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North Bay Battalion

Battalion's McIvor Fills Veteran Role

August 28, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Marcus McIvor remembers being one of the new guys at an Ontario Hockey League training camp.

A first-round pick of the Brampton Battalion in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection, defenceman McIvor now is the senior member of the North Bay Battalion's blue line as he heads into his final major junior season.

"Time has definitely flown by," McIvor, who turned 20 on May 20, said Thursday, when 46 players took part in the first day of on-ice activities at training camp.

"I still remember coming to my first camp as a scrawny 16-year-old and seeing all the bigger, older guys. I try to be supportive to the new guys here. I remember being nervous when I came in. There's a reason why these guys are here. They're good players, and they need to remember that."

For the first time, McIvor is at camp with the Troops without longtime defence partner Dylan Blujus. The Battalion's third-round pick in 2010, Blujus was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the 2012 National Hockey League Draft and signed a three-year entry-level contract with the club in May.

"It's very weird to be here without him," allowed McIvor. "When we got here yesterday and I was greeting the other guys, I was looking around for Blujus and then realized he wouldn't be here. But we've been talking."

McIvor is one of three Battalion overage candidates, the others being fellow rearguard Brenden Miller and centre Jamie Lewis, who's injured and not in attendance. McIvor said he hopes to help fill the leadership void left by the departure of last season's overagers, forwards Barclay Goodrow, who was the captain, Matt MacLeod and Ben Thomson.

"I'm looking forward to taking that on. I saw Goodrow do it and guys like Sam Carrick as well as Thomson and MacLeod last season. I learned a lot last season as an alternate."

A six-foot-one, 231-pound resident of Whitby, Ont., McIvor said he knows his role in the absence of Blujus, the only player not returning to the Battalion blue line.

"I'm going to focus on being a defensive guy and let the other guys handle the offence. But if I get a chance, I'm going to jump in and try to contribute."

In its first season in North Bay, the Battalion claimed the Eastern Conference title and advanced to the OHL Championship Series, where it was defeated in five games by the Guelph Storm.

"We've lost a lot of older guys, but now is a chance for guys to step up," said McIvor. "We want this season to start the way we ended last season. Even though we lost to Guelph, we were all buying into the plan and playing to the best of our capabilities. We'd like to start off flying. We want the fans to be excited. They were great last season, especially in the playoffs. I've never played before a crowd like that."

McIvor and Miller can join Cameron Wind, Goodrow and MacLeod as the only players to skate in five seasons with the Battalion.

"A lot of people look at playing five seasons as a bad thing, but the window of opportunity is still there for me," said McIvor, who has played 256 career games, sixth on the club's all-time list. "I'm looking forward to this season. I know the league; I know the ins and outs of playing in the OHL. I'm hoping to turn it into what Goodrow did last season and get a pro contract out of it. But if that doesn't work out, I still have the school route."

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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