Last May, the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires became the first team since 1995 to win back-to-back Memorial Cup titles. The Memorial Cup is awarded annually by the Canadian Hockey League, to the winner of a four-team tournament that features the champions from the Ontario Hockey League, the Western Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, as well as a host team.
At the start of the 2010-11 season, there were questions as to how competitive the Windsor Spitfires would be this year. Many key players from last year had graduated to either the NHL or AHL, such as Taylor Hall, Cam Fowler, Adam Henrique, Greg Nemisz, and Eric Wellwood. This left a rather young and inexperienced squad set to take to the ice back in September. The team also had to deal with the loss of head coach Bob Boughner. During the offseason, he had accepted an NHL assistant coaching job with the Columbus Blue Jackets. This move made way for former assistant coach, Bob Jones to take over the head coaching duties for the Spitfires.
Looking Good Heading into the Playoffs
With only a handful of games remaining in the regular season, the Windsor Spitfires sit 4th in the Western Conference standings with 78 points. Currently they are in position to have home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. With former powerhouses like Kitchener and London, no longer as dominant as they once were, the Western Conference is up for grabs this year. Owen Sound and Saginaw are the top two cedes, but their lack of playoff experience will leave the door wide open for the Spitfires to make a run deep into the playoffs.
What makes things even more promising for Windsor is that the Mississauga Majors have already earned a berth into this year’s Memorial Cup, as they are hosting the tournament. The Majors have the best record in the entire OHL, and if they happen to make it through the playoffs and win the Eastern Conference, then the Spitfires will only need to win the Western Conference in order to qualify for the Memorial Cup. Winning an OHL championship would not be necessary.
Great Performances from Returning Players
The success that the Spitfires have had this year is thanks in large part to a number of returning players from last year. Defenseman, Ryan Ellis leads the team in scoring with 92 points in 54 games. Ellis has already won two Memorial Cups with Windsor, and has represented Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in three straight years. Zack Kassian has also been a welcome presence on the ice this year. The Buffalo Sabres prospect is enjoying his best OHL season with 75 points, while his size and strength always make him a force to be reckoned with. Taylor Carnevale may not have been part of the Spitfires organization last year, but he has been a welcome addition since coming over from Barrie in a mid-season trade. Carnevale has 35 goals and 69 points. Finally, Kenny Ryan and Stephen Johnston have both been keys to Windsor’s success this season. The veterans have improved offensively since last year and each has scored 20 goals.
Promising New Players
Along with strong performances by their veterans, the Spitfires have also been aided this season by some of their young and talented players. Most notably is goaltender Jack Campbell. The first round draft pick of the Dallas Stars has won medals with the United States at the last two World Junior Hockey Championships, and while his 3.82 goals against average may not sound impressive, his play has been spectacular at times. With Windsor struggling defensively at times this year, Campbell has held them in many games, giving them a chance to win.
Two other rookies that have shown promise this year are Alexander Khokhlachev and Tom Kuhnhackl. They have both added offensive depth to the team by scoring 34 and 36 goals respectively.
Momentum on Their Side
With just enough experience left over from last year, the Windsor Spitfires may just have what it takes to make a 3rd straight Memorial Cup appearance. Heading into the playoffs, the Spitfires will be a confident group. They have a 6-3-1 record during their past 10 games and are coming off a big win over Owen Sound this past Thursday. With momentum on their side, they are surely a team to be reckoned with.
Sources
Ontario Hockey League official website.
Windsor Spitfires official website.
Jason Caravaggio - I am a university graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Bachelor of Education degree. Currently I am working two ...
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