Spitfires net contention
Tick, tick, tick. The clock is ticking. As general manager Billy Bowler has built the Spitfires to rebound in ’24-25 after missing the Ontario Hockey League playoffs in ’23-24 there is competition brewing for Windsor’s goalie positions.
To be sure, the Spitfires — who missed the OHL playoffs in ’23-24 after back to back first place finishes atop the Western Conference — have assembled a plethora of puck stoppers for director of goaltending in charge of scouting and development Bill Dark and recently hired goalie coach Stan Matwijiw to choose from as part of Windsor’s present and future net plan.
At the top of the crease chart and the presumptive starter — at least for now — for ’24-25 is Joey Costanzo, who has a 2005 birth date. Costanzo has already appeared in 98 OHL games — 81 of them with Windsor. The Spitfires acquired the former second round pick of the Niagara Ice Dogs from the 2021 priority selections draft via trade two years ago. Costanzo has a career record of 41-41-5 over three seasons but has yet to establish himself as a top flight OHL goalie.
Next on the depth chart is Carter Froggett, who has a 2006 birth date. A sixth round pick by Windsor at the 2022 OHL priority selections draft, Froggett has since played for the London Jr. Knights of the Under 18 level Hockey Alliance and the London Nationals of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League. He also got into two OHL games with the Spitfires in ’23-24.
Froggett (in photo at left) put up good numbers in the GOJHL for London during the ’23-24 season. Regular season and playoffs included for the Nationals, the big goalie fashioned a record of 19-6-0 with a 2.64 goals against average and .913 save percentage.
Froggett, who is listed as 6-foot-3, has a couple of inches height advantage on Costanzo and is known for his athleticism. In fact, the aforementioned Bill Dark, as the Spitfires’ director of goaltending, told Hockey News Windsor that Froggett is “probably the best raw athlete I have ever worked with … he excels at many sports besides hockey including baseball, volleyball and track and field. Besides that, he has really come along over the past few years. I thought he was the best goalie in the GOJHL this past season.”
Windsor also took a goalie at the 2023 priority selections draft, opting for Gabe Donohue in the 10th round. Donohue has a 2007 birth date.
And the Spitfires took two goalies at the 2024 OHL priority selections draft, getting Chicago native Jake Windbiel in the seventh round before snagging northern Ontario lad Cam Ingram in the 13th. Windbiel — who has since been signed by the Spitfires — and Ingram both have 2008 birth dates. Then, at the subsequent 2024 OHL supplemental draft, Windsor added yet another goalie when it made Michael Newlove the first overall pick. Newlove has a 2007 birth date.
As of now, the Spitfires have the above mentioned six goalies under team control. Who will be the goalies in Windsor when the first puck drops on the ’24-25 season?
The answer is not that far away.