Battalion acquire Zito from IceDogs
The North Bay Battalion have acquired Detroit Red Wings prospect Pasquale Zito from the Niagara IceDogs.
In exchange, Niagara received forward Michael Podolioukh and five draft picks that includes two second-round selections in 2026.
“Pasquale is a player who brings a winning pedigree with him and brings our group a lot closer to our ultimate goal,” said Battalion general manager Adam Dennis.
“We feel with this move we have a deep group of forwards that can hurt teams from a number of different angles. We look forward to getting him into our team.”
Zito was acquired by Niagara from Windsor in the offseason and tallied 19 points (seven goals) in 23 games. A sixth-round pick by the Red Wings in 2021, Zito has amassed 74 points in 118 OHL games.
It’s the latest in a string of moves from Dennis as the Battalion seek to advance past the Eastern Conference Finals where their season was ended a year ago. North Bay acquired Saginaw captain and Buffalo Sabres prospect Josh Bloom last month, alongside defenceman Brayden Hislop, to add to a lineup that already featured a plethora of NHL Drafted prospects.
The Battalion lead the Central Division with a 20-8-1 record and own the second best winning percentage in the OHL at .707.