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North Bay Battalion

Half-Dozen Troops Attend NHL Camps

September 10, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Defenceman Miles Liberati is one of six members of the North Bay Battalion headed to National Hockey League camps this week.

Liberati, preparing for his first full season with the Ontario Hockey League club, was to leave Wednesday for the rookie camp of the Vancouver Canucks, who chose him in the seventh round of the 2013 NHL Draft as a member of the London Knights.

Others off to NHL camps include centre Mike Amadio and blueliner Kyle Wood, third-round picks of the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche respectively in the NHL Draft last June, and centre Nick Paul, a fourth-round choice of the Dallas Stars in 2013 whose rights were traded to the Ottawa Senators on July 1.

Left winger Zach Bratina and defenceman Marcus McIvor received free-agent invitations from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets respectively.

"I'm hoping to make an impact with the Canucks and I hope I can get to the main camp," Liberati said recently. "Things are different there now. It's almost like a new organization. They have a lot of great new people on staff, and guys like (president of hockey operations) Trevor Linden and (general manager) Jim Benning were around the team at the development camp this summer and they were very encouraging."

At this time last year Liberati, a 19-year-old resident of Cheswick, Pa., wasn't sure where he stood with the Knights, who had taken him in the third round of the 2011 OHL Priority Selection. Liberati had skated in 42 games as a rookie, registering three goals and six assists for nine points, and played 10 playoff games, earning one assist, as London won a second consecutive OHL championship.

But, with the Knights preparing to host the 2014 Memorial Cup tournament, Liberati felt changes to the back end were likely.

"Things were a lot different last season. I went in still feeling like a rookie because I had no idea what they were going to do. They had plans for their defence corps for the Memorial Cup run, and I knew I had to go out and do my best."

Liberati played 22 games with London last season, scoring one goal and adding three assists for four points, before being traded to North Bay on Nov. 19 for the OHL rights to overage defenceman Zach Bell and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2016.

"Getting traded here was the best thing for me," said Liberati. "I felt more comfortable here at training camp this season and I felt more like a leader. I felt like a veteran."

Liberati got off to a slow start with the Troops, managing only one goal in his first 21 games, but he went on to produce nine points, including eight goals, in 43 games.

"It was frustrating. It seemed like I was making some good plays, but I would just get a bad bounce or something. I had to stay calm and keep playing my game. Eventually I went on a streak and felt pretty good about that."

Liberati had one assist in 22 playoff games as the Battalion advanced to the OHL Championship Series, which the Guelph Storm won in five games. He said he felt his experience winning a championship with London helped the Troops in their run.

"One of the things I brought here was the ability to remind the guys how intense the Knights were in the playoffs and how hard they worked to get deep in the playoffs. It was great to be able to bring that here, and I think that helped motivate the guys to get as deep as we did."

Liberati said he hopes to step into the role vacated by Dylan Blujus, who signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning last May. A third-round pick of the Brampton Battalion in 2010, Blujus played 256 games over four seasons, amassing 119 points.

"They're looking for guys to step up into roles like the one Blujus had here. That will be a good opportunity for me. I feel a lot better now with my skating and my hands. Those were two things I worked on over the summer. I'm hoping to make an impact right away."

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