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OHL North Bay Battalion

Youthful Battalion Ready to Open Season

September 24, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Stan Butler is no stranger to guiding young teams in the Ontario Hockey League. He's about to get another opportunity.

Butler, director of hockey operations and head coach since the North Bay Battalion's predecessor began play in Brampton in 1998, has overseen several youthful squads in the franchise's history. The Troops open their third season in North Bay at 7 p.m. Friday when they host the Peterborough Petes.

"You can't be scared of having young teams," Butler said this week. "You can't worry about it. You play the cards you're dealt. We hope our older guys can bring the young guys along."

The Troops, who posted a won-lost record of 2-2 in exhibition action, have 14 players on their roster with less than two years of OHL experience. Of that group, nine are classified as rookies.

The club is carrying 25 players, made up of 14 forwards, nine defencemen and two goaltenders, after the release Tuesday of right winger Brock Perry, a training camp invitee.

"We have a lot of younger players," allowed Butler, who's been credited with 612 regular-season wins with the Battalion and Oshawa Generals, most among active coaches. "We have a lot of key older players, but our success this season will be determined by how our young guys develop."

The Battalion, which was defeated by Oshawa in the Eastern Conference Championship Series last season after going to the OHL final the year before, has lost a number of important contributors to graduation or the professional ranks.

Forwards Nick Paul, Nick Moutrey and Ryan Kujawinski combined for 124 points, including 68 goals, with the Troops, while Alex Henriksson and Ray Huether added 32 goals and 75 points. On the blue line, Marcus McIvor left as the franchise's career leader in games played, while Brenden Miller ended his junior career as the Battalion's all-time leading scorer among defencemen.

"There are some great opportunities for guys to take advantage of," noted Butler, who welcomed centre Mike Amadio and overage goaltender Jake Smith back to the ranks after extended stays at National Hockey League training camps.

"If some of our guys develop the way they need to, we'll have a good team. There is some uncertainty. We don't always know where we're going."

Amadio, a 19-year-old who was a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 NHL Draft, will be counted on to pace the offence after leading the Battalion in scoring last season with 24 goals and 47 assists for 71 points.

Butler said he'll also look for a significant contribution from centre Brett McKenzie, 18, a first-round pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection who recorded 32 points, including 11 goals, in 68 games last season.

"He's a third-year player who's been given good opportunities in his first two seasons. He's been allowed to develop slowly because of the teams we've had here, but we need him to come out of the gate fast and be good right off the bat."

Left winger Max Kislinger, a German import, tied for the team lead in preseason scoring with three points, including two goals, in two games. A first-round pick in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft in June, Kislinger played the 2013-14 season for Peterborough-area teams before skating last season with the EC Salzburg under-18 club in Austria.

"We saw him in his minor midget season in Peterborough," Butler said of the six-foot-two, 201-pound right shot. "He's an import but he's played in Canada, so it's an advantage for him as he isn't playing in North America for the first time. He's one of the 17-year-olds who can dictate how well we do this season."

The defence corps, while missing stalwarts such as McIvor and Miller, remains a solid group.

Overager Miles Liberati produced 38 points last season, while Kyle Wood, a 19-year-old who's out with a hand injury, contributed 40 points, including 16 goals. Riley Bruce was a seventh-round choice of the Calgary Flames in the NHL Draft in June, while two other 18-year-olds, Zach Shankar and Mark Shoemaker, were rookies last year.

Cam Dineen, 17, and North Bay native Brady Lyle, a 16-year-old who was a first-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection in April, are among the new faces on the back end. Lyle is sidelined with a broken collarbone as the season starts.

"I think we have some pretty good defencemen," said Butler. "We may not have the familiar names like McIvor and Miller that all the fans know, but it's still a formidable group."

Smith has been a workhorse in goal over the last two seasons, appearing in 98 regular-season games and starting all of the club's 37 playoff games. Smith, who will be backed up by Jake Kment, had a won-lost-extended record of 28-18-10 with four shutouts, a 2.78 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage last season.

"Smith allows a lot of the young guys to develop," said Butler. "He makes up for mistakes guys make, and he can win you games you probably shouldn't."

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