With two weeks left in the 2025-26 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) regular season, points are at a premium. The Windsor Spitfires settled for one point on Thursday, losing a tough battle to a fierce division rival.
The Spitfires found themselves at the top of the Western Conference and West Division for most of the first half of the season. However, as the season has worn on, they’ve been battling the Flint Firebirds and Soo Greyhounds for the top seed in the division. With both the Spitfires and Greyhounds having six games left, the clubs met at the WFCU Centre on Thursday, and it was nothing short of a playoff preview. Here are three takeaways.
The Wild, Wild West
The conference’s third-seeded Spitfires entered Thursday’s game seven points up on the fourth-seeded Greyhounds with six games left. There is very little, talent-wise, separating them. While the Spitfires were without veteran forwards Nathan Villeneuve (Seattle Kraken), Ethan Belchetz, and Cole Davis, the Greyhounds didn’t have defenceman Chase Reid or young phenom forward Colin Fitzpatrick. However, it was still a battle for the ages.
The Spitfires opened the scoring when defenceman-turned-forward Anthony Cristoforo put away his first of the night. However, Brady Martin (Nashville Predators) tied it for the visitors after 20 minutes. The Greyhounds added an early second-period goal from Marco Mignosa (Tampa Bay Lightning) before Cristoforo scored his 20th goal of the season. Rookie Caden Harvey then made it 3-2 for the home side after two periods.
However, in the third, the Spitfires looked tired, only putting six shots on goaltender Carter George (Los Angeles Kings). The Greyhounds took advantage with Mignosa’s second goal to force overtime. In the extra frame, Mignosa completed the hat trick for a 4-3 win.
After the game, Spitfires’ head coach Greg Walters said it was simply a case of the Greyhounds’ talent beating their talent.
“Their best players were better than ours tonight,” he said. “It happens and we lost by a goal. The effort was there. The start was great. We just need more from everybody. Our whole defensive core was good. We had chances but they came back and scored. When you play against good teams, the margin of error is slim.”
Marco Mignosa had the hat-trick (and four points), including the overtime winner, as the Soo #Greyhounds beat the Windsor #Spitfires 4-3 at the WFCU Centre on Thursday. #OHL pic.twitter.com/e9i47VP5ub
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) March 13, 2026
This was the type of game you can expect from here until the end of the playoffs. Carson Woodall, who normally plays defence but was a forward on Thursday, said they’ve played the top contenders like the Kitchener Rangers, Firebirds, Greyhounds, and London Knights, with more games to come, and it’s great intensity.
“That’s one, two, four, and five in our conference,” he said. “Every game is close, and everyone is battling for some points. Every game has been super intense, and it’s been great for everybody.”
Woodall and Cristoforo See Time Up Front
This season, Walters has experimented with Cristoforo playing on the wing. While the 20-year-old has been a defenceman for four seasons, he’s offensive-minded, so they’ve given him a shot up there.
Now, with Belchetz, Davis, and Villeneuve injured, the Spitfires needed help. Cristoforo moved up front again on Thursday, and he was joined by Woodall, who’s been a defenceman for three seasons. The 6-foot, 180-pound Belle River native came into the game with 11 goals and 60 points in 62 games, which was second on the team to Villeneuve and captain Liam Greentree (New York Rangers).
Last season, they had as many as eight regulars out during the playoffs. Walters said putting Woodall up front, along with Cristoforo, is something they’ve been testing the waters on in case it’s needed.
“It’s something we’ve toyed with at practice a lot,” he said. “They’re both so smart that they can make those changes. Woodall and Cristoforo are so skilled and smart that they can make that adjustment.”
How different are the two positions? Cristoforo said he’s been a defenceman for most of his life, but when he’s up front, he just looks to simplify the game.
“I’m always ready to do both,” he said. “I’ve been defence my whole life, so it’s pretty easy to learn. (As a) forward, I just try to simplify my game. It’s different. As a d(efenceman), I like having the puck … As a forward, a lot of times you’re chasing. It’s just different.”
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Woodall played some left wing in minor hockey with the Belle River Jr. Canadiens’ system. He said Walters approached him about the opportunity, and it was a good learning experience.
“Walters asked me if I wanted to jump up, so I took the opportunity,” Woodall said. “I think I’m the all-time Belle River AA single-season record holder for points when I was left winger back then, so I took the opportunity to play up. I thought me, (Alex) Pharand, and (A.J.) Spellacy played well together … In overtime, I went back to defence. I thought it was good; some good passes and learning experiences.”
He said playing up front has different challenges. As a defenceman, you see everything in front of you. As a forward, it’s more of a chase and more tiring. However, he said he’s happy to play anywhere.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Woodall said. “It’s tiring, physically, but it’s a lot of fun being around the net. It’s a different game.”
Debruyn Makes OHL Debut for Spitfires
With Woodall and Cristoforo moving up to forward, the Spitfires had to make a move to bring in another defenceman.
The club called up 17-year-old defenceman Jesse Debruyn from the Komoka Kings of the Greater Ontario Hockey League (Jr. B). He was their fourth-round pick from the 2025 OHL Draft. This season, the 6-foot, 183-pounder had eight goals and 27 points in 47 games for them. On Thursday, he made his OHL debut.
With the Kings out of the playoffs, and the Spitfires needing a defenceman, this was the right time for the call-up. Walters said making the roster moves in this manner was a staff decision.
“We could have called up a couple of forwards,” he said. “When we talked about it as a staff, we wanted to go with Woodall and Cristoforo to start the game up front. We needed a defenceman, and it was good.”
Thursday night was also the #OHL debut for Windsor #Spitfires‘ fourth-round pick in the 2025 OHL Draft defenceman Jesse Debruyn. He has been with the Komoka Kings (GOHL) this season. pic.twitter.com/dMWUzQw6e3
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) March 13, 2026
Debruyn has had some practice time with the club, and it helped make Thursday’s debut smooth. Walters said it was what they needed.
“He came up and practiced with us for two days and looked good,” he said. “He was steady out there. We needed the extra body, and he played well. We wanted to get his feet wet there. Obviously, he played against an extremely good team.”
Calling up a defenceman late in the season isn’t new territory for the team. Last season, the Spitfires called up defenceman Andrew Robinson when the injuries started to build up. He was their third-round pick in the 2024 OHL Draft and showed well with a goal and three points in 12 playoff games. This season, he has become a mainstay on the roster with six goals and 20 points in 58 games.
While Belchetz is out indefinitely with a broken collarbone, the hope is that Villeneuve and Davis both return for the start of the playoffs in late March. However, should something go awry, the Spitfires know that Debruyn can handle himself in this situation.
The Spitfires now hit the road to play the Sarnia Sting on Friday before welcoming the Knights to the WFCU Centre on Sunday.
