5 Windsor Spitfires Stories to Watch During Summer of 2026 – The Hockey Writers – OHL

With the 2026 Memorial Cup starting on Friday in Kelowna, BC, the Windsor Spitfires’ offseason is underway. From drafts to signings and a growing college factor, it’s going to be a busy summer at the WFCU Centre.

Last summer, Spitfires general manager Bill Bowler generally knew what was coming at him. He had the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Draft in April, June’s NHL Draft, and then the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft in July. He also had a solid roster returning for 2025-26 with few surprises. Now, following a loss to the Kitchener Rangers in the Western Conference Final this season, the club gets ready for a monster offseason that involves a dramatically changing landscape. With more talent leaving and plenty of roster uncertainty, Bowler has his work cut out for him. Here are five stories to watch for as the summer unfolds.

The Growing NCAA Factor

This is becoming a story that can’t be brushed aside. From his hiring in July 2019 until early November 2024, Bowler didn’t have to worry too much about the NCAA. When players reported to the OHL, that was likely their choice for their junior career. If they wanted the NCAA, they reported there, instead. However, in November 2024, everything changed.

That’s when the NCAA and CHL (including the OHL) came to an agreement that would allow players to move freely between the two. It’s created a new uncertainty and chaos that takes adjusting for everyone involved.

Soon after the ruling, then-Spitfires’ forward Noah Morneau, 20, committed to Bowling Green State University. He was followed by forward Ryan Abraham (Michigan Tech), 20, and defenceman Tnias Mathurin (University of Massachusettes-Lowell), also 20. They were all graduating following the 2024-25 season, but it was still an eye-opener. This season, several players committed, including defencemen Carson Woodall (Boston College), 19, and Jakub Fibigr (Ohio State University), 19, plus forward Cole Davis (University of Connecticut), 19. They were all eligible to return for another season.

On top of this, reports in April indicate that forward Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia Flyers), 18, is leaving for the University of Michigan. Also, on Tues., May 12, forward Ethan Belchetz, 18, a top prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft in June, committed to Michigan State University. That’s two major talents that Bowler likely had penciled in to return for 2026-27.

The Spitfires have benefited from the ruling to some degree. In late 2024-25, they signed 2024 OHL Draft third-round pick defenceman Andrew Robinson. He’s committed to Providence College for 2027-28. Last June, Bowler signed free agent defenceman Jonathan Brown out of Shattuck-St. Mary’s. The 18-year-old was committed to Yale University for 2026-27 but is pushing that back a season, as of now.

This ever-changing new landscape creates an uncertainty that Bowler, head coach Greg Walters, and their staff need to adjust to. It has pros and cons and will be fascinating to watch as the summer unfolds.

Hitting a Home Run at June’s OHL Draft

One of Bowler’s first tasks this offseason will be June’s OHL Draft. On paper, it’s eerily reminiscent of the 2023 OHL Draft. In reality, it has to be better.

After going all-in during the 2022-23 campaign, including bringing in forwards Shane Wright (Seattle Kraken) and Brett Harrison (Boston Bruins), they got swept in the first round by the Rangers. In the 2023 OHL Draft, they lacked picks thanks to earlier deadline deals, and it was a disaster.

Nesbitt was their first-round pick, 20th overall, and he became a great selection, even though he’s leaving a season early. After that, they had fifth-round pick, defenceman Adrian Manzo, who was moved to get Mathurin (since graduated). They also had sixth-round pick defenceman Michael Lavigne who has been playing in the lower levels, save for a few OHL games when the injuries piled up. Beyond them, nobody has touched the OHL.

Thanks to more deadline buying this season, the 2026 Draft, which is coming up on Fri., June 12 and Sat., June 13 in Kingston, is looking very similar in terms of picks available. According to the OHL Draft Pick Database, the club has their first-round pick, which will be later in the round, but then nothing until a pair of fourth-round picks from the Ottawa 67’s and Owen Sound Attack (which will be higher in the round). Following that, they have picks in Rounds 7 through 15, with Rounds 11 and 15 having two picks each.

With just three picks in the opening four rounds, Bowler needs to hit this one out of the park. All three players need to have a legitimate shot of making the Spitfires this season. The roster spots are there, and Walters is well known for giving ice time to young players if it’s deserved. He did that with Robinson, plus forwards Ethan Garden and Jean-Christoph Lemieux in 2024-25, along with forward John McLaughlin in 2025-26.

The club can’t afford to swing and miss on this draft. With the NCAA now an option, it might be the most important one in Bowler’s time with the Spitfires so far.

July’s CHL Import Draft Becomes More Important

Every summer (often in early July), the CHL holds their annual Import Draft. It’s a chance for teams to draft players whose parents or guardians don’t primarily reside in Canada or the United States. Until last season, teams were allowed to have two Imports. That changed last spring, and it was bumped up to three.

In last July’s draft, following the graduation of defenceman Josef Eichler and forward Ilya Protas, Bowler selected Slovak forward Michal Svrcek (Detroit Red Wings) in the first round, young Kazakhstani forward Beksultan Makysh in the second round, and Swiss forward Loan Burkhalter in the third round. The hope was that all three would join the OHL right away. It didn’t happen, though.

Svrcek was playing in Sweden and remained there while Burkhalter came over for training camp, but was sent back to HC La-Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland). In April, he committed to playing there next season. Makysh, who played for the Boston Hockey Academy for two seasons prior to joining the Spitfires, made the club and excelled with 14 goals and 39 points in 68 games. He’s expected to return and be a big part of the club.

If Bowler can get Svrcek to join Makysh with the Spitfires next season, he’ll still have the first-round pick to use. Where will that be in the draft? With the OHL joining the Western Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League in rotating picks, that likely puts the Spitfires’ first pick in the late 40s of the opening round.

Can the Spitfires get a talented player at that spot? Previous picks around there include Rangers’ goaltender Christian Kirsch (Switzerland, 44th in 2025), Oshawa Generals’ forward Lauri Sinivuori (Finland, 51st in 2024), London Knights’ forward Jesse Nurmi (Finland, 58th in 2024), and Knights’ forward Kasper Halttunen (Finland, 41st in 2022).

While the Import Draft is a guessing game at times, Bowler can’t afford to fumble here. He has the chance to take a multi-season impact player, and that would go a long way to helping the roster immediately.

New Player Signings and Trades

Between NCAA commitments, overage (20-year-old) graduations, and players moving onto NHL careers (such as captain Liam Greentree, forward A.J. Spellacy, and forward Nathan Villeneuve), the Spitfires could see around a dozen players off the roster next season. That creates huge holes and opportunities for Bowler to work some magic in the offseason.

We know that whoever he takes in the first round of June’s 2026 OHL Draft will more than likely sign with the club. That player should have an incredible opportunity to get top-six ice if everything works out. If they can get the two fourth-round picks to sign, too, that provides much-needed depth.

Not only will Bowler need to succeed at the OHL and Import Drafts, but he’s going to have to find a way to sign free agents and make trades. As we mentioned, thanks to buying at the deadline, he’s lacking many future picks that he could use as assets. They only have second-round picks in 2027 and 2029, no third-round pick until 2030, just one fourth from 2027 through 2029, and no fifth-round pick until 2029. It was a hefty price to pay to get to the Western Conference Championship this season.

After going all-in for 2022-23, the club sold off many veterans in 2023-24 in hopes of getting assets for the future. That’s going to be a challenge this summer as, with limited veterans available, you can’t just sell everyone off. Bowler has to think outside the box.

Creativity is going to be the name of the game for the Spitfires this summer. Whether that’s through drafts, free agents, and/or trades, they go into 2026-27 with numerous holes and a young roster on top of that.

Will the Coaches Remain on Board?

While numerous players are heading onto the next stage of their career, we also have to keep an eye on the people behind the bench – Walters, plus assistants Casey Torres and Kris Newbury.

After being hired in July 2024, Walters has been what the club needed. He joined Torres and Newbury behind the bench, and the trio have not only instilled systems that work, but a culture that the club embraced. They play for each other and the logo on the front. The question is – will the three coaches remain on board?

From 2021-23, then-Spitfires’ head coach Marc Savard guided the team to back-to-back West Division titles. In June 2023, he left for the Calgary Flames and remains in the NHL. Since Walters was hired, he has also guided the team to back-to-back division titles and had similarly talented rosters to work with. Savard had Wright, Harrison, and Matthew Maggio (New York Islanders), for example, while Walters had Protas, Greentree, and Nesbitt.

Will Walters, Torres, or Newbury get an opportunity elsewhere and take advantage of it? Ideally, the trio returns to show what they can do with a much younger, far more inexperienced roster. It’s a challenge that they could meet head-on, if they remain on board. However, the pros could be calling, and it wouldn’t be a shock if any of the trio answered the phone.

This offseason has the potential to be one of the busiest ones that the Spitfires have seen in a very long time. With so much roster turnover, and little assets to work with, creativity is going to be needed. Can they figure this out in time for training camp in late August? We’re about to find out.