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The Windsor Spitfires are now better positioned for a long playoff run.
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General manager Bill Bowler said he felt no pressure to deal before Friday’s OHL trade deadline, but he swung three deals in three days before time expired.
“We think we’re a better team today than we were a week ago,” Bowler said. “We’re in a good spot now for this year and next year.”
Just prior to Friday’s deadline, Bowler acquired 17-year-old centre Shawn Costello from the Oshawa Generals along with Oshawa’s third-round pick in 2028 and Owen Sound’s fourth-round pick in 2026 for 19-year-old forward Ethan Martin.
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“It give us a couple more (draft) assets and gives us another young player,” Bowler said.
The six-foot-six, 222-pound Martin is the son of former Spitfire captain Mike Martin. A fourth-round pick by the club in 2021, Martin has four goals and eight points in 30 games this season.
The six-foot-two, 188-pound Costello is in his first full season with the Generals and has two assists in 24 games.
“He’s a versatile two-way forward that, in a new environment, has potential,” Bowler said of Costello.
The big piece in Windsor’s dealing was adding 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Kennedy in a trade with the North Bay Battalion on Thursday. The six-foot-five, 202-pound Kennedy beefs up Windsor’s blue line while also being a potential overage piece for next season.
The deal cost the Spitfires five draft picks and 17-year-old defenceman Adrian Manzo. However, the former fifth-round pick was having a hard time cracking Windsor’s top six at the back end and, if Kennedy returns next season as overage player, he would join returnees Anthony Cristoforo, Carson Woodall, Conor Walton and Carter Hicks for another run.
Ryan “Pucks” Pyette on the OHL
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“He’s a guy who has played a ton of playoff hockey,” Bowler said. “He’s a reliable defender with great character and a leader that played 28 minutes for his team the last time I saw him.
“There’s so many good qualities that we think he can help our team this year and, if he chooses to play the following year, he would be a great addition.”
Kennedy was a teammate of Spitfires’ overage defenceman Tnias Mathurin, who came to the team in an August trade with North Bay. The two provide Windsor with plenty of experience at the back in with the Battalion having played in the Eastern Conference final the past three seasons.
“It’s really important and I’ve seen it on our team with experience and how it’s really showed,” Kennedy said of North Bay’s deep playoff runs. “Guys like myself and Tnias have been through it and it’s an asset and we know what it’s like and what it takes.
“Being in the (Eastern Conference), you don’t see the (Western Conference) as much. I know (Windsor’s) a younger team with a lot of potential, which is exciting. I know they’re going to be a contender this year and in years to come.”
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Not to be overlooked is the acquisition of former Saginaw first-round pick Luke McNamara in a deal with the Kingston Frontenacs for a fifth-round pick in this year’s OHL Draft, which originally belonged to Niagara.
At six-foot-three and 182 pounds, the 19-year-old McNamara fills the veteran void in the lineup left by Owen Outwater’s season-ending shoulder injury.
“You’re always trying to please everyone,” Bowler said. “You owe it to players, the coaches and fans to try and do best job I plan, but hard to make everyone happy.”
The deals made at last year’s deadline also allowed Bowler to deal this season and still have assets in place for this year’s OHL Draft and room to move at next year’s deadline to solidify the roster more.
“We’re real happy, but this (OHL trade deadline) is just a date,” Bowler said. “The deal we made for Mathurin in the summer, the deals we made last year, it all culminates to have a good hockey club.”
The London Knights are still considered the cream of the OHL crop. While this week’s moves improve Windsor, there’s not guarantees it makes the Spitfires a title contender, but it does enhance the club’s chances of making a long playoff run and see where the chips fall.
“We’re not building this team to just play London, but everyone,” Bowler said of a deep Western Conference. “It’s a tall order, but these players have shown they can compete with everyone and I still think our team has room to grow because of age of our players.”
jpparker@postmedia.com
twitter.com/winstarparker
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