Excited hockey Parents and the North Bay media gathered outside of Battalion change room on Thursday as Andrew Corradini made his announcement on behalf of the NOHA about the upcoming Battalion Development camp.
A total of 38 players will compete against each other on two separate teams as they try and earn a spot on team NOHA.
The development weekend will be the final evaluation and 19 players will go on to represent the NOHA at three showcase events later this season. Corradini who is the NOHA Technical director of coaches and players knew how important this was for the young athletes and acknowledged why the weekend was held in North Bay
“Really it was the opportunity to work with the Battalion. They really have a great product here and we just want to give the kids some exposure,” said Corradini.
“The real reason for this team is to provide players, from the North with a better chance to gain exposure down south during their OHL draft year. By doing this we expose them more to the scouts and hopefully get them seen more often.”
Battalion Assistant GM Matt Rabideau who was also at the press conference knows how tough it can be for players to get exposure up north. But he's confident that location does not matter for players to get recognized as long as they are willing to work for it. Rabideau hopes to have Battalion forward and Sault Ste. Marie native Mike Amadio show up for the development camp and help out the young athletes.
“Hopefully Mike can come in and share his experiences,” said Rabideau who notes that he and the Battalion organization do not have an influential role in the selection process for the Northern Ontario All-Star team.
“Being a boy from the North and playing in the OHL for his third year and also getting selected in the NHL draft. Hopefully some of these guys can learn from Michael's experience and it will help them down the road.”
Even though it is the OHL draft year for the athletes, Corradini knows its not the only thing they want to focus on.
“It's also about getting them into different experiences such as the OHL Gold Cup,” said Corradini.
“The OHL Gold Cup is not about the OHL draft, its more about a hockey Canada under 17 program. So getting them an opportunity to experience elite level coaching, trainers and elite management will be an experience these players will never forget.”
There will be 5 local players from the North Bay & District Midget AAA Trappers who will ba participating in the event. They are Joe Whittet, Conor Eastagh, Craig Johnson, Dawson Meecham, and Eric Allair.
The North Bay Battalion Development Weekend will serve as the final evaluation tool to determine the 19 OHL Draft-eligible players who will represent Team NOHA at three (3) showcase events later this season.
The evaluation process began in August when more than 80 1999-born players were put through their paces at the OHF/OHL Under 15 Program in Sudbury. Players were evaluated throughout the weekend by the Team NOHA Coaching Staff and representatives from various Ontario Hockey League (OHL) teams.
Over the last two (2) months, Team NOHA Staff have evaluated players identified from the Under 15 Camp with their respective club teams. The coaching staff was faced with several difficult decisions in narrowing the numbers down to 38 for the North Bay Battalion Development Weekend.
In North Bay, the 38 players will be split into two teams (Red and White) and will participate in a practice on Friday, November 21. On Saturday, each team will compete in an exhibition game against the Barrie Minor Midget AAA Colts, in addition to an information session with the North Bay Battalion team staff. Finally, on Sunday, a Red/White game will be held at West Ferris Arena. Based on the players’ performance during this event, the 19 players who will represent Team NOHA will be selected and announced the week of November 24, 2014.
During the 2014/2015 season, Team NOHA will participate in the following showcase events:
ETA (OMHA) Showcase – December 6-7, 2014 in Orillia
OHL Cup – March 17-23, 2015 in Toronto
OHL Gold Cup – May 6-10, 2015 in Kitchener
The Team NOHA Staff is comprised of the following: Head Coach – Rod MacKenzie (Sudbury), Assistant Coaches – Larry Bedard (Sudbury) and Mike Burman (North Bay) and Trainers – Dan Charette (Mindemoya) and Danny Ansara (Timmins).
Photo of Andrew Corradini addressing the audience at Thursday's press conference at Memorial Gardens. PHOTO BY TOMMY WONG.
