Ask Casey Torres about coaching Liam Greentree, and he answers quickly.
“I’m glad to go into battle with him,” Torres said a little more than a year ago, in the simplest terms he could.
At the time, Torres was the Windsor Spitfires’ coach and Greentree was preparing for the 2024 NHL Draft.
That January, Torres had named Greentree his captain, a rare honor for a draft-eligible player, just a couple of weeks after his 18th birthday. Greentree went on to lead the Spitfires in goals (36), assists (54) and points (90). The 36 goals and 90 points — which came on a young team that won only 18 of 68 games and finished last in the league’s Western Conference — were both the most by a draft-eligible forward in the OHL that year. He’d also played in the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Moncton, N.B., scoring Team White’s goal in a 3-1 loss, and was named to the OHL’s First All-Rookie team after leading all rookies with 25 goals in the 2022-23 season.
“He was our best player, captain, leading scorer. He was awesome. Leadership’s not easy, and he has taken that role with open arms,” Torres said. “I think there are brighter days ahead for the Windsor Spitfires, and I think they’ll be as early as this upcoming year because of the amount of experience that he and our ’06 group gained. We really entrusted a lot (in him) in a league driven by 19- and 20-year-olds.”
At the end of Greentree’s draft year, NHL Central Scouting listed him as its 14th-ranked North American skater for the 2024 draft, making him the second-highest OHLer behind Oshawa’s Beckett Sennecke (who ranked 13th).
“A good combination of size and skill — he is very effective at driving the play to the net and getting open to shoot,” NHL Central Scouting’s report read. “He protects the puck well and is hard to check, especially off the cycle slipping into scoring areas. Good offensive creativity and confidence with the puck, makes plays using his soft hands in tight, he has an NHL shot and release. Plays his best and gets consistent results when playing the power forward game.”
Torres, who is also a former amateur scout with the Pittsburgh Penguins, felt he should have been a top-15 pick and that he was a first-rounder “all day.”
“I love his work ethic, I love his character, I love his transferable skills, the way he shoots the puck, the way he competes, he’s a hockey nut, and he’s certainly a guy you’d want in your organization,” Torres said.
The Los Angeles Kings drafted him with the No. 26 pick.
Liam Greentree led the Spitfires from the bottom of the OHL Western Conference to the second round of the playoffs. (Luke Durda / OHL Images)
A year later, he’s coming off an even bigger post-draft season that saw him finish third in the OHL in points (119), fourth in goals (49), fifth in assists (70), fourth in plus-minus (plus-55) and second in shots on goal (306).
As Torres predicted, the Spitfires took a step on the back of their captain, losing to the Kitchener Rangers in Game 7 of the second round of the OHL playoffs. In their run, Greentree elevated once more, registering 14 goals and 24 points in just 11 playoff games for combined totals of 63 goals and 143 points in 75 regular-season and playoff games.
His play earned him an invitation from Hockey Canada to attend the World Junior Summer Showcase in July in Minneapolis, which he had to miss to rehab a hand injury.
Today, Spitfires general manager Bill Bowler calls him “an elite performer in our league” and lauds his maturity, character, leadership and progress.
“He just keeps getting better and better,” Bowler said.
Chief among his progress has been his improved skating, which he has worked hard at with power skating coach Kyle Allard and by strengthening his legs in the gym. (The Spitfires listed him at 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds last season, which would have made him the fourth-heaviest Kings forward, behind Quinton Byfield, Anze Kopitar and Tanner Jeannot.)
“He’s got a powerful long stride now,” Bowler said. “He’s becoming a man. The hockey ability, the knack of scoring, the shot have always been evident. I think Liam has the ability to score and create offense regardless of the opponent. He generates it all by himself, and he was always a consistent performer. But there’s no question for me (that the skating is there now). I see him blow away from the opponent, and that’s obvious now.”
Spitfires teammate and Chicago Blackhawks prospect AJ Spellacy calls Greentree “an exceptional player.”
“He’s got an unreal shot — NHL shot already. His ability to protect pucks all over the ice is a big part of his game and will continue at the next level. That’s where he has success, is with his patience and his puck protection,” Spellacy said. “Off the ice, he’s a great guy. He leads by example, but when things need to be said on the ice or in the room, he’s someone who will step up and say that.”
Ask Greentree about himself, and he talks about his dad, Trevor, a general contractor; his mom, Shannon, a registered nurse; and his older brother. He describes himself as mentally tough, passionate and determined, and his game as hard, tough and having a presence. He’s interested in being an athletic therapist in life after hockey, and likes to play tennis and golf. He models his game after Minnesota Wild winger Matt Boldy and says, “He’s big, he’s strong, he uses his body well, he’s got a good shot, and he’s smart.” He uses a straighter curve than most of his peers these days because of Patrick Kane.
He fell in love with hockey playing goalie for his brother’s buddies on outdoor rinks, and on a run to a silver medal at the OMHA finals playing up a year with the 2005 Clarington Toros in his first year of novice.
“In the finals, I think we lost 10-3, but I went bar down. When you’re that age and you’re going bar down…” he said of his earliest hockey memory, chuckling and trailing off as if to make a point.
His passion for the game has shone through in his three years with the Spitfires.
“He’s a down-to-earth kid. He doesn’t get too worried about playing time, stats. He just performs. And when you’re a good guy, people seem to gravitate to you, and Liam’s that kid,” Bowler said. “He’s always making the young guys feel a part of it, and that’s why I think our team had such a great turnaround (last season). Our players obviously aged and got a little older and stronger and better, but I think the fact that we have the chemistry in our locker room, led by a guy like Liam, people want to work together with good human beings, and that’s what Liam is.
“I know it sounds simple, but it is, and I don’t want to overcomplicate it.”
Liam Greentree combined for 143 points in 75 regular-season and playoff games in Windsor last season. (Natalie Shaver / OHL Images)
There have been times, too, when he hasn’t always been the top player.
He wasn’t a first-round pick into the OHL. Though he has two gold medals with Hockey Canada, he was used mostly as a 13th forward at the 2024 U18 Worlds in Finland right before the draft (which might have contributed to his being available for the Kings at No. 26).
“When I’m not getting what I think I can do out there, it’s being a good teammate off of the ice and doing whatever you can to make sure we all succeed,” he said of that experience. “For me, I think I put in the work every day. It’s making sure I lead by example and I’m doing all of the things that I can do to get better, and I think guys kind of follow that.”
Despite his OHL production, he’ll likely have to prove to Hockey Canada he can play for it at this year’s World Juniors as a result.
Bowler said he has the right attitude and game to do that.
“Guys like (Greentree) can make hockey clubs regardless of how you see fit,” Bowler said. “He’s an elite scorer in our league, so if that’s how they decide to use him, he can do that, but if he’s a checking role, Liam has a lot of tools in the bag and can play any way. He has a physical side, he finishes checks, he can engage with an opponent if necessary.
“He brings so much to the table.”
(Top photo: Natalie Shaver / OHL Images)