Motivation inspires Spitfires' Greentree and Spellacy to reach dream of being an NHL Draft pick

Author of the article:

Jim Parker • Windsor Star

Published Jun 29, 2024 • Last updated 8 hours ago • 3 minute read

Windsor Spitfires’ captain Liam Greentree is selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the 26th overall pick during the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty Images

Every player finds motivation in a different way.

Windsor Spitfires’ captain Liam Greentree and alternate captain A.J. Spellacy turned motivation into a spot on stage after being selected at the NHL Draft in Las Vegas.

The 18-year-old Greentree went to the Los Angeles Kings with the 26th pick overall in the first round while Spellacy went to the Chicago Blackhawks with the seventh pick of the third round.

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“I still don’t think it’s set in yet, to be honest,” the six-foot-three, 215-pound Greentree said. “It was such an amazing moment for me and especially for my family. So, when I got to celebrate with them, it kind of hit me for sure.”

The Spitfires got a break in the 2022 OHL Draft when Greentree slid to the club with the 11th pick of the second round, which was 34th overall selection.

Greentree wasn’t disappointed in going to Windsor, but admitted at the time he thought he was a first-round prospect and that served as motivation.

Windsor Spitfires’ captain Liam Greentree reacts after being selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the 26th overall pick during the first round of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty Images

“For sure, one of my goals I had set for myself coming into the OHL was to get drafted higher in the NHL,” Greentree said. “So, it was a huge moment for me.”

He led all OHL rookies with 25 goals in 2022-23 and finished fourth in scoring. On a team that struggled through a youth movement in 2023-24, Greentree finished tied for 11th in league scoring with a team-leading 36 goals and 90 points and helped Canada to a gold medal at the World Under-18 Hockey Championship.

The effort paid off as he became the first Spitfire since Wyatt Johnston in 2021 to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft.

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“I had talked to (the Kings) before the (NHL) Combine and they seamed to like me,” Greentree said. “So, I had a feeling that they were going to take me at 26.”

A talented football safety, Spellacy was only in Grade 10 and already received five NCAA scholarship offers when he changed course and joined the Spitfires after being a third-round selection in the 2022 OHL Draft.

“A lot of people on my football team were very surprised and not expecting it,” the 18-year-old Spellacy said. “Same as the coaches for football, but it became my dream to play in the NHL.”

It was not a snap decision, but once he made his mind up, he was all-in with the Spitfires.

Windsor Spitfires’ alternate captain A.J. Spellacy is selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the third round, with the 72nd overall pick, during the 2024 NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty Images

“So, I weighed my decisions and thought it through for a little while,” Spellacy said. “Windsor chose me without me committing to playing hockey at all and, after that, I went to see Windsor and fell in love with it.

“So, that’s why I chose that route and hockey. My family supported me through every decision.”

At six-foot-three and 200 pounds, Spellacy has the frame to still hit like a safety on the ice, but he’s also a gifted skater and that speed showed as finished tied for third in the OHL with five short-handed goals in 2023-24.

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He was a standout at the NHL Combine with a top finish in the anaerobic (peak), placing second in the horizontal jump and boasting a top 10 finish in six other events. For many, Spellacy is only beginning to show his hockey potential.

“I feel like I have some raw ability because it’s only my first full year playing hockey,” Spellacy said. “So, I think I’m only touching the surface. I think a lot of people will be surprised next year.”

The selection of Greentree and Spellacy marked the third time in the last five years that Windsor has produced a pair of NHL Draft picks and the ninth year in a row the club has had at least one selection.

While he was not selected on Saturday, Spitfires’ forward Cole Davis, who was sixth in rookie scoring in the OHL last season, was given an invite to attend the Kings’ prospects camp.

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