Spits sign more size
The Spitfires have added another major building block ahead of the ’24-25 Ontario Hockey League season with the signing of import forward Ilya Protas.
Protas, who Windsor took with the third overall pick at the 2024 Canadian Hockey League import draft, was taken (and subsequently inked to an entry level agreement) by the Washington Capitals in the third round of this year’s National Hockey League draft.
Hailing from Minsk, Belarus, Protas is already acclimatized to the North American game. He spent the ’23-24 season with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League where he had 51 points in 37 games.
Spitfires’ general manager Billy Bowler told Hockey News Windsor that Protas “will step in and have an immediate impact for us. He is a big body forward who has a lot of skill. He can play in any situation and any forward position.”
At 6 foot 5 and with a 2006 birth date, Protas adds even more size to a Spitfire lineup that is projected as a rising force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference of the OHL. Other sizeable Spitfire forwards of note are 6 foot 5 Ethan Belchetz, 6 foot 4 Jack Nesbitt, 6 foot 3 A.J. Spellacy and 6 foot 2 Liam Greentree. Windsor also has a pair of big defensemen poised to return for a second season in 6 foot 6 Tanner Winegard and 6 foot 4 Conor Walton.
Belchetz, who has a 2008 birth date, was taken by Windsor with the first overall pick of this year’s OHL priority selections draft. Nesbitt, who has a 2007 birth date, was the Spitfires’ first round draft pick at the 2023 priority selections. Meanwhile, Spellacy (third round, Chicago Blackhawks) and Greentree (first round, Los Angeles Kings) were both taken at this year’s NHL draft as 2006 birth year skaters.
To be sure, in the minds of many, Windsor is now in position to go from missing the playoffs in ’23-24 to being among the upper echelon of the Western Conference in ’24-25. And thanks to aforementioned general manager Billy Bowler, incoming head coach Greg Walters has a nice table set up for him.
Meanwhile, do not be surprised if the Spitfires are active in the OHL trade market at points ahead. Bowler, as the Spitfires’ GM, is one of the best at his job in the OHL. He has shown that he knows how to build a contender and he has shown that he knows how to do a rebuild. A steely eyed, stare down GM who thinks ahead and puts his emotions aside, Bowler is not afraid to pull the trigger on major trades, even if it means dealing with teams in his own division.