As Ryan Ellis' OHL career comes to an end, so too does an era for the Windsor Spitfires.
The Windsor Spitfires’ three-year reign had just come to an end Wednesday night.
General manager Warren Rychel felt the sting of the 10-4 loss to Owen Sound just as much as any of his players.
It was a disappointing end to what was in many ways one of the most satisfying of his five seasons since purchasing the team with Bob Boughner and Peter Dobrich.
And so the architect of one of junior hockey’s most dominant teams went in search of the team’s biggest foundation in the bowels of the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound, Ont.
It was there, in the visiting team’s locker room, Rychel found his team’s captain, Ryan Ellis. It would be the last time Ellis would wear the Spitfires’ uniform.
"I gave him a big hug," Rychel said. "First thing he says is, ‘Thanks for keeping me.’ But how couldn’t you keep him, really?"
It seems trivial to think now, in hindsight, that Ellis would be thanking Rychel for keeping him in Windsor. After helping lead the Spitfires to back-to-back MasterCard Memorial Cup championships, Ellis embodied much of what the new ownership group was trying to instill in Windsor.
The diminutive defenceman was nothing more than a second-round draft pick whom many believed would not be able to succeed in junior. Ellis not only overcame the odds to be a successful Ontario Hockey League player, but helped build a winning culture in a city with a troubled history.
Four years after being taken with the 22nd pick in the OHL priority selection, Ellis is being mentioned as the best ever.
His resume is the stuff of legend: two Memorial Cup and league titles, a world junior gold-medal, an under-17 and two under-18 gold medals, two-time recipient of the OHL’s Max Kaminsky Trophy as the Most Outstanding Defenceman and the first defenceman in 17 years to record 100 points in a season.
Moments after clearing out his locker on Thursday, Ellis was remarkably subdued.
This was graduation day for the four-year veteran and even now he still wasn’t willing to look back on all his accomplishments.
"I think that’s something you do at the end of a career," he said. "When everything’s all said and done 20 years from now—or whatever it is—I think that’s when you look back."
It was the type of response reporters are used to getting from Ellis—modest and humble with little sense of self-awareness.
"Elly doesn’t really like talking about a lot of stuff," teammate Kenny Ryan explained. "He’s just one of those guys that’s never satisfied with his accomplishments. He just wants to keep getting better and better and that’s what makes him such a good player."
No matter how you look at it, this was the end of one of the most remarkable playing careers a junior defenceman in any league ever had.
His career stats: 288 career regular season and playoff games, 92 goals and 310 assists for 402 points.
He added another three goals and six assists in 10 Memorial Cup games.
"He’s a household name in Canada now," Rychel said. "Not only in junior hockey, but NHL fans are watching (him)."
Like his career achievements, Ellis isn’t able to pinpoint a particular memory that stands above the rest.
And how could he? His OHL career is a highlight-pack many can only dream to achieve.
But he does take satisfaction in his final season—one in which he faced more obstacles than in his previous four. Not only was he the captain, but Ellis led an underdog version of the Spitfires to the Western Conference championship series playing upwards of 40 minutes a night.
"No one thought we’d get that far," he said. "We surprised a lot of people."
The National Hockey League may not be his next stop, but it’s an inevitable stop on Ellis’ career map. The first-rounder of the Nashville Predators left for Milwaukee on Thursday and will likely suit up for the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals on Friday.
As Ellis embarks on his next journey, he admits he’s both emotionally and physically drained. He’s hoping the thrill and excitement of transitioning from his junior to pro career, however, will give him the boost of adrenaline he needs to achieve in his next challenge.
But when asked if it was a sad day—as he hugged teammates and staff before departing from his home team rink for the final time—he could only look forward.
"No, I think it’s just something you move on from," he said. "Your time here is up and it was a blast being here. A lot of fun, but I think all good things come to an end and there are bigger and better things out there."
For this, there’s little doubt.
