The North Bay Battalion admitted they never want to be considered a team that wants to "tank."
Their recent play is certainly an indication of that with three wins in their last four games
At of today, the Troops sit nine points back of both Niagara and Kingston in the OHL standings leaving the Battalion the odds on favourite to get the first pick in the OHL Priority Selection this summer.
While finishing last is a lousy feeling for any team, there is a pretty massive consolation prize for whoever does finish last this spring.
That's because behind door number one is a prize by the name of Adam Fantilli; a generational player who is playing prep school this season at Kimball Union in New Hampshire. At 15, Fantilli has registered 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points in 25 games playing against much older USHS prep school competition.
Justin Sproule, an OHL scout for HockeyProspect.com says the Toronto area forward is attracting a lot of attention.
"He played up with the Junior Canadiens and we watched him at the OHL Cup (last year) so that was a good read for us on him and we have watched him a few times this year so we definitely have an idea as to what kind of player he is and he could be at the next level too," said Sproule.
"I think he is a high-end, dynamic player. He plays the game at a high pace, he's a dynamic shooter and a dynamic skater and I think that is what sets him apart from a lot of the players you see this year, especially in his age group."
Brendan Collins, from Neutral Zone Hockey agrees.
"Not to put any more pressure on this kid than he’s already had for the past two years; but in scouting New England Prep the past 8 seasons he’s the best prospect I have seen since Noah Hanafin played at St. Sebastian's School,” said the Neutral Zone Hockey Director of Scouting.
“We have three 5-star 2004’s in North America right now and they are Shane Wright (Kingston-OHL), Matthew Savoie (Winnipeg-WHL) and Adam Fantilli (KUA). Not to say Adam is better than Shane or Matthew, who are playing in the CHL this season at 15 years old; but he belongs in the same category. He is also a late birth year so his NHL Draft year is 3 years away whereas Savoie and Wright were born early January and will be drafted in 2 years.”
Oh, and OHL hockey scouts are impressed too.
"I think most scouts are saying the same thing, you are getting a franchise changer," one OHL Scout told BayToday.
"He's a powerful and skilled kid who can play the game any way you want him to. He's physical, has a pro-calibre shot and competes like a fourth-line grinder.
"One of the only issues that have come up is that scouts haven't seen him as frequently this season because he's playing at Kimball Union. That's not to say guys haven't gone to see him. But you can certainly say a kid playing in the GTHL is being seen more in a week then Adam is in a month."
That's exciting news for the team that has the first pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. However, Fantilli chose to play at Kimball Union with his older brother Luca, who is a Niagara IceDogs draft pick and a Division One commit to the University of Michigan.
That means the allure to play NCAA hockey is definitely there playing prep school in the New England area.
It will be interesting to see how things unfold as we get closer to the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. But most scouts agree that Fantilli is in a league of his own going into the draft.
"There are a few really good 2004 Americans and some from the GTA but right now there is nobody close to Fantilli," said Sproule.
