Sports stats



OHL North Bay Battalion

Troops' Trio Ranked by NHL

May 27, 2021 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Forwards Kyle Jackson and Matvey Petrov and goaltender Joe Vrbetic of the North Bay Battalion are among 48 Ontario Hockey League skaters and netminders ranked by the National Hockey League's central scouting department for the 2021 NHL Draft.

Left winger Jackson debuted at No. 158 on a list of 234 North American-based skaters, while Russian import Petrov is 35th on the 150-deep rankings of European-based skaters released Thursday.

Vrbetic is rated sixth among 32 North American-based goaltenders for the draft, which is to be conducted virtually July 23-24.

The OHL and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League have 44 representatives apiece in the rankings of North American skaters, while the Western Hockey League has 38, for a Canadian Hockey League total of 126. The coronavirus pandemic saw the 2020-21 OHL season cancelled, while the other two CHL leagues played limited schedules.

Jackson, an Ottawa native who was a third-round pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Red Wings minor midgets, scored eight goals and earned 14 assists for 22 points in 62 games in 2019-20 before the rest of the OHL schedule and playoffs were scrapped. He had three points, including two goals, in 12 games the previous year.

Jackson, who turns 19 on Oct. 17, stands six-foot-two and weighs 187 pounds.

Right winger Petrov, who turned 18 on March 12, is a six-foot-two, 178-pound native of Gus-Khrustalny, 230 kilometres east of Moscow. He played 58 games this season with the top-level junior Moscow Krylya Sovetov, or Soviet Wings, scoring 22 goals and adding 20 assists for 42 points.

The Battalion selected him with the first overall pick in the CHL Import Draft last June 30.

Vrbetic posted a 4.23 goals-against average, an .881 save percentage, two shutouts and a won-lost-extended record of 14-25-1 in 42 games in 2019-20. A six-foot-six, 180-pound resident of Dunvegan, Ont., Vrbetic was a second-rounder in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection from the Don Mills Flyers minor midgets.

Benjamin Gaudreau of the Sarnia Sting, a North Bay product, is ranked second among North American goaltenders behind Sebastian Cossa of the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings. Tristan Lennox of the Saginaw Spirit and Brett Brochu of the London Knights are the other ranked OHL goalies.

Five OHLers are rated among the first 16 skaters, led by centre Mason McTavish of the Peterborough Petes at No. 2. Others are defenceman Brandt Clarke of the Barrie Colts, left winger Brennan Othmann of the Flint Firebirds and centres Francesco Pinelli of the Kitchener Rangers and Wyatt Johnston of the Windsor Spitfires.

In addition, defenceman Daniil Chayka, who played two seasons with the Guelph Storm after being selected in the first round of the 2018 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens, is rated fifth among European skaters after a season in Russia.

Players are first-time eligible for the seven-round NHL draft in the year in which they turn 18, unless they were born Sept. 16 or later, in which case they must wait until the following year.

The San Jose Sharks selected right winger Brandon Coe of the Battalion in the fourth round, 97th overall, of the 2020 NHL Draft conducted in virtual fashion Oct. 6-7.

Check out the North Bay Battalion Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from May 27, 2021


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.

Other Recent North Bay Battalion Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central