Warren Rychel Vice President & General Manager Warren Rychel is entering is his fifth season as Vice-President and General Manager with the Windsor Spitfires. The architect of Windsor's two consecutive MasterCard Memorial Cup and Rogers OHL Championship performances, Rychel's hockey acumen and ability to acquire talented players helped lead the Spitfires to one of the greatest two year runs in CHL history.
His hockey expertise was in full display again last season as he acquired key players
by way of trades such as Zack Kassian, Philipp Grubauer, Marc Cantin and Stephen Johnston, players which were all major contributors to the Spitfires' championship performances.
Last season, Rychel was honoured by the Ontario Hockey League for his outstanding work as he was named the 2008-2009 OHL Executive of the Year. Before achieving all of his success, he was part of the ownership group which purchased the team in February of 2006 and brings a wealth of experience to this position. Rychel worked as a Professional and Amateur Scout with the Phoenix Coyotes for five years and demonstrated an ability to identify talented players during his tenure. He also played thirteen years professionally including nine years in the NHL, scoring 77 points to go along with 1422 Penalty Minutes. He also won a Turner Cup Championship with the Indianapolis Ice of the IHL in the 1990 season and was also a member of the Colorado Avalanche team, which won the Stanley Cup in 1996.
In his fourth year as General Manager, Rychel's hard work and dedication were again highlighted, as Spitfires Taylor Hall (EDM), Cam Fowler (ANA), Philipp Grubauer (WSH) and Justin Shugg (CAR) were all selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft along with Jack Campbell (DAL), and Tom Kuhenhackl (PIT) who will join the Spitfires in the upcoming season. Under Rychel's direction, the Windsor Spitfires will have the opportunity to become the first team in CHL history to win three consecutive MasterCard Memorial Cup Championships. Rychel currently lives in Tecumseh, Ontario with his wife Denise and children Kerby, Maddux and Kendall.
| Bob Jones Head Coach Bob Jones is entering his fourth season with the Spitfires and his first as the team's Head Coach
after being promoted to this position following Bob Boughner's move to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jones served as an Associate Coach for the previous three seasons and his knowledge as well as his expertise in the junior hockey ranks were instrumental in helping lead the team to its championship performances in the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 campaigns. The Windsor Spitfires will follow Jones' lead behind the bench for the 2010-2011 campaign, with the hopes of becoming the first team in CHL history to win three consecutive MasterCard Memorial Cup Championships
Prior to joining the Spitfires, Jones served as an Assistant Coach with the Sudbury Wolves (2004 - 2007) and helped guide the team to the OHL Eastern Conference and the OHL Championship Final three seasons ago. Jones also served as an Associate Coach and Assistant Director of Hockey Operations with the Toronto St. Michael's Majors (2000-2004), Head Coach of the Gold Medalist Team Ontario Under-17 World Junior Hockey Championships (2004), Assistant Coach with the Brampton Battalion (1999-2000) and started his coaching career as an Assistant Coach with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (1995-1998).
He was also drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 9th Round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft before playing five seasons of professional hockey in the IHL and CoHL. Jones played his junior hockey with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL for five seasons, including two seasons with Bob Boughner from 1988-1990 and one season with David Matsos in 1989-1990. Jones currently resides in Windsor, Ontario with his wife Paige and children Blake and Brianna.
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D.J Smith Associate Coach D.J Smith is entering his seventh season with the Spitfires and his first as the team's Associate Coach. In his previous six seasons, Smith worked as the Assistant Coach with the Spitfires and helped lead the team to its championship run last season. D.J is best known in Windsor for his remarkable career as a defenceman with the Spitfires, where he served as the team's captain from 1996-97 and amassed an impressive 142 points from 1994-97.
He also played seven years of professional hockey from 1997-2004, in both the AHL and NHL (Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche). This season, D.J will look to help again lead the team to the pinnacle of hockey success. D.J currently lives in Tecumseh, Ontario with his son Coulton.
| David Matsos Assistant Coach David Matsos is entering his first season with the Spitfires as the team's Assistant Coach and previously worked as Head Coach of the Sheffield Steelers Hockey Club in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) for four seasons from 2006-2010, leading them to back to back league playoff championships in the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons as well as the EIHL's regular season title in 2008-2009. He earned the EIHL's Coach of the Year award in the 2008-2009 season. Additionally, Matsos served as the Senior Assistant Coach of Great Britain's National Team from 2008-2010 and was part of the team's bronze medal performance in Pool B of the 2009 World Hockey Championships.
Prior to his coaching career, Matsos played left-wing as a member of the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 1990-1993 and played alongside Spitfires President Bob Boughner from 1989-1991 and also with Spitfires Head Coach Bob Jones in the 1989-1990 season. In the 1990-1991 campaign, Matsos and Boughner won an OHL Championship with the Greyhounds, the first of three consecutive OHL titles that Matsos earned while in Sault Ste. Marie. He was also part of the Greyhounds 1991-1992 and 1992-1993 OHL championship squads and participated in the Memorial Cup tournament with Sault Ste. Marie in 1991 and 1992 before achieving the pinnacle of Canadian junior hockey success as a member of Greyhound's 1993 Memorial Cup championship team.
Following his junior hockey days, Matsos played one season with the University of Western Ontario and won a Queen's Cup championship in the 1994-1995 season as well as one full season in 1995-1996 with the Canadian National Team. He won a silver medal as part of Team Canada at the 1996 World Hockey Championships and played three seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL), two with the Adirondack Red Wings from 1996-1998 and his final AHL campaign with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 1999.
Matsos moved on to play two seasons (1999-2001) with Bad Nauheim EC of the German Premier League before joining the Belfast Giants of the British Ice Hockey Superleague (BISL) for two seasons (2001-2003)and was a member of the Giants BISL regular season championship team in 2001-2002 and the team's playoff championship squad in 2002-2003. He concluded his playing career, as he joined the Bracknell Bees of the British National League (BNL) in 2003-2004 before participating in his final two seasons of professional hockey with the Cardiff Devils of the EIHL.
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Paul Billing Goaltending Coach Paul Billing enters his second season with the Spitfires as the Goaltending Coach. His work with Philipp Grubauer and Troy Passingham in the 2009-2010 campaign was pivotal to Windsor's championship performances. After joining Windsor, Grubauer finished the regular season with a 13-1-2 record along with a 2.37 goals against average and won his final 12 playoff starts with the Spitfires', leading the team to their second consecutive MasterCard Memorial Cup and Rogers OHL Championships. Troy Passingham also enjoyed a tremendous season, posting a 35-10-3 record with a 2.78 goals against average. Passingham's 35 wins were good for the second best OHL regular season total posted by a goaltender.
Billing has 15 years of experience as a goaltending instructor, having worked at various goaltending schools in clinics prior to joining the Spitfires. He also played in goal at the Division One level in the U.S for St. Louis University and United States International University. Following his collegiate career, he was invited to attend the New York Rangers Training Camp before playing two seasons (1982-1984) in the International Hockey League with Peoria and Toledo. He also won a Turner Cup with Toledo in 1983 and had the IHL's lowest goals against average with goaltending partner Lorne Molleken during this season. Billing currently lives in Tecumseh, Ontario with his wife Delight and three children Georgia, Camille and Eli.
| Tyson Tatomir Equipment Manager Tyson Tatomir is entering his third season with the Spitfires as the team's Equipment Manager. Prior to joining the Spitfires, Tatomir served as an Assistant Equipment Manager with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes for the three seasons working alongside his father Wally, Head Equipment Manager of the Hurricanes who also worked for the Spitfires as an Equipment Manager for more than twenty seasons. Tatomir graduated from St. Clair College with a diploma from the Woodworking program in 2006 and worked one season with St. Clair College as the hockey team's Equipment Manager. |
Joey Garland Athletic Therapist Joey Garland is entering his sixth season with the Spitfires as an Athletic Therapist. In the summer Joey helps run a dryland conditioning business, preparing younger players for the demands of elite hockey. In 2004, he worked with the Sheridan Bruins as a Therapist and was the Head Athletic Therapist at Olympia Sports Camp during the summer months of 2005 prior to being hired with the Spitfires. Garland graduated with a B.Sc. (Kinesiology) from Dalhousie University in 2002 and also obtained his Sports Injury Management Diploma from Sheridan College in 2005. He currently resides in Windsor, Ontario. | Mark Turner Video Coach Mark Turner is entering his fifth season with the Spitfires as a Video Coach. Prior to joining the Spitfires, Mark played 16 seasons of professional hockey from 1990 - 2006 in the IHL, CoHL and ECHL. He also played in the OHL for five seasons with Sudbury, Kingston, Sault Ste. Marie and Windsor from 1985-1989. Turner currently resides in Tecumseh, Ontario with his wife Susie. |
J.R Grant Dressing Room Attendant J. R in his entering his third season with the Spitfires as the team's Assistant Equipment Manager and has worked with the team in various capacities for four seasons. He works alongside Tyson Tatomir and graduated from Holy Names High School in Windsor this year. He aspires to become an Equipment Manager for an OHL hockey club in the years to come. | Matt Tolmie Dressing Room Attendant |
Sam Uprichard Dressing Room Attendant |
| Hockey Operations |
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| Micheal Kokavec European Consultant |
Dennis Gignac Academic Advisor | John Laporte Academic Advisor |
Dr. Roy Diklich Team Physician | Dr. Neil MacKenzie Nutrionist |
Dr. Anthony Lemmo Team Chiropractor | Dr. Richard Stapleford Oral Surgeon |
Dr. Roger Shaban Team Dentist
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