Spits appoint new leaders

By Kenton Wolfe

It seemed all too fitting when Saverio Posa, then-alternate captain of the Windsor Spitfires, took a seat in front of the “Wall of Captains” at the WFCU Centre following a 4-3 shootout loss to the Niagara IceDogs on Friday, September 15.

Though it was yet to be official, it was all but said Posa, 20, would be the newest leader of the Spitfires. The only thing left to speculation was when the official announcement would come, which is why it came as no surprise when Posa was officially named the 48^th captain in team history on Monday, Sept. 17.

“Whether I have a ‘C’ on my jersey or not, I’m going to try and be a leader on this club,” said Posa Friday evening. “Seeing the great captains who have come through this organization, it would be such a blessing to be named.”

Windsor’s long line of captains includes several notable names, including both former and current-NHL hockey players, such as Cory Stillman, Tim Gleason, Adam Graves, Joel Quenneville, Paul Maurice and Posa’s former teammate, Ryan Ellis.

“My first year here, when I was just watching a lot of the games, I learned so much from (Ellis),” said Posa. “How he led the team was something I just tried to bring to my own game.”

The Spitfires’ new leadership group  includes three alternate captains: Brady Vail, Kerby Rychel and newcomer Patrick Sieloff, the later of which said he appreciates the way Posa leads.

“Posa is such a great guy who I’m going to look up to,” said Sieloff, 18. “He’s a guy who has been in the league for a while now and knows what to do. The same with Kerby (Rychel) and Brady (Vail) too, it just means we all have to work harder too.”

The added pressures of being a part of the leadership group were something that Sieloff was not only prepared for, but looking forward to, by leading the way he knows how.

“I lead with my game on the ice,” Sieloff said. “I’m not the kind of guy to be screaming off the ice, but rather let my play on the ice take over. I consider myself a hardworking guy and I don’t take shifts off, and I like to have my character show through.”

Spitfires coach Bob Boughner, who ultimately made the call on who would don the letters for Windsor for the upcoming season, made the decision knowing that the team would be led by a committee, not an individual.

“I think our team is based around a ‘94 birthday group,” said Boughner, whose choice of Vail, Rychel and Sieloff all came from the 1994 birth year. “Bringing in a guy like (Sieloff) who has great leadership qualities… Posa has been here for five years, I think it’s going to be by committee for sure, there won’t be one guy who runs our room, it has to be a group.”

Serving as an alternate for a year already, Posa knew receiving the ‘C’ was a big honour for a team with a rich history.

“It adds a lot of weight to the jersey, that’s for sure.”