The Windsor Spitfires have begun to stock up for the future with three deals announced Thursday, involving two other teams.
The OHL Western Conference champions completed two separate trades with the Niagara IceDogs, involving two players and eight draft picks to be used between 2023 and 2026. Later Thursday afternoon, the Spitfires also announced a third trade with the London Knights.
Windsor first traded defenceman Nathan Ribau to the IceDogs in exchange for Niagara's fourth-round draft pick in 2025 and their third-round pick in 2026.
The Spits also traded forward Pasquale Zito to Niagara. From the IceDogs, Windsor receives the Oshawa Generals' second-round picks from 2023 and 2024, along with Niagara's fourth and sixth-round picks in 2024.
Windsor will also receive a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024 from the Mississauga Steelheads and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2025 from the IceDogs.
https://twitter.com/SpitsHockey/status/1542546050581422080
Ribau, from Oakville, had two goals and nine assists in Windsor during the regular season, plus six assists during the playoffs. Earlier in the season, he had one goal and three assists for Sudbury.
Zito's offensive output for the Spits justified the large haul of draft picks the team received. He scored 22 goals for 42 points during the regular season, plus two goals for seven points during the playoffs.
Windsor then announced it had made a deal with rival London, acquiring forward Colton Smith in exchange for the Spits' fourth-round pick in 2025.
https://twitter.com/SpitsHockey/status/1542550007462633474
Smith is from Ottawa and plays left-winger. He was the Knights' second-round draft pick in 2020. He played in 41 games this past season, scoring 13 goals for 18 points.
The Spitfires have been signing previous draft picks to OHL player agreements following its success in this year's playoffs. Windsor won the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as OHL Western champions but lost a tough seven-game set to the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL Finals.
