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From North Bay to Bayshore, could NHL be next for Brady?

'It can be tough at times and being a first rounder that gets traded, but I’m just trying to have fun and get better every day'
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North Bay native Brady Lyle rushes the puck for the Attack against his former team the Owen Sound Attack. Photo by Tom Martineau/BayToday.ca.

Playing for your hometown team is something almost every kid fantasizes about, regardless of the sport they are enamoured with. Until about the age of 15, I was certain by my 25th birthday, I would be the starting shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays. Judging by this years team, I don’t think I’d be a horrible option (heck I’ll take $30-million to NOT play for them as well….but that’s another story, just ask Troy Tulowitzki).

In early November of 2012, it was announced that North Bay was getting OHL hockey back, in the form of Brampton relocating to the Gateway City; and junior hockey players in North Bay could envision themselves stepping onto the rink in an Ontario Hockey League game at Memorial Gardens.

On April 11, 2015, the North Bay Battalion selected home town resident Brady Lyle with their first pick (18th overall) in the 2015 OHL priority selection, setting him up to become the first North Bay born player to suit up for North Bay’s new OHL franchise.

“I was just hoping a team would draft me,” Lyle says reflecting on that day, over the phone from his new home of Owen Sound.

“I wanted to play in the OHL and obviously at the time, I knew it was possible that I could get drafted by North Bay, as anyone else in the draft could. But when it happened I was really excited.”

September 25th 2015 – The Peterborough Petes are in town to open the season. Brady Lyle steps onto the ice at Memorial Gardens and cements his name in North Bay hockey history, as the first player to ever be born and raised in the Gateway City, and wearing a North Bay Battalion uniform…is how the story was supposed to be written.

But in the first game of the preseason, Lyle was injured and forced to miss the first 24 games of the regular season.

Instead, Brett Hargrave would get that distinction.

Playing in his overage season, the Troops pulled the trigger on a deal that would bring Hargrave to his hometown from Owen Sound.

So if you’re ever faced with a trivia question; Who was the first North Bay native to play for the North Bay Battalion? You point them to October 2, 2015, when Hargrave skated out from under the inflatable tank and took part in the first of 61 games he would suit up for as a member of the Troops.

For Lyle, it was a long process coming back from the injury, but he did come back.

The Flint Firebirds were the opponent on November 29, (for the first time ever after Plymouth packed their bags and headed upstate to become the newest OHL franchise).

It wasn’t an overly exciting night for Lyle on the score sheet; no goals, no assists and a -1 rating. But he was just 16 years old at the time and getting his first taste of how to play defense at the OHL level.

But he was a first-round pick and playing in his hometown. Lyle says, “I never felt any pressure from fans or anything like that, it wasn’t difficult really. I didn’t ever really notice anything like that.”

Maybe it’s because the fan base knew the fortunes of that season were not resting squarely on the shoulders of a 16-year-old kid. They knew it would take time to ease him in and for the time being they were still enjoying a prolonged honeymoon phase with this club. OHL hockey was back in North Bay, and they had a team that went to consecutive Eastern Conference finals, and including an appearance in the OHL finals as well.

Now in year three, it was not only about seeing some of the final pieces of that team that brought the banners to the rafters play out the finale of their OHL careers but also about seeing a player, born and raised in the Gateway City, start to carve his own path in Major Junior Hockey.

Lyle says, “Coming in, as a first rounder, after the draft all that stuff kind of goes out the window. You’re only going to be judged based on your play.”

Coincidentally enough, due to injuries that season, Lyle and Hargrave played as a defensive pairing for a couple of games, with the elder Hargrave playing out of his natural position, just so the Battalion had enough bodies to put on the ice.

Lyle says “it’s pretty cool for any kid playing in the league, I’m sure they would enjoy it, playing in their home town. You have your family and friends watching you at every game, which is pretty cool. Looking back on it now, it was a great experience and something Brett and I talked about at the time.”

Lyle would ultimately only spend 111 games in a North Bay uniform, requesting a trade just a few weeks into his third season. He would be dealt to Owen Sound with a 7th round pick in 2020 in exchange for goaltender Christian Propp and a 10th round pick in 2020.

“It can be a different situation for everyone," said Lyle.  

"I think in my case it’s worked out pretty well in Owen Sound, I’ve enjoyed some good success. It can be tough at times and being a first rounder that gets traded, but I’m just trying to have fun and get better every day.”

It’s interesting that Lyle should end up in Owen Sound, the same team which Hargrave was acquired from. The same team that this season now carries three former first-round Battalion draft picks in Lyle, Zach Poirier (1st round, 14th overall 2014) and Adam McMaster (1st round, 13th overall, 2016) as well as being the last stop before graduation for Brett McKenzie (1st round, 10th overall, 2013).

Lyle talks about being part of a group with some familiar faces and going up against the Battalion, who will have had as many as four former Attack players on their roster this season.

“It’s definitely different every time we play against each other, there’s no other team that has that many guys that I’ve been close with and played with," said Lyle.  But once we get on the ice, both teams want to win and compete against each other.”

Lyle is having his best season to date. Going into the weekend’s action, Lyle had already tied his career high of 11 goals in a season and had set new career marks of 28 assists and 39 points.

“I’ve been given a lot of opportunity in Owen Sound," he said.  

"I’ve matured as a person and as a player. I think I can read game situations better, when to jump into the play, when it’s time to settle down, when I can carry the puck. I can’t explain enough how grateful I am for the opportunity I’ve been given here.”

Lyle has had the chance to work out at a couple of National League Hockey camps the last two summers. After not being selected in his draft year, he was invited to the Anaheim Ducks camp in 2017, before going to the Ottawa Senators camp the last off-season.

Lyle will be looking for another invite this summer, as he attempts to become the first North Bay native (that isn’t a goalie) to reach the NHL ranks since Craig Rivet played with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2010-2011 season.

“In both the camps I went to, the feedback was pretty similar," admitted Lyle.  

"I have to make plays quicker and I have to be a bit more physical and compete harder in my own end. That’s what I’ve been trying to work on and I feel that since my draft year, it’s improved drastically.”

As for this season, he says, “The focus is to get into the playoffs and see if we can go on a bit of a run.”

*Since the interview, the Attack has solidified its spot in the Western Conference.


Matt Sookram

About the Author: Matt Sookram

Matthew Sookram is a Canadore College graduate. He has lived and worked in North Bay since 2009 covering different beats; everything from City Council to North Bay Battalion.
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