It is a busy time of year at Ontario Hockey League camps.
As the dust clears, and the cuts have been made one thing that is clear is that the North Bay area sent a record number of local players to major junior training camps this summer.
If you include a pair of goalies in Kaleb Papineau and Mike McIvor who moved to North Bay to play AAA Trappers, the number is an impressive 21.
We have tried to keep the area updated from year to year on this situation and certainly, the numbers have significantly increased.
You can go back to the 2018 season when the strong 2001 and 2002 birth year players flocked to major junior camps as players like Payton Vescio, Zach Roy, Jake Gravelle were forging their major junior careers as more than 15 locals attended major junior camps back then.
See related: Locals hoping to impress at CHL camps
Those high numbers are a huge jump from back in 2007 when only three North Bay area players attended major junior camps.
Of course, this increase can definitely be attributed to the return of major junior hockey and the North Bay Battalion.
The North Bay Battalion led the way with eight local former Trappers.
When we look at major junior players in the area we cannot forget about Temiscaming, Quebec where that small community has sent two former Trappers to Saint John of the QMJHL as forward Nico Laforge and goaltender Justin Robinson attended camp and made the final SeaDogs roster.
Here's the rest of the players:
Battalion: Kaedyn Long, Chase Thompson, Jesse Lefebvre, Nate Gravelle, Caleb Dawson, Davis Anello, Ryan Daze (inj). Mike McIvor
Sudbury: Marshall McCharles
Kingston: Andre Mondoux
London: Johnny Couch
Owen Sound: Zach Major
Barrie: Jacob McGill and Connor Punnett
Hamilton: Briir Long and Masen Wray
Sarnia: Cayden Kowal and Ben Gaudreau
Saginaw: Kaleb Papineau
Saint John SeaDogs (QMJHL): Nico LaForge and Justin Robinson
