular thing that happened. (The credit) is spread out. Collectively, we’re finding ways to win.”
The coaching staff, led by thirdyear bench boss Trevor Letowski, has been a major factor in the Spits’ rise.
“The record speaks for itself, Bowler said.
“The key for me is that our players enjoy coming to the rink and seem to have great relationships with the coaches. Everyone’s contributing and feeling good about themselves. Our older guys, starting with Angle and Cole Purboo, have been through some of the struggles and keep working. They’re leading the way. Cole, we couldn’t ask anything more from him.”
The club’s early attendance is a far cry from the Taylor Hall and Ryan Ellis glory days of a decade ago. Eight straight years of early exits fray the nerves.
But the momentum is starting to build.
“There’s no panic and rush,” Bowler said. The fans are slowly realizing we’re a decent hockey team. It’s a matter of trust, and if they keep seeing a good product, I’m confident. The parity in the West is great hockey, and as a fan and a guy involved, you can see it in the games.
“You’re in a real good one, no matter who you play.”
We don’t know exactly what we are just yet, but it’s fun figuring it out. We’re just enjoying our start here.