The new-look North Bay Battalion team will be playing a game that matters on Thursday night as the Troops host the visiting Peterborough Petes.
This will be the first time for Troops fans to see two very good Battalion draft classes from 2020 and 201 along with some returnees hoping to impress.
Here are some of the player's fans can expect to hear from in 2020-21:
Liam Arnsby, the late 2003 birth year forward is hoping to impress in his draft year. Arnsby is all heart and will go through the wall for his teammates. He is hoping to have a Brendan Gallagher type of impression on the Battalion roster this season while proudly wearing the 'C' with the Troops.
Joe Vrbetic is hoping to the Montreal Canadiens got a steal selecting him in the seventh round of the NHL Priority Selection this summer. The hulking netminder is looking to pick up where he left off at the end of the 2019-20 season as he showed significant growth in his game from October 2019 to March 2020.
The Battalion got a nice glimpse of Avery Winslow who came over in a trade from the London Knights in early 2020 for a pair of picks in (3rd) 2023 and (5th) 2024.
The Florida product who just returned as a free agent invite to the Tampa Bay Lightning main camp should be a big part of the power play for the Troops.
Ty Nelson is already catching the eye of hockey scouts as he’s touted as a top 15 NHL draft selection by TSN’s Craig Button. The first overall pick from the 2020 OHL Priority Selection shows incredible speed and will be able to jump into the rush and help the Battalion transition game.
Brandon Coe is poised to lead the Battalion offensively with the hope to earn a contract with the Sharks. The big power forward showed some flashes of brilliance in 2019-20 and Battalion fans hope that continues after some more seasoning in the AHL (17 games with the San Jose Barracuda) last season when the OHL season was cancelled.
Kyle Jackson is another dynamic forward who went undrafted but was invited to the Nashville Predators training camp. The late 2002 birth year, who turns 19 on October 17, showed off some of his offensive flair during the pre-season. Expect him to be an impact forward for the Battalion this season.
