Between 9 a.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday, the North Bay Battalion hockey ops group put players through conditioning drills, information sessions and meetings, on-ice skills and scrimmages, before saying ‘good-bye, we’ll see you at the end of the summer and don’t forget to do your homework.’
That’s a very ‘Coles Notes’ version of what took place this past weekend at Memorial Gardens, and I can’t thank General Manager Adam Dennis and his staff enough for allowing me to have an all access, exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what goes on during the Orientation Camp weekend when over thirty prospects and their parents come together to get a glimpse of what life will be like playing in the Ontario Hockey League.
Assistant General Manager John Winstanley says the idea of revamping this part of the process for prospective OHL players started in 2020.
“One of the biggest things the COVID-19 pandemic allowed us to do was to strategize on how to show off this gem. When Adam and I spoke we wanted to look at changing the perception about what we are, who we are and what we are doing here.”
Winstanley says they put together a plan to showcase all of that to prospective players.
“We did zoom interviews that lasted just over an hour with each player, and that year we did about 90 of them. We would spend about 45 minutes of that session selling who we were going to be, the city itself, our ownership, and what things were going to look like when we were allowed to play again,” he says.
Winstanley was situated in Toronto and says as the process got rolling those perceptions started to change, “I really saw a shift where people were saying ‘something big is going on in North Bay’ and then we got to play, and the coaching staff took over.”
Having a great culture and building an environment that players want to be a part of doesn’t happen overnight, and the results have spoken for themselves the past three years with the Battalion currently playing in their third straight Eastern Conference finals.
“I wanted to come to North Bay,” says their 2024 First-Round draft pick Ryder Carey. “I wasn’t expecting it, but I knew it was possible and I’m so glad I landed here.”
Their second-round pick, defenseman Kent Greer offered a similar sentiment.
“I knew I was on North Bay’s radar, and it was the place I wanted to go, I just felt it was going to be a great fit for me.”
Players and their parents show up at the rink at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning. After some introductions, the parents are taken on a bus tour of the city, hosted by Tourism North Bay.
“Having the opportunity to provide the initial North Bay tour to first time visitors is always a pleasure. Working with the Battalion on the Orientation Camp Welcome Weekend is a fantastic way to provide parents and future players with a strong first impression of the city, its northern hospitality and support for its junior hockey team,” says Tanya Bedard, Executive Director for Tourism North Bay.
“Showcasing the city’s amenities during this weekend contributes to a thriving sports culture and makes the city an attractive destination for athletes and spectators.”
Meanwhile the players jogged over to St. Joseph Scollard Hall where they ran a mile around the track.
Dennis says the idea is for the players to use their track times from this weekend's run as a baseline and to work on it over the summer and beat it when they return for training camp in September.
Powassan resident, Aydin Beharie, who spent this past season with the North Bay Trappers U18 AAA team, says that one-mile run immediately shows you’re at a different level between playing Triple-A hockey and major junior.
“It is really competitive. I try my best in every training camp I go to, but you can see the level of competition from the start here.”
Beharie, is a left-shot defenceman who says he attended Battalion games at Memorial Gardens as a fan with his grandfather. He says he knew running the mile was going to be something they were asked to do at camp, and he said he took it upon himself to work on it before camp started.
“This is my go-to thing that I knew I could be good at. I’m not the strongest guy, I know I need to work at those things. But my speed and my endurance are what I hope stands out. It shows that I can give it my all on every shift.”
Following the run, it was back to the rink for more strength and conditioning benchmarks, assessed by Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Caleb Mady and his staff before a lunch break.
The parents returned from their tour around the city and were invited to take part in an information session that showed off the robust and dynamic group that works with the Battalion and their players throughout their tenure with the Battalion.
Parents hear from Dennis about what to expect when their sons live away from home for the first time.
“One of the best attributes Adam has, is that he is very open and very honest with everybody. Everyone he deals with he comes into the situation thinking ‘how can I help them’ and it trickles down to the rest of us and how we approach all of our players and their families,” says Winstanley, who himself discusses the parameters they have set up to work on a player's development whether that be at Major Junior or setting them up in good environments at lower levels.
“When we draft a player, our number one job is to develop them into a better player.” he says. “We have to take pride in that and ownership in that. Whether that’s before, during or after practice, in the gym, video work, whatever it may be, we need to make sure that player is ready to be on the ice and be successful anyway they can.”
Mike Van Steensel, father of Battalion Veteran Owen Van Steensel and prospect Lucas (a forward who was drafted in the 8th round in 2024) says this whole process shows how much the team cares and wants to make honest connections with the players and their families. He says, “They really put an emphasis on how they can help the players get to that next step, whatever that may be. Whether it’s Jr. B, or Jr. A, or getting to the OHL, they have really good plans in place for everyone they draft whereas it feels like other teams draft you and say, ‘show up to the camp and hope for the best.’”
The session continued with Mady going over the important off-ice parts of their training, including nutrition. Steph Silverthorn, the team’s academic advisor and guidance counsellor at Chippewa Secondary School promoted the importance of education and the Battalion’s plan for their players to achieve academic success.
Then Dr. Mark Bruner, the team's Mental Performance Coach, touched on the value the team puts towards mental health.
“We prioritize it and the athletes know that they are supported and can always talk to someone," said Dr. Bruner.
"The players are able to seek out that help if they ever experience difficulties, which everyone does throughout their life,” he says. “As a group, there are key roles that everyone plays to work together collectively to foster that development for the athletes and really help them with the important transition of living away for the first time, living with billets and learning valuable life skills.”
The on-ice skills were next on the player's agenda.
Goalies got to work in first and this year North Bay-born Nate McDonald, who was a goaltender for the Powassan Voodoos, and played at Cornell University and the University of Guelph, put the goaltending prospects through the paces on the weekend.
“We’re really happy with the depth we have in that position,” says McDonald who also acts as the team's goaltending consultant.
“It was fun to get on the ice with them and see them in a controlled setting. I think we had a lot of talent in the net throughout the weekend, and I hope they have a good offseason and will be ready to show us how they have improved at the end of the summer.”
The camp ended with some scrimmages which took place both Saturday evening and Sunday morning with players split up into Team White vs Team Green with some guys getting their first taste of what it’s like to be on the ice with Major Junior caliber players. Others have not only been through the paces before but chose to come to camp just after their seasons ended including Powassan Voodoos forwards Caleb Dawson and Reyth Smith.
They were both playing on Thursday when the Voodoos were eliminated in the NOJHL final by the Greater Sudbury Cubs.
“I didn’t get much rest, but it felt good to go straight from playing in the NOJHL finals to playing here,” says North Bay-born Dawson. “This is a great time; it's a great experience and you have to enjoy every second of it and show the scouts what you can do.”
Smith, who finished as the highest-scoring 16-year-old in Voodoos playoff history says, “It’s been pretty crazy, saying good-bye to those guys in Powassan hurt, that’s not how we wanted to see the season end, but when I got the call asking if I wanted to be in camp and I obviously said yes, it’s been a fun experience and I can’t wait to keep it going.”
He adds, “It’s a change of pace because you’re seeing new faces and you’ve been through the process once before so you try to give out some advice, try to be as much of a role model as you can and showcase what a great organization they are a part of.”
17-year-old defenseman Aaron Enright was drafted in the fourth round in 2023 and played in the CCHL last year with Renfrew. He says the on-ice scrimmages prove they are competing for a spot to play at the next level of hockey.
He says, “It’s a big step up from playing in Renfrew last year. There’s a lot of different testing, it’s hard physically, but it’s also fun to get to know the guys to. The speed and the intensity of it all is different compared to last year and it gives you a good idea of what to expect.”
Devran Brown, also a defenseman, was a sixth-round draft pick in 2024 and attended camp for the first time. He says, “It was a great experience. There were some great players here and I enjoyed competing against them these past two days.”
But now it feels like the real work begins.
“We have to take those results from the fitness testing, work on those over the summer and be ready to go for training camp,” says Brown.
