Roeszler Adds Skill To Spitfires

Chatham’s Tyler Roeszler will look to help the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires showcase an develop their skill this Fall, after the 28-year-old was hired as the Spitfires’ new Player Development and Skills Coach last week.

“I’m really excited to join this staff and to work with Trevor and Jerrod,” Roeszler said in a Spitfires news release about working with Windsor head coach Trevor Letowski and assistant coach Jerrod Smith. “Being a local guy, this is a special opportunity.”

A former 15th round pick of the Spitfires in 2004, Roeszler played for the Chatham Maroons, before a successful four year NCAA career with Cornell University, and a season of pro hockey in Sweden.

As a coach, Roeszler has guided the Chatham Maroons, serving as an assistant coach, and the team’s head coach in recent years. More recently, he’s served as an assistant coach for the University of Guelph’s men’s hockey program.

For Roeszler, he is excited about the opportunity to carry out a plan devised by the Spitfires staff, and help the team, which one the 2017 Memorial Cup, find new success this season.

“Together as a coaching staff, we have created a structured plan to develop our players,” said Roeszler. “The plan will have two parts: Individually, each player will have their own development plan based on their position and needs. As a team, we will incorporate high level skating and skill work into our daily practice plan to ensure we are giving our players every opportunity to reach their maximum potential.”

With a roster, potentially featuring ten NHL draft picks, including first round selections Gabriel Vilardi, Logan Brown, Logan Stanley, and Mikhail Sergachev, Roeszler will have plenty of skill to work with.

With these players, Roeszler hopes to help them continue their on ice development to reach their ultimate goal of playing in the NHL.

“Each players goal is to play in the National Hockey League,” explained Roeszler. “Our job as coaches is to give them every tool and opportunity to help them reach that goal.”

The Windsor Spitfires will kick off their 2017-2017 OHL season September 21 at home against the Saginaw Spirit, before travelling up the 401 September 22 to play the London Knights.