The six-foot-forward recorded 32 goals and 22 assists during the 2025-26 season and was a key contributor for his team throughout league play and tournament competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m extremely excited and honoured to be selected by the Windsor Spitfires,\u201d said Whelan. \u201cWindsor has a tremendous reputation in the OHL, and I can\u2019t wait to meet my teammates. It was a great night to be able to meet the coaches, and the staff. It\u2019s a special day for me and my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Windsor Spitfires would like to congratulate Lauchlan and his family on being selected by the organization and welcome them to the Spitfires family.<\/p>\n
For continued coverage of the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, visit the Spitfires\u2019 official channels throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n
-30-<\/p>\n
For media inquiries and interviews, please contact:<\/p>\n
Nick Welsh<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WINDSOR, ON \u2013 The Windsor Spitfires are proud to announce the selection of forward Lauchlan Whelan with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. Whelan, a highly-skilled and intelligent two-way centre, is regarded as one of the most complete forwards in the 2026…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":67565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-67564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/13124212\/Whelan.jpg",1080,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":67562,"date":"2026-06-11T22:23:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T22:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/?p=67562"},"modified":"2026-06-11T22:23:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T22:23:30","slug":"stm-open-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/seasontickets\/","title":{"rendered":"STM OPEN HOUSE!"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":67563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-67562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-link","category-118","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/11222247\/Open-House-scaled.png",2048,2560,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":67560,"date":"2026-06-11T16:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/?p=67560"},"modified":"2026-06-11T16:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:00:18","slug":"svrceksigned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/article\/svrceksigned","title":{"rendered":"Spitfires Sign 2025 1st Round Import Pick Michal Svrcek to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":" Spitfires Sign 2025 1st<\/sup> Round Import Pick Michal Svrcek to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement<\/p>\n WINDSOR, ON.<\/p>\n The Windsor Spitfires are proud to announce the signing of forward Michal Svrcek to the Red, White, and Navy for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n Svrcek, selected 53rd overall by the Spitfires in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, hails from \u017dilina, Slovakia. He stands 6\u20190\u201d and weighs 191 lbs.<\/p>\n Svrcek developed his game with Bryn\u00e4s IF in Sweden, splitting time between the J20 and SHL teams. In the J20 league, he recorded 30 points in 30 games (14 goals, 16 assists) and appeared in 17 SHL games, tallying 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists). He was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round, 119th overall, in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.<\/p>\n Following his CHL selection, Svrcek continued with Bryn\u00e4s IF, posting 18 points (6 goals, 12 assists) in 11 J20 games. In the SHL, he appeared in 12 games before being loaned to V\u00e4steras IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, where he played 10 games.<\/p>\n Internationally, Svrcek has represented Slovakia at the U18 World Championships, recording 2 goals and 2 assists in 7 games. This past season, he represented Team Slovakia at the World Junior Championships, contributing 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) in 5 games.<\/p>\n The Slovakia native is excited to be joining the club.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is super exciting, I am super happy and looking forward to it.\u201d Svrcek said.<\/p>\n Bill Bowler spoke on Svrcek putting pen to paper.<\/p>\n \u201cSvrcek is a world junior talent and will make an immediate impact with our club\u201d GM Bill Bowler said. \u201cWe are excited to bring Michal to Windsor.\u201d<\/p>\n Welcome to the Spitfires, Michal!<\/p>\n -30-<\/p>\n For media inquiries, please contact:<\/p>\n Nick Welsh<\/strong> Spitfires Sign 2025 1st Round Import Pick Michal Svrcek to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement WINDSOR, ON. The Windsor Spitfires are proud to announce the signing of forward Michal Svrcek to the Red, White, and Navy for the 2026-27 season. Svrcek, selected 53rd overall by the Spitfires in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, hails…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":67561,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-67560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/11155728\/26-27-PlayerSigned-16x9-Svrcek.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":67557,"date":"2026-06-09T19:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T19:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/?p=67557"},"modified":"2026-06-09T19:04:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T19:04:01","slug":"spitfires-sign-2024-8th-round-pick-drake-gram-to-an-ohl-scholarship-and-development-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/article\/spitfires-sign-2024-8th-round-pick-drake-gram-to-an-ohl-scholarship-and-development-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Spitfires Sign 2024 8th Round Pick Drake Gram to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":" WINDSOR, ON.<\/p>\n The Windsor Spitfires are proud to announce the signing of defenceman Drake Gram to the Red, White and Navy!<\/p>\n The Spitfires selected Gram with the 144th<\/sup> overall pick in the eighth round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection. A native of Gross Point Park, Michigan, Gram stands 6\u20190\u201d and weighs 170 pounds.<\/p>\n Gram played his minor hockey with the Detroit Little Ceasars organization. During his 2023\u201324 draft season, he recorded 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 57 games.<\/p>\n Following his selection by Windsor, Gram returned to the Detroit Little Ceasars program for his U16 season. He played in 45 games and had 8 goals and 22 assists for 30 points.<\/p>\n In 2025-26, Gram split time between the NAHL\u2019s Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks and USHL\u2019s Omaha Lancers. Drake played 15 games in the NAHL before moving to the USHL. In 35 games with the Lancers, Gram had 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points.<\/p>\n The Gross Point Park, MI native is excited to be joining the club.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is an incredible feeling to sign with the Windsor Spitfires,\u201d Gram said. \u201cI could not be more grateful for the opportunity to play for the best coaches and management in the OHL. The Spitfires fans create an electric environment and being so close to home gives me the opportunity to play in front of my friends and family.\u201d<\/p>\n Gram said the Spitfires have an outstanding history.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Spitfire shave a great history developing players and winning championships,\u201d Drake said. \u201cI am excited to be a part of such a well-respected organization.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill Bowler spoke on Gram putting pen to paper.<\/p>\n \u201cDrake is a steady defender that we have been monitoring since we drafted him\u201d GM Bill Bowler said. \u201cWe like how he has continued to grow and he can play any style of game.\u201d<\/p>\n Welcome to the Spitfires, Drake!<\/p>\n -30-<\/p>\n For media inquiries, please contact:<\/p>\n Nick Welsh WINDSOR, ON. The Windsor Spitfires are proud to announce the signing of defenceman Drake Gram to the Red, White and Navy! The Spitfires selected Gram with the 144th overall pick in the eighth round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection. A native of Gross Point Park, Michigan, Gram stands 6\u20190\u201d and weighs 170 pounds. Gram…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":67558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-67557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/09190229\/26-27-PlayerSigned-16x9-Gram.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67557\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":67555,"date":"2026-06-09T17:01:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/?p=67555"},"modified":"2026-06-09T17:01:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:01:59","slug":"windsor-spitfires-set-to-face-london-knights-in-2026-27-season-home-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/article\/windsor-spitfires-set-to-face-london-knights-in-2026-27-season-home-opener","title":{"rendered":"Windsor Spitfires Set to Face London Knights in 2026-27 Season Home Opener"},"content":{"rendered":" The Windsor Spitfires are thrilled to announce that the 2026-27 Ontario Hockey League season will officially kick off against longtime rivals, the London Knights. Fans can mark their calendars for Saturday, September 19th, 2026<\/strong>, when the Spitfires take to the ice at the WFCU Centre for an electrifying home opener.<\/p>\n Last season, the Spitfires posted a 4-0-1-1 record<\/strong> against the Knights.<\/p>\n This is the game every Spitfires fan looks forward to. The rivalry with London always brings out the best in our players, and starting the season with them at home makes it even more special. We\u2019re ready to give our fans an unforgettable opening night.<\/p>\n Tickets for the home opener are expected to sell quickly, so fans are encouraged to secure their seats early. More information on tickets will be announced in the coming weeks. The night should have high-energy hockey, awesome fan experiences, and excitement as Windsor sets the tone for what promises to be another memorable season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Windsor Spitfires are thrilled to announce that the 2026-27 Ontario Hockey League season will officially kick off against longtime rivals, the London Knights. Fans can mark their calendars for Saturday, September 19th, 2026, when the Spitfires take to the ice at the WFCU Centre for an electrifying home opener. Last season, the Spitfires posted…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":67556,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-67555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/09170137\/VS-16x9-1.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":67549,"date":"2026-06-09T01:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T01:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/?p=67549"},"modified":"2026-06-09T01:32:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T01:32:58","slug":"windsor-spitfires-complete-u18-priority-selection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/ohl-spitfires\/article\/windsor-spitfires-complete-u18-priority-selection","title":{"rendered":"Windsor Spitfires Complete U18 Priority Selection"},"content":{"rendered":" WINDSOR, ON.<\/p>\n The Windsor Spitfires completed the 2026 U-18 Priority Selection with 3 picks on Monday evening.<\/p>\n Here are the selections:<\/p>\n
\n| Manager of Communications, Media and Community Relations & Video Coach |
\nWindsor Spitfires Hockey Club
\nWFCU Centre
\n8787 McHugh Street | Windsor, Ontario | N8S 0A1
\nW. 519-254-5000 ext 221
\nC. 289-233-1774
\nEmail: Social@windsorspitfires.com<\/p>\n
\n| Manager of Communications, Media and Community Relations\u00a0<\/em>|
\nWindsor Spitfires Hockey Club
\nWFCU Centre
\n8787 McHugh Street | Windsor, Ontario |\u00a0N8S 0A1
\nW.\u00a0519-254-5000 ext 221
\nEmail: Social@windsorspitfires.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\n| Manager of Communications, Media and Community Relations\u00a0<\/em>|
\nWindsor Spitfires Hockey Club<\/strong>
\nWFCU Centre
\n8787 McHugh Street | Windsor, Ontario |\u00a0N8S 0A1
\nW.\u00a0519-254-5000 ext 221
\nEmail: Social@windsorspitfires.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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