Battalion set to start season on the road

Brandon Robinson taking a draw against the Kitchener Rangers in exhibition play in Temiscaming earlier this month. Photo by Chris Dawson.

The North Bay Battalion starts its first Ontario Hockey League season as road warriors.

With renovations to Memorial Gardens continuing, the Battalion will play its first 9 contests on the road, starting at 7 p.m. Friday against the Kingston Frontenacs.

The Troops, who relocated to North Bay after 15 seasons in Brampton, visit the Belleville Bulls at 7:05 p.m. Saturday and the Ottawa 67’s at 2 p.m. Sunday. All three games can be seen live in North Bay on TVCogeco Cable 12.

“It’s tough to start with the first two weekends being three games in two and a half days,” said Stan Butler, director of hockey operations and head coach, whose team opens its home schedule against the Peterborough Petes on October 11th.

“But hockey is like poker; you have to play the cards you’re dealt. We play some really good teams in that stretch, too. We have to win enough games to keep our head above water.”

Captain Barclay Goodrow, who joined the team for practice Thursday after attending training camp with the National Hockey League’s Detroit Red Wings, saw positives in the travel-heavy start.

“With so many new faces on the team, it’s good to have a chance to bond on the road. We’ll be spending a lot of time on the bus, and I hope we can make the most of those trips. As the season goes on we’ll have more home games than other teams, and we’ll need to take advantage of that.”

Butler, who will serve the final two games of a five-game suspension assessed in the playoffs last March, adds that right winger Matt MacLeod and defenceman Marcus McIvor will serve as alternate captains under Goodrow, with another letter held open while rearguard Zach Bell remains with the American Hockey League’s St. John’s IceCaps.

The Battalion, which has 26 players on the roster, also will look for strong offensive seasons from left wingers Blake Clarke and Brandon Robinson as well as Nick Paul, moving to centre from the left side. Mike Amadio, who played right wing as a rookie, also moves to the middle.

Clarke, a first-round choice in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection, was second in team scoring with 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 points in 68 games, while Robinson, a first-rounder in 2011, had 34 points, including 17 goals, in 62 games. Paul produced 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 66 games as a rookie and was a fourth-round pick by the Dallas Stars in the NHL Draft in June.

“Blake’s a really good player,” said Butler.

“Like a lot of second-year guys, his biggest challenge will be making that next step up the ladder. We need big seasons out of guys like Clarke, Paul, Robinson and Amadio. They all need to step their games up.”

Clarke, 17, was a member of the OHL’s second All-Rookie team and is expected to draw considerable attention from scouts in advance of the 2014 NHL Draft.

“I want to help the team offensively and be counted on as a guy who can score the big goal,” said Clarke.

“If we can add more offence to what we have, there’s no reason we can’t be one of the top teams in the conference. I was happy with what I did last year and I used it as motivation for this season, knowing if I had a great summer it would be exciting to see what I could do this season. I know there’ll be eyes on me in my draft year, and I really want to take advantage of that.

“I expected a lot of myself last season and thought I did a good job doing what I needed to do. I think I became a better player as the season went on and did what I could to learn from the guys around me, whether they were teammates or coaches. I want to take on more of a leadership role this season and try to be the best player I can be.”

Robinson, also first-time eligible for the NHL Draft in 2014, rebounded from a rough start that saw him score two goals in his first 23 games.

“It was an up-and-down season,” said Robinson.

“I had a bad start but I thought I finished strong and had a good playoff. I have to build off that and use it as motivation to play a full 68 games. With my size I can get to the net and get those greasy goals. That’s going to be my main focus.”

Butler said he’s pleased with the Battalion’s two selections in the Canadian Hockey League’s Import Draft in July, Swedish right winger Alex Henriksson, 18, and Swiss left winger Vincent Praplan, 19.

“Henriksson is a solid two-way player who has almost a Canadian playing style. Praplan is a really good offensive player. They’re both good additions.”

The Battalion opens the season with a defence corps beset by injuries and the absence of overage candidate Bell, who is to play preseason games with St. John’s, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.

Dylan Blujus, a second-round pick by the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012, underwent knee surgery in Florida on Tuesday, while Kyle Wood, who skated in 16 games last season, was to have knee surgery in Toronto on Friday. Both are expected to be out of action for a month. Brenden Miller has been hobbled by a bruised ankle but should be ready to play at Kingston.

The Battalion added free agent Steven Duda, a 19-year-old right-shot defenceman, Thursday and returned Kyler Keating, also 19, to the Lambton Shores Predators of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Duda, a Philadelphia product who arrived in North Bay on Wednesday night, had six assists and 58 penalty minutes in 52 games last season with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Butler said Duda, six-foot-four and 190 pounds, “is a big kid and he skates well.”

Second-year goaltender Jake Smith takes over the No. 1 job from Matej Machovsky, who will play professionally in his native Czech Republic. Smith, 18, played 20 games last season and started the Battalion’s final game in Brampton, a 1-0 overtime loss to the Sudbury Wolves in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal.

“Jake’s been really good in the exhibition season,” said Butler. “We have no doubt that he can be a go-to guy.”

A ninth-round pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection, Smith posted a won-lost-extended record of 9-6-2 with a 2.57 goals-against average.

“It’ll be a great opportunity for me, and I feel I’m prepared to do it,” said Smith. “As a goalie you have to be prepared to rise to the occasion. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on me, but that’s fine.

“I feel like we have a good team that can go a long way if everyone does their part, and I feel I can contribute to that. I think our defence corps is one of the best in the league; they don’t allow much. Most of the shots are from the perimeter, and they do a great job of clearing the front of the net.”

Brendan O’Neill, a 19-year-old acquired from Sudbury on Aug. 16, is the backup. O’Neill has played 10 games with the Wolves over two seasons.

“Brendan is a big guy who’s getting a second opportunity in the league, and hopefully he can make the best of it,” said Butler.

The Battalion opens the season with three 16-year-olds chosen in the OHL Priority Selection last April. Centre Brett McKenzie and left winger Mike Baird, currently sidelined with a sore shoulder, were taken in the first and second rounds respectively, while defenceman Riley Bruce was a third-round pick.

Courtesy www.battalionhockey.com