AHL Graduates Making A Difference In The NHL

Windsor Spitfires forwards Liam Greentree, AJ Spellacy, and Ilya Protas are headed to the AHL after the Spitfires were eliminated in the second round of the OHL playoffs.

Greentree will join the Ontario Reign, Spellacy the Rockford IceHogs, and Protas the two-time defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears.

Protas was second in OHL scoring and led the Spitfires in goals (50) and points (124) in 61 games this season before adding five goals and 20 assists in 12 playoff games.

A third round selection of the Capitals in 2024, Ilya is the younger brother of Washington forward Alexei Protas.

Spellacy notched 18 goals and 37 points in 62 games this season and three points in five playoff games before suffering an injury.

The 19-year-old was a third round selection of the Blackhawks in 2024.

Greentree recorded 49 goals and 119 points in 64 games this season, finishing third in OHL scoring. He had 14 goals and 24 points in 11 playoff games.

The captain of the Spitfires for the last two seasons, Greentree was selected 26th overall by the Kings in the 2024 draft.

The Reign are down 1-0 and the IceHogs are up 1-0 in their respective best-of-three first round matchups while the Bears have a bye into the Atlantic Division Semifinals.

It remains to be seen how much of an impact each player will have in the Calder Cup playoffs but given their great combination of size and skill it would not be surprising to see Greentree and Protas play meaningful minutes. Spellacy will be an interesting decision given the injury he dealt with throughout the OHL playoffs.

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Windsor Spitfires Forwards Liam Greentree, Ilya Protas, and AJ Spellacy Recalled To AHL