With the 2024 Memorial Cup fully underway in Saginaw, MI, we look back to 2017 and the Windsor Spitfires’ journey as hosts of the tournament. While hosting takes significant teamwork and organization on the ice, the club was busy off of the ice, using several important trades to enhance their roster.
Former Spitfires’ general manager Warren Rychel was never one to shy away from making a big move. He did it with gusto; while some were to be never spoken of again, many became headliners that really benefited the club. When the team was announced as the hosts of the 2017 tournament, he went out and did everything in his power to build a winner. While we’ve talked about trades involving forwards Julius Nattinen (June 2016), Jeremiah Addison (August 2016), and Jeremy Bracco (January 2017) before, there were plenty of others that made an impact. Let’s revisit four more!
4. Trade With Mississauga Steelheads for Sean Day
When the 2016 Memorial Cup ended, Rychel wasted no time in bringing in veterans Nattinen and Addison to bolster his roster. However, that was just the beginning. In mid-October 2016, he made another big splash by getting former Exceptional Status recipient defenceman Sean Day from the Mississauga Steelheads. Here’s how it played out:
To Spitfires:
- Day
- Steelheads’ sixth-round pick in 2017
- Barrie Colts’ third-round pick in 2019
To Steelheads:
- Sarnia Sting’s second-round pick in 2017
- Niagara IceDogs’ second-round pick in 2018
- Spitfires’ fifth-round pick in 2019
- Spitfires’ third-round pick in 2020
What Spitfires Got
The 18-year-old Day came to the Spitfires after an already chaotic Ontario Hockey League (OHL) career. He was granted Exceptional Status prior to the 2013 OHL Priority Selection, meaning he could be drafted a season early. The Belgian-born, American-raised defenceman stood 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and had 35 points in 63 games as captain of the Compuware U16 AAA club before being drafted. However, despite the status, he slipped to the Steelheads with the fourth overall pick.
Day played 183 games for the Steelheads from 2013-16 before Rychel pulled the trigger on the trade. The Spitfires wanted the size and experience and weren’t backing down. Following the trade, the defenceman had 32 points in 58 games, with one assist in four Memorial Cup games. He showed maturity, defensive responsibility, leadership, and the offence that Rychel had hoped for. It was a power move that paid off. After hoisting the trophy, the youngster sat on the Spitfires’ bench, looked around, and soaked it all in. What a moment!
While Day became a third-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2016, he returned to the Spitfires in 2017-18 before being traded to the Kingston Frontenacs in January 2018 along with forward Gabriel Vilardi. That was his final season in juniors and he’s been in the pros ever since. This season, he got into 54 games with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Syracuse Crunch with five goals and 23 points.
As for the two picks – the sixth-round pick became forward Austin Brimmer, who wasn’t able to make the Spitfires. He played Junior A in Ontario and the United States before joining Long Island University in 2022. The Colts’ third-round pick went to the Niagara IceDogs in a package for forward Graham Knott, which we’ll talk about shortly.
What Steelheads Got
The Steelheads wound up with four picks but none of them stuck with the team. The Sting second-round pick was traded to the Frontenacs in November 2016 in a trade for forward Spencer Watson. The IceDogs’ second-round pick went to the Kitchener Rangers for defenceman Merrick Rippon. The Spitfires’ fifth-round pick went to the Saginaw Spirit for a pair of mid-round picks. The Spitfires’ third-round pick went to the Rangers in a deal for forward Cole Carter, who became the Steelheads’ captain in 2018-19.
In the end, the Steelheads got what they needed, eventually, in Watson, Rippon, and Carter, so it’s hard to complain from their end. Losing Day was tough but it all worked out.
3. Trade With Niagara IceDogs for Graham Knott
Shortly after the Day trade, Rychel was at it again. On Nov. 11, 2016, he went to the IceDogs for some help in what became a monster deal. Here’s how that one played out.
To Spitfires:
- Forward Graham Knott
- Rights to forward Trent Frederic
- IceDogs’ seventh-round pick in 2017
To IceDogs:
- Kingston Frontenacs’ third-round pick in 2017
- Spitfires’ sixth-round pick in 2017
- Spitfires’ fourth-round pick in 2018
- Colts’ third-round pick in 2019
- Oshawa Generals’ second-round pick in 2021
- Spitfires’ third-round pick in 2021 (conditional)
- Spitfires’ third-round pick in 2022 (conditional)
What the Spitfires Got
As Rychel continued to build his roster, he targeted a power forward and Knott was his guy. The 6-foot-3, 187-pound Etobicoke native wasn’t flashy but had 42 points in 68 games for the IceDogs in 2015-16 and another 17 points in 14 games prior to the trade. A second-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, he wasn’t brought in to lead the charge but to provide significant depth to an already solid lineup. He did just that with 35 points in 45 games followed by four points in four Memorial Cup games.
Rychel also liked acquiring the rights to US-bound players, which is where Frederic comes into the picture. While the 6-foot-3, 210-pound St. Louis native was drafted by the IceDogs in 2014, he went to the US National Team Development Program for two seasons. The Spitfires tried to bring him in but there was no convincing. In 2016, he was drafted by the Boston Bruins, went to the University of Wisconsin for two seasons, and then has been in the pros ever since. It was a shot by Rychel but one that missed pretty well.
Related: Trent Frederic is Boston Bruins’ 7th Player Award Winner
Finally, the seventh-round pick actually turned out pretty well for the Spitfires, in a roundabout way. They used the pick on forward Jordan Frasca, but he didn’t pan out like they anticipated. Instead, he was traded to the Frontenacs for a sixth-round pick in 2022. That pick was then traded to the London Knights in January 2022 for under-utilized goaltender Mathias Onuska, who became a significant part of the Spitfires’ run to the 2022 OHL Championship. It’s proof that even the most random picks can make a difference, if not directly.
What the IceDogs Got
The IceDogs came away with a nice haul of picks but did they turn out? The Frontenacs’ third-round pick in 2017 became forward Ian Martin, who had eight points in 44 games with the club. The Spitfires’ sixth-round pick in 2017 became forward Ryan Campbell, while the Spitfires’ fourth-round pick in 2018 became forward Jonah DeSimone, who played in 112 games for them. The Colts’ third-round pick in 2019 became defenceman Landon Cato, who was with the club for four seasons and captained them in 2022-23. However, he and goaltender Joshua Rosenzweig were thrown out of the league on May 4, 2023, for violating league conduct policies. Finally, the Generals’ second-round pick in 2021 went back to the Generals in January 2019 in a trade for forward Jack Studnicka.
What about the conditional picks? While the conditions were not released, it looks like the Spitfires kept both of them. The third-round pick in 2021 became part of Rychel’s move to get forward (and future captain) Will Cuylle while new Spitfires’ GM Bill Bowler (as of July 2019) used the third in 2022 to draft forward A.J. Spellacy.
2. Trade With Sudbury Wolves Involving Patrick Sanvido
While Rychel made a lot of moves during the Memorial Cup season, his trade with the Sudbury Wolves was one of the tougher ones to swallow. He shipped out a popular fan favourite and captain because of league rules. Here’s how it broke down.
To Wolves:
- Defenceman Patrick Sanvido
To Spitfires:
- Wolves’ 14th-round pick in 2017
- Wolves’ sixth-round pick in 2018
What the Wolves Got
Drafted in the second round in 2012, the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Sanvido came advertised as a physical, stay-at-home defenceman who could lead on and off the ice. It worked out pretty perfectly. While he wasn’t known for his offence, with just five goals and 36 points in 250 games with the club, he was the leader they needed. He captained the club from 2014 until the trade and gave the Wolves important leadership on their back end.
Why did the Spitfires trade him? The OHL allows all teams to dress three overage (20-year-old) players per game. While some teams carry four until the Jan. 10 trade deadline, it’s tough to make one a healthy scratch. The club already had Addison and forward Cristiano DiGiacinto, along with defenceman Jalen Chatfield, as their overagers, leaving Sanvido as the odd man out. It wasn’t an easy decision but it had to be done.
What the Spitfires Got
Unfortunately, the Spitfires’ picks didn’t pan out nearly as well as others have. The 14th-round pick became forward Braeden Agresti who played 2017-18 with the York Simcoe Express U18 AAA but has since retired. The sixth-round pick was traded to the Hamilton Bulldogs for forward Luke Kutkevicius who had 38 points in 70 games from 2017-19. He was released by the team in January 2019.
1. Trade With Hamilton Bulldogs for Adam Laishram
After all of the bigger moves, Rychel slid into the deadline with a pair of seemingly smaller moves, including bringing in a veteran from the Bulldogs. While this one seemed small, though, it became a big deal in seasons to follow.
To Spitfires:
- Forward Adam Laishram
- Spitfires’ second-round pick in 2017
- Bulldogs’ eighth-round pick in 2017
To Bulldogs:
- IceDogs’ second-round pick in 2017
- Frontenacs’ fourth-round pick in 2017
- Spitfires’ second-round pick in 2026 (conditional)
What the Spitfires Got
The Spitfires and the league were still feeling the effects of the club bringing in Bracco the day before this one went down. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Laishram brought some speed and depth to the lineup, though wasn’t expected to be a big factor on the scoresheet. He wound up with 11 points in 30 games, with a single assist in four Memorial Cup games. He became the depth speedster they needed. There was a chance he could return for an overage season in 2017-18 but, instead, he went to St. Francis Xavier University from 2017-21 before going to play hockey in Britain. This season, he played for the Romford Raiders (northeast of London) of the National Ice Hockey League in England.
The second-round pick was traded to the Sarnia Sting for the Erie Otters’ second-rounder in 2017 and the Sting’s eighth-rounder in 2018. The Otters’ pick was given back to the league as part of the Spitfires’ punishment for 2012 recruiting sanctions. The eighth-round pick turned into defenceman Owen Shier, who didn’t make the club. That eighth-round Bulldogs’ pick was used on forward Michael Andrews who also couldn’t earn a spot.
What the Bulldogs Got
Along with the conditional pick, the Bulldogs got two regular picks that became a significant part of their club’s future. The IceDogs’ second-round pick was used on forward Arthur Kaliyev. He was a force with the club from 2017-20, scoring 126 goals and 248 points in 192 games. That included a 50-goal campaign in 2018-19. The Los Angeles Kings drafted him in 2019 and he’s been with them since 2020-21.
The Frontenacs’ fourth-rounder became goaltender Zachary Roy, who became a staple in goal with 77 games played from 2018 through the COVID-19 stoppage in 2020. He moved on to Nipissing University and has been there since 2022.
Finally, the Spitfires’ second-round pick was conditional but it doesn’t appear the conditions were met. That pick remains with Bowler and the Spitfires.
Moves Made, Memorial Cup Earned
Rychel was never one to shy away from making the big trade, whether that meant a rebuild or going for it all. He set the tone in 2009 when the club went for its first Memorial Cup (and won), continued that in 2010 (another win), and then a third time in 2011 (lost in the Western Conference Final). In 2017, he was at it again and his actions were ones that Spitfires fans will never forget. They resulted in the Memorial Cup being hoisted high above Ouellette Ave and the Riverfront Festival Plaza in downtown Windsor.
While some of the moves were major and made headlines around the league, others took time to get noticed. However, they all had an impact, whether it was on the Spitfires or the other club at some point. One thing is for sure, though – when he needed to get something done, Rychel never held back. He will always be respected for that.
