The Windsor Spitfires will enjoy more weekend home games during the 2026-27 Ontario Hockey League season. The OHL released the regular-season schedule on Tuesday, showing that while Thursdays remain the most frequent home game date with 13 contests, the club will play 16 of its 34 home games on Saturday or Sunday. That represents over 47 percent of home games, up from 13 weekend games a year ago.
Balancing Thursdays and Weekends
Shannon Ricker, the Spitfires' director of sales, emphasized the team's goal of finding a balance between weekday and weekend games. Weekend matchups allow the organization to attract young fans from surrounding communities such as Leamington, Amherstburg, Belle River, and Chatham for themed events. The remaining five home games include two Mondays on Canadian Thanksgiving and Family Day, two Fridays, and a single Wednesday game the night before U.S. Thanksgiving.
Ricker noted that these games are about entertainment, with hockey being just one part of the fan experience. Average attendance at the WFCU Centre has risen by 1,224 per game over the past six seasons.
Player Schedule Highlights
The 68-game schedule includes only three instances where the team plays three games in three days, none of which are all road games. Head coach Greg Walters called that a positive development. However, the club faces 15 occasions where it plays three times in four days, including two lengthy road trips to the Eastern Conference.
Windsor will host four games in seven days from Oct. 10-16. The longest road trip runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8, featuring five games away from home over nine days. Walters acknowledged some unusual travel patterns, such as going from Kitchener to Erie and from Sault Ste. Marie to Saginaw, but stressed the need to be prepared and ready to play.
Special Holiday Games
The Spitfires will play at home on Canadian Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Eve, both against Saginaw. They will also play on Halloween on the road against Owen Sound. As previously announced, the season opens on the road against London on Sept. 18, with the two teams meeting the next night in Windsor. For the first time since the 2022-23 season, Windsor will close the regular season at home on March 21 against the Guelph Storm, who will host the Memorial Cup next season.
