The Windsor Spitfires are a significantly better team after some wheeling and dealing prior to the OHL trade deadline earlier this month.

And what’s more, not only should the Spitfires be a stronger team this season, but the trades have set the club up well for next season and perhaps for even more campaigns after that.

Yes, Windsor didn’t make the splash that some other teams did leading up to the trade deadline (Sarnia, Kingston and Barrie come to mind), but Spits general manager, Warren Rychel, orchestrated two significant trades and a couple of other minor deals that are going to almost ensure that the Spits are going to be a force to be reckoned with for the remainder of the 2015-2016 OHL season. And that ride promises to give the players a good taste of play-off action that they can build upon .

Obtaining abrasive left-winger Brendan Lemieux and picks (3rd in 2017 and 4th in 2020) from the Barrie Colts in exchange for centre Anthony Stefano and picks (3rd in 2019 and 2nd in 2021) and picking up right-winger Connor Chatham and picks (2nd and 4th in 2017) for left-winger Luke Kirwin are acts of larceny on behalf of Spits general manager Warren Rychel. Quite frankly, both Barrie and Flint were shortchanged in these trades.

If Lemieux is not an OHL superstar, he is very close to it. He has already signed an entry level contact with the Winnipeg Jets and it’s very likely that his stay in Windsor will be a short one as he should be with the Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ American Hockey League team next season.

However, Lemieux was brought in to make an immediate impact with the Spitfires (which his 14 goals and 7 assists in 13 games certainly qualifies as) not only for the remainder of the current OHL regular season, but also for the Spits’ play-off run this spring. The post-season experience that the Spitfires will have this spring will only help enrich the players for next season (when 18 players, including both goaltenders, are eligible to return) for when the club looks to be a serious contender for both OHL and Memorial Cup titles.

Stefano, meanwhile, was continuing to underachieve in Windsor after being a mid-season acquisition from the Peterborough Petes last season. Simply put, Stefano was expendable and the fact that he and draft picks brought in Lemieux and draft picks is truly astounding. While Stefano is eligible to return to the Colts for an overage season next year, he wasn’t in the equation to do that with the Spits.

However, Rychel even outdid the Lemieux trade by picking up one of the most sought-after overagers in the league – right winger Connor Chatham for left-winger Luke Kirwan. Chatham is a robust up-and-down the wing player who has a decent scoring touch and the 3rd round pick of the New Jersey Devils will definitely not be back next season. However, not only did the Spitfires receive Chatham in the deal for Kirwan, who had struggled mightily in his season and a half with the Spitfires, but, incredibly enough, they also received the two draft choices.

Rychel didn’t necessarily acquire those selections with the intention of making them down the road, but they are also considerable trade chips that he can use next season, when the club should be an OHL powerhouse.

While Kirwan does have two seasons of OHL eligibility following this season, in all actuality a second round pick,or even just the fourth round pick, alone would have been fair value for him. The native of New York has simply never found his game in the OHL and in fact may never.

The Spits acquisitions of defenceman Ryan Sarria and forward Brett Primeau in exchange for future considerations from the Niagara IceDogs and Kingston Frontenacs, respectively, were solid moves for depth players who provide the team with depth should they run into suspension or injury problems. Both players, who will spend the majority of the rest of the season in LaSalle with the Vipers, are eligible to play for the Spits next season as well.

And, by the way, should the Spitfires make an early exit from the play-offs this spring despite these trades, it’s not the end of the world. The club didn’t get out of the first round of the play-offs in the spring of 2008. All they did for the next two seasons was win back-to-back Memorial Cups.

So buckle up Spits fans, your team is on the runway to great success.

Editor’s Note: In Play! magazine would like to welcome John Humphrey to the team! John has a long standing love for hockey and will be writing on everything hockey from the minors to the pros!