While there will always be next year for the North Bay Battalion, for three players, there won’t be when it comes to the OHL.
Those players are Brandon Coe, Mitchell Russell, and Grayson Ladd.
Originally taken 13th overall by the Kitchener Rangers in the 2013 OHL priority selection, Ladd had the shortest tenure of the trio. He was acquired from the Windsor Spitfires in January along with Kyle McDonald in exchange for Josh Currie and three draft picks. In total, the veteran defenceman played in 36 games for the boys in green, tallying 2 goals and 12 assists for 14 points. Throughout his career, he has played 215 games with 7 goals and 58 assists for 65 points split between Kitchener, Windsor and North Bay.
“It was unreal,” Ladd said on the Gateway City. “The crowd is amazing here; I have never been a part of that before. The team, the coaching staff and management, it’s a top-class organization. I was only here four or five months and have some of my best memories here. These guys will be good for years to come.”
“A lot of guys say it’s the best time of their lives,” he added on his career. “It’s 100 percent true. I was fortunate to play for three awesome organizations and three great cities. I am very fortunate for that and it sucked with the pandemic year, but it was the best five years of my life and I will remember it for a long time.”
Nicknamed “the Hustle”, Russell was originally drafted by the Owen Sound Attack in the 2017 draft, 20thoverall. Wearing an “A” on his jersey this season, the overager saw his production tick up as he scored 41 goals to go with 47 assists for 88 points in 64 games. Overall, with North Bay, Russell put up 70 goals and 73 assists for 143 points in 147 games played in green. Throughout his OHL career, he played 239 games with 78 goals and 83 assists for 161 points.
“It’s been a journey for me,” Russell said.
“Five years have gone by pretty fast but I think all the memories I have made and all the new friends I have from this journey is awesome and I couldn’t do it without my families and friends. I think for me looking back, it was probably the greatest five years of my life and I took advantage of every moment I had here and I am grateful for the opportunity I had.”
Taken 3rd overall in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, Brandon Coe became the first first-round pick since the Battalion moved to North Bay in 2013 to see his career begin and end with the Troops.
The San Jose Sharks prospect netted 34 goals to go with 67 assists and 101 points in his overage year. By reaching 101 points, he becomes the second Battalion player since the team moved north to hit 100 points after Justin Brazeau scored 113 in 2018/19. Altogether he finishes with 86 goals, 132 assists for 218 points in 250 games played.
“It’s awesome,” Coe said reflecting on his time in the OHL.
“I think coming here at 15 years old I didn’t really know what to expect coming to a small town like North Bay but to be honest it has been the best five years of my life. I can’t thank my billets enough, the Battalion organization enough and the fans for all the support over the five years.
“It has truly been a remarkable time here and I wish we could have done more in the playoffs but I hope the fans enjoyed this year and I think we had a great season to end off my career. I want to say thank you to everyone who helped me along the way over the five years.”
While the playoff run ended in a four-game sweep to the Hamilton Bulldogs, for the trio of players - who had a combined 30 games of OHL playoff experience - the run to the Eastern Conference Finals was long overdue.
“I played six playoff games before this year and we got beat out in the first round,” Ladd said. “It’s awesome with every round that you get going and we had 3,000 fans and they were loud so I appreciate that. Every round is harder and Hamilton is a great team, and there is nothing wrong losing to a team like that because they are so good and we put everything out there.”
“I think it was important for me to go off on a long run,” added Russell who put up 22 points in 11 games. “I think all the older guys on our team were looking forward to that. The group we had was awesome and we knew we could do that. Finishing top four in this league was pretty cool for this group and I think the younger guys will use that as experience in the next couple of years.”
“It feels really good,” Coe echoed who chipped in with 20 points in 12 games played. “Not a lot of playoff experience for myself my first few years in North Bay, but having a good run this year meant a lot to me and my teammates as well.”
And Coe believes the future is bright.
“I think it was a big step for this group and looking forward to next year," said Coe.
"I think they are going to make an even bigger run. I think the core is looking really bright for the future ahead and I think fans should be excited.”
For the “Coe show” - as broadcaster Matthew Sookram dubbed him - and Russell, will both head to San Jose and try to crack the Sharks NHL roster. Coe was drafted in the fourth round, 98th overall in 2020 by the Sharks, while Russell signed with them just before the series with Hamilton began.
“At the start of the year I had two goals,” Russell explained. “One was to sign a pro contract and the other was to have fun with the guys and have a long playoff run. For me, I was super excited to get both of those done.”
“I think I can take my consistency from this year,” Coe said on what he can take from his OHL experience. “I made great strides to be a consistent player every night and I think being the same player and bringing that to San Jose every night will help me a lot and brining my size and speed as well, so I am looking forward to bringing that next year.”
For the three players, they won’t be forgotten any time soon either as a new banner will hang from the rafters for years to come to immortalize this team as 2021/22 Central Division Champions. For the two longest-tenured players in Russell and Coe, that means something extra.
“It’s awesome,” Russell explained. “My time in North Bay has been awesome, so I think it’s a little extra something that will go up and we will remember for the rest of our lives.”
“It means everything,” Coe added. “Taking me in at 15 when I didn’t know what to expect coming from Toronto, but it means a lot and I can’t thank the city enough for all they do for us.”
