The red-hot Windsor Spitfires (35-12-4) will host the Flint Firebirds (24-25-4) in an OHL West Division tilt tonight.
The Spits have won seven straight and are one of just three OHL clubs that have at least 35 wins this season.
Flint sits sixth in the OHL’s Western Conference as they look to secure a playoff berth for the third time in franchise history.
Expect a high-scoring affair tonight; the Spits’ 250 goals are the most most in the CHL as they average 4.9 goals per game while Flint’s 219 goals are tied for the second most in the OHL.
Tonight’s contest is also a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Final that the Spits won 4-0 in Game 7. Windsor is 2-1-1 against the Firebirds this season.
Alex Christopoulos – Windsor
It’s been a breakout campaign for the Richmond Hill native as he is tied third in goals this season with 35.
Entering this season, Christopoulos had 40 career goals in 125 games but has nearly equalled that in just 51 outings in 2022-23.
He owns a staggering 21.3 per cent shooting percentage which ranks him third among players in the OHL who have scored at least 30 goals. In addition to his 35 goals, of which only seven have come on the power play, he’s also added 20 assists this year.
It’s a hat trick for Alex Christopoulos! 🧢🧢🧢
The first hat trick of his #OHL career for the @SpitsHockey forward in a big Spitfires road win in Michigan 🎥 pic.twitter.com/4tLLqZOuZK
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) February 9, 2023
Amadeus Lombardi – Flint
After an impressive rookie campaign a year ago, Lombardi (DET) has taken his game to the next level in 2022-23.
He has 34 goals in 53 games while he sits fifth in OHL scoring with 73 points.
Since Flint traded captain Brennan Othmann (NYR) to Nov. 12, Lombardi has stepped up with 26 goals and 52 points in only 35 games that is also the fifth most points and third most goals in the league over that timespan. He enters tonight’s tilt on a 10-game point streak where he has recorded nine goals and 20 points.
In the short Firebirds history, Lombardi sits sixth in franchise scoring with 132 points while his 80 assists are fourth most.
#LGRW prospect Amadeus Lombardi nets his first @OHLHockey hat-trick! 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/f1zhhkQunz
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) December 10, 2022
Liam Greentree – Windsor
It’s been a very impressive debut OHL season for Greentree as he sits second in OHL rookie scoring with 40 points.
He leads all first-year players in goals with 24 and has a sensational 25.8 per cent shooting percentage.
Eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, Greentree’s 0.80 point-per-game average is third best among OHL rooks.
Liam Greentree recently joined Will Cuylle as just the second @SpitsHockey 16-year-old rookie in the past 10 years to hit the 20-goal mark. He’s the first Spitfires player to earn #OHL Rookie of the Month honours since Logan Brown in February 2015 🎥 pic.twitter.com/PGi6jL7559
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) February 1, 2023
Braeden Kressler – Flint
Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021, Kressler has enjoyed a career year with Flint this season.
He has already established career highs in goals (25), assists (23) and points (48) with 15 games left to play in the regular season.
Kressler sits fourth in team scoring while his six power play goals are tied for the second most. Of players to have taken more than 500 faceoffs, the Kitchener native’s 57.7 percent success rate is the fifth best in the OHL.
#LeafsForever prospect Braeden Kressler was lying down on the job Wednesday night 😜 😲 pic.twitter.com/qPVKJMFHmT
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) February 2, 2023
Matthew Maggio – Windsor
There won’t be too many people who would disagree with the opinion that Matthew Maggio (NYI) is the best player in the OHL right now.
The 20-year-old leads the league in goals (41) and points (84) and is a point shy of his previous career best of 85.
Astonishingly, he has just three power play goals this year and had a 14-game point streak, where he tallied 33 points, snapped Feb. 9. Since Jan. 1, Maggio has averaged 2.00 points per game in 18 contests.
Not one, not two, not three, not four … but 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 goals tonight for #Isles prospect and @SpitsHockey star Matthew Maggio! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/KfVObvVtV8
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) December 16, 2022
Where to watch
Thursday’s contest can be seen live for free on CHL TV at 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT.
Available to fans from coast to coast, CHL TV is accessible on the CHL mobile app, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire, and online at watch.chl.ca. Each year, CHL TV offers access to more than 2,000 regular-season games covering the CHL’s three Member Leagues and 60 markets across Canada and the United States. Fans can download the free CHL app via the App Store and Google Play.
