The Windsor Spitfires made their big splash leading up to Friday’s trade deadline, trading away eight draft picks and star young forward Jean-Christoph Lemieux for forwards Nathan Villeneuve and Alex Pharand. 

But they need to stay in line due to the Western Conference’s arms race heating up. So, GM Bill Bowler has brought in a veteran piece to help anchor their blueline. 

The Spitfires announced that they have acquired import defenseman Jakub Fibigr from the Brampton Steelheads in exchange for 17-year-old defenseman Carter Hicks and three draft picks. Below are the full trade details. 

Windsor Spitfires Receive:

LHD, Jakub Fibigr (2006) - 27GP, 8G, 16A, 24PTS

Brampton Steelheads Receive:

RHD, Carter Hicks (2008) - 36GP, 3G, 1A, 4PTS
2026 2nd round pick
2029 3rd round pick
2029 6th round pick

Fibigr returns to the OHL with some hardware, winning a silver medal at the World Junior Championship with Czechia, kicking out his new teammate, Liam Greentree, and the Canadians in the semi-finals.   

In the tournament, the attention on the Czech defense mostly centered on Tomas Galvas and Adam Jiricek of the Brantford Bulldogs. Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence GM Alan Millar noted after the tournament that he felt Czechia’s defense was a real difference maker in their semi-final matchup and the tournament. 

However, the chatter about Fibigr’s play was quiet. He also made an impact with one goal, three assists, and he tied Jiricek for the third-highest average time on ice at 23:08 minutes per game. Partnered up with Jiricek all tournament long, he was tasked to shut down the opposing team’s top lines every game, effectively doing so in his stealthy fashion. 

Coming off a heavy-minutes role in Czechia’s silver-medal run at the World Juniors, Fibigr provides the Spitfires with a battle-tested, transitional anchor who can stabilize a top-four unit under extreme pressure, one who will aid Windsor in its venture for redemption after last year’s second-round playoff exit. 

As for Brampton’s side of this deal, we had mentioned that, after the team traded away stars Parker Von Richter and Mason Zebeski, and acquired young defenseman Mason Roy, there is tons of ice time available to seize on the Steelheads’ roster. Brampton has now traded away their four top scorers with Fibigr out the door. 

Carter Hicks was a high draft pick. Windsor selected him 24th overall in the second round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection. He won a silver medal with Team Canada Red at the 2024 U17 World Hockey Challenge and was named to the OHL’s Second All-Rookie Team after recording 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) in 52 games last season. 

The Steelheads continue their radical reconstruction by pairing the newly acquired Mason Roy with Carter Hicks. Brampton has effectively hit the "reset" button on their blueline, betting on elite mobility and high-end draft pedigree to lead their next competitive window. 

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