The 2025-26 Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Western Conference playoffs are about to get much tougher for the second-seeded Windsor Spitfires. After they eliminated the seventh-seeded Guelph Storm in the first round, the club now gets ready for a major battle against a fierce division rival.
The Spitfires were early favourites to have a long playoff run this season. However, by Christmas, they got into a clash with the Flint Firebirds for the West Division title. The teams went toe-to-toe in the standings and it came down to the last weekend. The Spitfires earned a win on the final day, taking the division and second seed by just two points and making the Firebirds settle for third. Now, the two clubs get ready for the big meeting, a second-round matchup that could go down in history. Let’s break it down.
The Vitals
Records:
Spitfires – 44-15-6-3 – 97 points – second in Western Conference, first in West Division
Firebirds – 44-17-4-3 – 95 points – third in Western Conference, second in West Division
Home-and-Away Record:
Spitfires – 24-4-5-1 (home), 20-11-1-2 (road)
Firebirds – 22-8-3-1 (home), 22-9-1-2 (road)
Goals For and Goals Against:
Spitfires – 264-173
Firebirds – 261-199
Head-to-Head Record:
Spitfires – 3-3-0-0
Firebirds – 3-3-0-0
- The Spitfires outscored the Firebirds 18-14 in the six games.
- The Spitfires won three of the first four meetings, while the Firebirds won the final two (one per building).
Special Teams:
Spitfires’ power play – 28.4 percent (66-for-232) – second in OHL – allowed nine shorthanded goals
Spitfires’ penalty kill – 82.8 percent (181-of-221) – first in OHL – scored 11 shorthanded goals
Firebirds’ power play – 23.5 percent (52-for-221) – seventh in OHL, allowed six shorthanded goals
Firebirds’ penalty kill – 78.9 percent (187-of-237) – ninth in OHL, scored 10 shorthanded goals
Regular Season Leading Producers and Goaltending Stats
Top Three Producers:
Spitfires –
- Forward Liam Greentree (New York Rangers) – 52 games, 38 goals, 36 assists, 74 points
- Forward Nathan Villeneuve (Seattle Kraken) – (two teams) 51 games, 21 goals, 42 assists, 68 points
- Defenceman Carson Woodall – 68 games, 12 goals, 51 assists, 63 points
Firebirds –
- Forward Nathan Aspinall (Rangers) – 65 games, 33 goals, 61 assists, 94 points
- Forward Kevin He (Winnipeg Jets) – (two teams) 60 games, 39 goals, 38 assists, 77 points
- Forward Jimmy Lombardi (Los Angeles Kings) – 65 games, 36 goals, 36 assists, 72 points
Goaltender Stats:
Spitfires –
- Joey Costanzo – 50 games, 32-11-4-1, 2.16 goals-against average (GAA), .908 save percentage (SV%)
- Michael Newlove – 23 games, 12-4-2-2, 2.76 GAA, .886 SV%
Firebirds –
- Mason Vaccari – 51 games, 36-9-3-2, 2.70 GAA, .907 SV%
- Mason Courville – 18 games, 8-8-1-1, 3.06 GAA, .893 SV%
Playoff Stats and Clubs’ Journeys So Far
Top Three Producers:
Spitfires –
- Greentree – four games, four goals, three assists, seven points
- Defenceman Jakub Fibigr (Kraken) – four games, one goal, six assists, seven points
- Forward John McLaughlin – three goals, one assist, four points
Firebirds –
- forward Jacob Battaglia (Calgary Flames) – four games, five goals, 10 assists, 15 points
- Aspinall – four games, six goals, seven assists, 13 points
- Lombardi – four games, four goals, four assists, eight points
Goaltending Stats:
Spitfires –
- Costanzo – four games, 4-0-0 1.25 GAA, .952 SV%
Firebirds –
- Vaccari – four games, 4-0-0, 0.75 GAA, .974 GAA
Special Teams:
Spitfires’ power play – 26.7 percent (four-for-15), allowed no shorthanded goals
Spitfires’ penalty kill – 100 percent (nine-of-nine), scored twice shorthanded
Firebirds’ power play – 61.9 percent (13-for-21), allowed no shorthanded goals
Firebirds’ penalty kill – 85.7 percent (12-of-14), scored twice shorthanded
Clubs’ Playoff Roads So Far:
Spitfires –
- Round 1 – Defeated (7) Storm 4-0 – outscored Storm 21-5
Firebirds –
- Round 1 – Defeated (6) Owen Sound Attack 4-0 – outscored Attack 35-3
What the Spitfires Bring to the Table
Spitfires’ general manager Bill Bowler built his club to make a long playoff run. They started by winning the West Division and now they’ve eliminated a good, structured Storm club. The talent starts from the back and works its way up.
Head coach Greg Walters has always been about defence first. His teams suffocate the opponents’ offence, get the puck back, and have room to create offensively. If something happens, Costanzo has been there to make the big saves. The result has been an offence that was third in the OHL and a defence that was second.
Up front, they’re loaded with Greentree, Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia Flyers), Villeneuve, A.J. Spellacy (Chicago Blackhawks), Ethan Garden, and Cole Davis, among others. They can score with the best of them and have proven that time and time again.
Related: Windsor Spitfires Acquire Villeneuve & Pharand From Wolves in Blockbuster
Defensively, they have plenty of offence with Fibigr, Woodall, and forward/defenceman Anthony Cristoforo, plus steady giants in the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Conor Walton and 6-foot-5, 202-pound Wyatt Kennedy. In goal, Costanzo has been as reliable and focused as a team’s going to get. They’re probably not where they are this season without him.
They dealt with multiple injuries to top players throughout March, including forwards Ethan Belchetz (out indefinitely) and Beksultan Makysh (listed as day-to-day). While most are back to health, it was a challenge that they had to adjust to.
The Storm gave them a good test from a structural point of view. The games were tight, physical, and, aside from an 11-3 Game 4 win, offence was tough to come by. Now, they’re going into a very different, potentially more offensive series, one that should be an outstanding test.
What the Firebirds Bring to the Table
This is a Firebirds team that’s ready to show the OHL that the season wasn’t a fluke. Since moving from Plymouth, MI (then known as the Whalers) in 2015-16, they have just two playoff series wins under their belt. That was in 2021-22 when they made the Western Conference Final (more below). However, this season’s club feels different.
The Firebirds challenged the Spitfires from early on through to the final buzzer in Game 68. When they saw that they had a chance to win the West Division, they went out and got offensive stars in He (from the Niagara IceDogs) and Battaglia (from the Kingston Frontenacs). Add them to an already potent lineup that includes the 6-foot-7, 207-pound Aspinall plus Lombardi and the 6-foot-4, 208-pound sniper Alex Kostov (55 points in 47 games) and they’re loaded up front.
Defensively, they were sixth in the OHL with 199 goals against and they play a strong, structured style. It’s one that gave the Spitfires fits at times this season. In goal, Vaccari has been a rock all season. He was top-10 in goals against, 11th in the league in SV%, and second in wins. In five games against the Spitfires, he stopped 125-of-138 shots with a 3-2 record.
The Firebirds dismantled the Attack in the first round, outscoring them 35-3 in four games. While part of that was the Attack struggling in every aspect, a lot of it was the Firebirds finding ways to dissect and refusing to let up. They found weaknesses and pushed until the final buzzer. Now, they’ve got a bigger test with the Spitfires and they’re going to have to be ready.
The X-Factors
Spitfires:
While home ice is a big factor for the Spitfires in this series, as it was something they coveted for much of the second half, it’s hard to go against Costanzo in this situation.
One of three overage (20-year-old) players on the roster to start the season, the Toronto native is in his final playoff run and this is going to be a fun test for him. Last season, he had an impressive 2.29 GAA and .911 SV% in 12 playoff appearances. This season, he not only continued that stellar play but he’s been gold in the playoffs. The question is – can he sustain that against a strong offensive club in the Firebirds?
Nothing we’ve seen from Costanzo indicates that he’ll slip. He’s mentally focused, confident, and humble enough to keep things in perspective. He’s also going against a long-time friend and rival in Vaccari. The stage is set for him to show the OHL what he has.
Firebirds:
For the Firebirds, we’re going with Vaccari. Prior to joining them last summer, he spent three seasons with the Frontenacs. His numbers were reasonable – around a 3.30 GAA and .885 SV%. However, something clicked with this season and those numbers improved to a 2.70 GAA and .907 SV%.
Detective Mase was on the case 🕵️♂️
Nothing was slipping past Mason Vaccari in last night’s @FlintFirebirds victory as he stopped all 26 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season.@FloHockey pic.twitter.com/WzwELjlr01
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 3, 2026
Despite being just 5-foot-11, 184-pounds, he’s very quick, very athletic, and seems to find the puck no matter where it is. The Spitfires had issues solving him many times this season. The question is – can he do that against them in the playoffs with higher stakes?
Yes, he posted outstanding numbers against the Attack. However, the Attack aren’t the Spitfires. Teams don’t get outscored 35-3 in a series if you’re on the same page. Walters has his club focused, as one unit, and ready for battle. This next series is going to be a test for Vaccari. Can he bring the same heat he had in the regular season? We’re about to find out.
Playoff History Between the Spitfires and Firebirds
The clubs, as the Spitfires and Firebirds, have only met one time in the post-season.
2021-22 – OHL Western Conference Final – Spitfires defeated Firebirds 4-3. This was an epic toe-to-toe series where the Spitfires found themselves down 3-2 in the series. Game 6 was at the Dort Financial Centre in Flint, MI. In the the third period, the visitors scored the game-tying goal. That was followed by the overtime winner by defenceman Andrew Perrott to send it to Game 7 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor. That’s where veteran Daniel D’Amico had a hat-trick and goaltender Xavier Medina made 38 saves as the Spitfires won Game 7 4-0.
Despite having met just once as the Firebirds and Spitfires, the organizations have met numerous times in the past. During their time as the aforementioned Whalers, the two clubs had several playoff battles dating back to the early 1990s. The last meeting as the Whalers was in 2009-10 when the Spitfires defeated them 4-0 in the second round en route to their second-straight Memorial Cup.
Quotables
On Tues., Apr. 7, we talked to the Spitfires about the series. Here’s what they had to say.
Costanzo on one last playoff run with veterans like Greentree, Spellacy, and Cristoforo – “It’s huge for us. We’ve grown a lot together. When I came here (in September 2022), I was traded as a 17-year-old. These guys were 16. We’ve grown up together, come from boys to men together. To have this one last run together is bittersweet but we want to make it count.”
Costanzo on battling long-time friend/rival Vaccari – “It’s really cool. It’s something we talked about in the Summer. When he got traded to the Firebirds, we knew we would play each other a lot but didn’t know this would happen. We went head-to-head together a lot growing up. We’ve been friends but we’ve also been rivals, as well. We were the two best goaltenders in the Greater Toronto Area growing up and, to go against one of my friends and one of my greatest competitors, somebody who brings out the best in me on the ice and I think I do the same to him, it will be a lot of fun.”
Costanzo on how Firebirds differ from Storm – “They play with a lot of swagger. They have a lot of big power forwards who can score and skate. I think we match up well against them. We’re going to give them a lot of respect because they are a great team. At the end, I think I like our matchup.”
Walters on getting home ice in this series – “Home ice is obviously a huge factor in playoff history. We played extremely well down the stretch, especially with a lot of our top guys out. Going through that adversity and coming out on top and gaining that second seed is huge.”
Walters on how the Firebirds differ from the Storm – “They’re older than the Storm. They play a different style. Their forwards like to try to get in behind (the defence) and cheat for offence, so we have to be aware of that. They’re dangerous off the rush so our rush coverage has to be good. Honestly, us playing Spits’ hockey, defence-first, we like our chances.”
The Schedule
Normally, the Spitfires would have started this series at home on Thurs., Apr. 9. However, the Windsor Express (Basketball Super League) are in their playoffs and already booked the WFCU Centre.
Here’s the schedule for the Spitfires and Firebirds:
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 10 at Windsor – 7:05 p.m.
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 12 at Windsor – 4:05 p.m.
Game 3 – Tues., Apr. 14 at Flint – 7 p.m.
Game 4 – Thurs., Apr. 16 at Flint – 7 p.m.
Game 5 – Sat., Apr. 18 at Windsor – 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Game 6 – Sun. Apr. 19 at Flint – 4 p.m. (if necessary)
Game 7 – Tues., Apr. 21 at Windsor – 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Prediction
These are two titans that went toe-to-toe in the standings and against each other, all season. They both have tremendous offensive potential, strong defence, and goaltending that could play a vital role. The Spitfires got their desired home-ice advantage on the last day of the regular season and, if they play their brand of defence, it’s going to be tough to stop them in a marathon. This one could go the distance. Spitfires in 7.
Ticket Information
Spitfires tickets for Games 1 and 2, along with potential Games 5 and 7, are available on the WFCU website. The prices range from $33.15 CAD in the East end to $56.15 CAD in the Platinum sections.
Tickets for Firebirds’ home games for Games 3 and 4, along with a potential Game 6, are available on etix.com via their website. Their prices range from $17 USD to $30 USD.
