Jr. Spits are OHL picks
Three players from the Windsor Jr. Spitfires of the Under 16 level Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario were picked at the 2025 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
6 foot, 160 pound forward Reid Hayes went in the third round to the Ottawa 67’s. Then a pair of defensemen were picked as 6 foot 1, 190 pound Emmett Mather went in the 12th round to the Flint Firebirds and 5 foot 10, 160 pound Luke St.John (in photo at left) was landed by the hometown Windsor Spitfires in the 13th.
Regular season and playoffs included, Hayes netted 25 goals, 33 assists, 58 points in 32 games for the U16 Jr. Spitfires in ’24-25.
Jr. Spitfires head coach Matt Zuccato took note of the assets that Hayes possesses.
“Reid’s compete level is elite, he works extremely hard and is very creative. He’s a great teammate and leader,” Zuccato relayed to Hockey News Windsor.
Over to St. John, he was a productive defender over the course of the ’24-25 season with the U16 Jr. Spitfires. In 35 games, regular season and playoffs included for the U16 Jr. Spits, St. John fired up 14 goals, 13 assists, 27 points.
Aforementioned U16 Jr. Spitfires head coach Matt Zuccato had multiple words of praise for St. John.
“He is a skilled player who loves to jump in on the rush and has a great shot,” Zuccato relayed to Hockey News Windsor.
As for Mather, who had 11 assists in 21 games for the U16 Jr. Spitfires, Zuccato referred to the big defender as a “fierce competitor who plays very physical. He is a great teammate, defends well and chips in offensively.”