Thirty-two North Bay Battalion draftees and prospective players spent this past weekend in the Gateway City for what General Manager Adam Dennis and his staff are now referring to as “conditioning camp.”
“We’ve gone back and forth on calling it orientation camp or development camp, but we settled on conditioning camp because what we’re doing is getting a look at how the players are right now and setting that expectation for what they can expect in September,” says Dennis.
The camp included fitness testing, goalie and skills sessions, practice and a scrimmage on Sunday morning in which Team Green beat Team White 6-2. Liam Amidovsky and Jacob Therrien both netted two goals for the winning side, and Dennis says that’s one of the best parts of the whole weekend.
“The scrimmage is the cool part of the weekend as it includes new guys mixing it up with some first-year players,” says Dennis.
The camp featured players such as 2022 fourth round pick, Goaltender Mike McIvor, who has played a couple of Ontario Hockey League games this past year suiting up alongside 2023 first round pick Carter Kostuch, who was signed by the Battalion prior to the start of the camp. Other players that have already had some ice time in the OHL this season included Brett Bouchard, Brayden Turley, Ty Rismond, Therrien, and Amidovsky, while Nolan Laird and Dylan Richter are also players who have signed their standard player's agreement with North Bay.
The rest of the camp was made up of mostly 2023 drafted players.
“This really is the First Step for a lot of these guys to learn what it will be like as they start their career as a North Bay Battalion and once September hits everything becomes performance-based,” says Dennis.
Another great moment for the newcomers was being introduced in front of a sold-out home crowd during the pregame ceremonies ahead of the Battalion’s 6-2 game five playoff win over the Peterborough Petes last Friday.
“It’s key to do it this weekend,” says Dennis. “We wanted the guys to get a real taste of the atmosphere that we’ve built here over the last few years. It’s one thing to see it on tv, or hear about it from some friends, but to get the kids in that building on a night like that, there’s no comparison.”
It’s also a way to go about setting a standard for the next wave of Battalion players. That the team expects to be playing hockey this deep into the season year in and year out and by being drafted to North Bay Dennis says the goal is to show that this is a path that can lead to success.
“We want to show them that this program works, it is proven that the things we do here and the paths we set them on will work for their long-term success,” says Dennis. “We know all these players have goals and we are an organization that is creating a way for them to reach those goals and set them on that path.”
But Dennis admits, building that program means the competition will be tough every year in training camp and guys will have to earn their spots, but the team is invested in these players over the long term.
“Very few will play for North Bay at 16 years old and we allow them to grow and find the development that works for them, and a lot of players can transition to the Major Junior style at 17 and 18 years old,” he says.
He added that the two U18 picks they drafted this year, North Bay natives Nate Gravelle and Caleb Dawson, shows how important it is to continue to develop after your initial OHL draft year.
“The U18 draft is great for a number of reasons. You always have a list of guys that you liked in the Priority Selection that don’t get picked up by any teams and so they stay on your radar and the next year, if they are still out there, you get that second chance to bring them into your organization and see if they can earn a spot on your team,” says Dennis. “Playing that extra year of Junior A or Junior B can provide opportunities for a guy to get more ice time and make great improvements to their game. Both our U18 picks had great seasons and I’m excited to see what they can do.”
Dennis adds it’s a busy time of year for the team with the Troops trying to close out a playoff series, while organizing this event to give that next wave of Battalion players their first glimpse of life at the Major Junior level, but he says, “It’s a great time and hopefully we’re playing hockey in this weather every year.”
