The Battalion made a move to make room for star forward Luke Burghardt today.
The Troops shipped overage defenceman Cole Cameron to the Kitchener Rangers in exchange for a 8th round pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection.
Cameron was acquired in a September 13th trade from the Owen Sound Attack in hopes of bringing more experience to the Battalion blueline.
Cameron played 28 games with North Bay, earning three assists and drawing 33 minutes in penalties.
Left winger Burghardt has skated at practice this week as he prepares to come back despite a spinal condition that saw him quit hockey last summer before seeking further medical opinions and being cleared to play.
“He was on the ice Monday; he was on the ice yesterday,” assistant coach Adam Dennis said of Burghardt.
“He’s tending to some personal matters today, but he’s progressing nicely, and we’ve been happy with what we’ve seen so far.”
Dennis said the timing of Burghardt’s return to action will depend on discussions after another on-ice session.
“There’s a possibility this weekend, but we’re not going to jump the gun. We’d like to get him on the ice again tomorrow and then reevaluate.”
The return of Burghardt, North Bay’s second-ranked scorer last season, will fill out the Battalion’s allotment of overagers, which includes right winger Justin Brazeau and defenceman Theo Calvas.
The Battalion are on the road this weekend as they head to Kitchener to face Cameron and the Rangers on Friday night at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
