Windsor Spitfires Sign 2026 OHL Fourth-Round Pick Jake LaMontagne – The Hockey Writers – OHL

The Windsor Spitfires can add another name to the depth charts. As the club continues to prepare for the 2026-27 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season, they signed another important draft pick on Wednesday.

There has been nothing quiet about this off-season for the Spitfires. General manager Bill Bowler knew he had plenty of graduation following a run at the OHL Championship last season (lost in the Western Conference Final to the Kitchener Rangers). That meant rebuilding the roster with a vision towards the future. After signing 2026 OHL first-round pick forward Lauchlan Whelan on Tuesday, the club added another big prospect on Wednesday.

Spitfires Sign LaMontagne

Since the season ended in early May, Bowler has signed Whelan, 2025 pick forward Ty Bergeron, and Detroit Red Wings’ prospect forward Michal Svrcek, among others. Now, he’s added another name to the depth charts.

On Wednesday, the Spitfires officially signed 2026 OHL Draft fourth-round pick defenceman Jake LaMontagne (pronounced La-mon-tane) to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.

The 6-foot-4, 196-pound New Hudson, MI native was the 69th overall pick in June’s OHL Draft, which was held in Kingston. He spent two seasons with the Detroit Compuware 14U AAA club and had four assists in 20 games in 2024-25. Last season, he jumped over to Detroit Honeybaked 15U AAA and recorded five goals and 63 assists in 104 games between the 15U AAA league and the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association 15U league. They also became the first American team to win the OHL Cup in April.

LaMontagne was at the Spitfires’ Draft Orientation camp in late June and showed a veteran presence on the ice. His large frame was tough to ignore and there was a poise about him that can’t be taught. In a statement, he said he’s eager to help the organization.

“It is a huge honour to be given the opportunity to sign with such a great organization,” LaMontagne said. “I look forward to working hard every day to make everyone better and help contribute to the teams future success.”

Bowler had no picks in the second or third rounds due to prior trades. However, he seemed thrilled to get LaMontagne in the fourth and said they can’t wait to see how he develops with the club.

“(LaMontagne) brings excellent size, strength and a physical presence to our blue line,” Bowler said. “He competes hard every shift. He has a lot of potential, and we look forward to seeing his growth over the next couple years. We welcome Jake and his family to Windsor.”

Crowded Defence is a Good Problem

Here’s where things get interesting. Thanks to graduation and the NCAA, the Spitfires are losing a lot of production up front including captain Liam Greentree (New York Rangers), Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia Flyers via University of Michigan), Nathan Villeneuve (Seattle Kraken), and Ethan Belchetz (Utah Mammoth via Michigan State University). That’s where players like Svrcek, Whelan, and Bergeron help out, and they still have room to spare. The defence is another story.

The club is losing veterans Wyatt Kennedy, Jakub Fibigr (Ohio State University), and Carson Woodall (Boston College), but they’ve also signed prospects Drake Gram, Sam Wathier, Jesse Debruyn, and now LaMontagne. There’s a logjam.

With veteran defenceman-turned-forward Anthony Cristoforo likely to play up front, veterans Conor Walton, Jonathan Brown, and Andrew Robinson will be joined by Grady Spicer, who saw some action late last season, plus Gram, Wathier, and Debruyn. Barring a trade, LaMontagne will likely be battling for the seventh spot and, if he doesn’t win it, will probably spend the season with the LaSalle Vipers Jr. B. Last season, that happened with Spicer (against Brown) and he benefitted heading into this season.

Over the last two seasons, the Spitfires have relied on their organizational depth to get them through frustrating times. In 2024-25, Robinson got a call up for the playoffs because of injuries. Last season, Spicer and Debruyn were in the same boat. LaMontagne now gives them another option. Nobody is going to rush the youngster into ice time but his size and potential is something everyone is looking forward to watching develop.

The Spitfires open 2026-27 training camp in late August before pre-season and then their season opener on Fri., Sept. 18 on the road against the London Knights.