The Windsor Spitfires are ready to face the tough questions from their fans.
The OHL club will hold its annual spring mini-camp Saturday at the WFCU Centre. This year's edition is expanded to include a series of activities designed to inform and entertain fans.
A highlight of the day is the State of the Spitfires event, which will feature a question-and-answer segment between fans, coaches and team management.
General manger and part-owner Warren Rychel says they'll be ready to tackle any topic, ranging from off-season moves, to the team's direction for next season, to the game-day experience.
"(There are) some things in the realm of the Spitfires that we don't control. Parking, concessions, we'll get to all that, whatever that want to ask," says Rychel. "Sometimes it's hard for us as owners and hockey people to understand why certain things happen with the fans and they wonder why certain things happen with the hockey team."
The camp day will also be a chance for all of the team's recent OHL Priority Selection and U-18 draft picks to meet, get to know each other and meet with the coaches and support staff. A total of 32 current players and draft picks are expected to participate.
Head coach Trevor Letowski, who is overseeing his first mini-camp, says it'll be an easy, low-pressure orientation for the draft picks.
"I'm just excited to introduce myself and our staff to the players, and just show them what our organization is all about and introduce them to our team identity and what's expected of them as a Windsor Spitfire," says Letowski.
Letowski says the players will do a light workout and scrimmage so team staff can see what each player is bringing to the ice. This will also prepare the team for the tougher roster decisions to come once training camp begins in September.
Events will run from noon to 6pm Saturday at the WFCU Centre with an equipment sale taking place for the duration. The State of the Spitfires event will run from 2 to 3:30pm. Fans are asked to gather at 1:30 and the event will be broadcast live on local cable television.
Several players will be available for autographs from 3:30pm to 4pm and the on-ice sessions begin at 4:30pm.
Details on the mini-camp are available on the Spitfires' official website.