cvandenberg22
Registered User
- Dec 25, 2012
- 106
- 55
The North Bay Battalion have quietly put together a plan to ice a team capable of challenging for the OHL title and the Memorial Cup. This plan has incorporated high end players that were added to their team through trades and the Import Draft, as well astute drafting following a formula that is both simple, yet ingenious.
Three years ago the Battalion began to heavily draft players from Midget teams that were among the best in their birth year. They heavily scouted these teams and then focused their selections on players that have developed in winning programs and would bring a winning attitude to the franchise.
This philosophy began in 2019, when they used their first 4 selections on players who reached the final of the OHL Cup. Liam Arnsby (1), Paul Christopoulos (2) and Alex Christopoulos (3) were key depth players on the powerhouse Donb Mills Flyers team. This team also featured top OHL selections Shane Wright, Brennan Othmann and Brandt Clarke. In the 4th round the Battalion chose Justin Ertel from the Toronto Red Wings, a team that featured Kitchener Rangers star Francesco Pinelli and Adam Fantilli, a phenom currently playing in the USHL and a potential top 5 selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.
In 2020, North Bay had the #1 overall selection and decided to select the top player from the top Midget team in Ontario in defenseman Ty Nelson from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens. They then chose Dalyn Wakely, from the Quinte Red Devils, which was considered one of the strongest Midget teams that season. They then selected in the 4th and 8th round, another pair of Toronto Jr. Canadiens in Michael Podolioukh and Ryan Haldenby.
2021 saw the Battalion go all in on this philosophy. The Oakville Rangers were considered the cream of the crop of that year's Midget ranks, and they selected Owen Outwater (round 1), Zachary Losier (round 8) and Stephen Alexander (round 10). The Toronto Jr. Canadiens were again a top Midget team in Ontario, and they nabbed Nicholas Sima (round 2), Anthony Romani (round 3) and Tayte Kandry (round 6) from the powerhouse GTHL franchise.
8 players on their roster have come from these 3 drafts, and they will continue to form the backbone of the Battalion moving forward. Selecting winning players from strong programs has paid off in the tremendous depth that they have and has allowed them to both attract and retain talent by providing their athletes with a familiarity with teammates from a select few organizations.
The question is-will this pattern continue in tonight's draft? Will they identify a select few strong midget teams with a deep talent base like the Mississauga Senators or the Toronto Jr. Canadiens and then focus their selections there?
The next 48 hours will provide the answers.
Three years ago the Battalion began to heavily draft players from Midget teams that were among the best in their birth year. They heavily scouted these teams and then focused their selections on players that have developed in winning programs and would bring a winning attitude to the franchise.
This philosophy began in 2019, when they used their first 4 selections on players who reached the final of the OHL Cup. Liam Arnsby (1), Paul Christopoulos (2) and Alex Christopoulos (3) were key depth players on the powerhouse Donb Mills Flyers team. This team also featured top OHL selections Shane Wright, Brennan Othmann and Brandt Clarke. In the 4th round the Battalion chose Justin Ertel from the Toronto Red Wings, a team that featured Kitchener Rangers star Francesco Pinelli and Adam Fantilli, a phenom currently playing in the USHL and a potential top 5 selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.
In 2020, North Bay had the #1 overall selection and decided to select the top player from the top Midget team in Ontario in defenseman Ty Nelson from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens. They then chose Dalyn Wakely, from the Quinte Red Devils, which was considered one of the strongest Midget teams that season. They then selected in the 4th and 8th round, another pair of Toronto Jr. Canadiens in Michael Podolioukh and Ryan Haldenby.
2021 saw the Battalion go all in on this philosophy. The Oakville Rangers were considered the cream of the crop of that year's Midget ranks, and they selected Owen Outwater (round 1), Zachary Losier (round 8) and Stephen Alexander (round 10). The Toronto Jr. Canadiens were again a top Midget team in Ontario, and they nabbed Nicholas Sima (round 2), Anthony Romani (round 3) and Tayte Kandry (round 6) from the powerhouse GTHL franchise.
8 players on their roster have come from these 3 drafts, and they will continue to form the backbone of the Battalion moving forward. Selecting winning players from strong programs has paid off in the tremendous depth that they have and has allowed them to both attract and retain talent by providing their athletes with a familiarity with teammates from a select few organizations.
The question is-will this pattern continue in tonight's draft? Will they identify a select few strong midget teams with a deep talent base like the Mississauga Senators or the Toronto Jr. Canadiens and then focus their selections there?
The next 48 hours will provide the answers.
