Windsor's netminders have looked terrific, but is it the defense shutting down opponents, or a tandem carrying the load? Unpacking the Spitfires' early-season dominance.
As we reach the one-month mark of the 2025-26 OHL season, two organizations have identified themselves as two teams who look destined to compete for an OHL championship this year. Those two teams are the Brantford Bulldogs and the Windsor Spitfires.
Windsor currently sits on top of the league overall standings with an 11-2-1 record and 23 points. They do have the benefit of playing four more games than the Bulldogs at the time of writing this. But despite that, they have allowed two fewer goals (27).
It was a sensational defensive start to the season for the Spitfires. In their opening six games, they allowed only five goals against. It wasn't until game seven of the season, ironically against Brantford, where they allowed their opponents to two or more goals.
So, that begs the question: do the Windsor Spitfires have the best goaltending tandem in the league? Or has it been lockdown defense from the squad in front of them?
Their blue paint is led by fifth-year veteran Joey Costanzo. There isn’t a goaltender better in the OHL than the Toronto, Ontario, native at the moment. He leads the league in wins with an 8-1 record; his 1.53 goals-against-average and .926 save percentage are tops amongst all qualified goaltenders, and he is tied with Mason Vaccari for the league lead in shutouts with two.
To put it bluntly: his opponents are having a tough time getting the puck behind him.
However, Costanzo is not alone. Although he has carried the brunt of starts for his team, 2007-born Michael Newlove has made five starts and has been equally as sharp.
Newlove was selected first overall by the team in the 2024 U18 OHL Draft. Windsor let him develop in the OJHL last year, splitting time with the Georgetown Raiders and Burlington Cougars. Now, the 6-foot-2 netminder is taking advantage of his opportunity in the OHL.
That .926 save percentage, which leads the OHL by Costanzo, is shared with his crease patrolling partner. Newlove has stopped 126 shots of the 136 he has faced, and earned his first career shutout the other night with an 18-save performance against the Ottawa 67’s. Additionally, Newlove’s 1.99 goals-against-average is second-best in the league, trailing only Costanzo.
With both goaltenders sitting at the top of the league in the two most important statistical categories for their position, the organization must be ecstatic from what they have seen thus far.
But should the goaltenders be getting all the love?
In 10 games played for Costanzo, he has averaged a lowly 18.9 shots against per game. Newlove on the other hand jumps up to 27.2, but the Spitfires’ defense has a major part in the performances of their netminders.
Costanzo has faced 20 or fewer shots in six of his nine starts. One of his two shutouts was a nine-save performance against the Niagara IceDogs earlier this month, who don’t necessarily have a below-average offensive lineup.
Out of the Spitfires' 14 games this season, they have only allowed their netminders to be peppered for 30 or more shots four times. That's a display of incredible shot supression defense.
Windsor’s defense has a strong mix of puck-moving, offensive defensemen — Carson Woodall and Anthony Cristoforo — and big stay-at-home defensemen — Wyatt Kennedy and Conor Walton. The team has over 700 regular season games of experience between those four defensemen, and their expertise and leadership have been evident in the team’s overall defensive prowess.
Alas, the team defense absolutely has played a big part in the success of Costanzo and Newlove, and there is a strong argument that they are the reason for the team's defensive success, but the netminders are the final line of defense, and they have held up their end of the bargain thus far this season.
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