Battalion tabs Dale, Marks
NORTH BAY, Ont. — The North Bay Battalion made left winger Grady Dale of the BioSteel Sports Academy U18s its first-round pick Monday night in the Ontario Hockey League Under-18 Priority Selection.
The Battalion took right winger Wyatt Marks of the Waterloo Wolves U18s in the second round of the 10th annual process, held for the first time in advance of the OHL Priority Selection, to be conducted Friday night and Saturday at Kingston. The Troops didn’t choose a goaltender and thus didn’t have a third-round pick.
Dale, chosen 11th overall, had 30 goals and 49 assists for 79 points with 14 penalty minutes in 55 games with BioSteel, based in Windsor. He had one goal in as many games with the junior A Leamington Flyers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Dale played in 2024-25 with the North Bay Trappers U16s, producing 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points with 50 PiM in 31 games. He had one goal and two assists for three points in four OHL Cup tournament games at Toronto, playing for the Northern Ontario Hockey Association entry.
A five-foot-10, 178-pound Sudbury resident, he turns 17 on Aug. 30.
“Grady is a player who competes with purpose every shift,” said Battalion general manager John Winstanley. “His skill, hockey IQ and drive to get better stood out throughout the scouting process.
“We’re proud to select a player of his calibre and are excited about the impact he’ll have.”
In 14 games with Waterloo last season, including five at the Telus Cup national tournament, Marks, chosen 31st overall, scored six goals and earned two assists for eight points with 32 PiM. He recorded one assist in one game with the junior B Elmira Sugar Kings of the Greater Ontario Hockey League.
The six-foot, 156-pound Waterloo resident turned 17 on Feb. 22.
Winstanley said Marks, who missed most of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery, “is a player we targeted because of his talent, determination and commitment to getting better every day.”
“He competes hard, plays the game the right way and embodies the culture we’re building. We’re proud to welcome Wyatt to our organization.”
Defenceman Jonathan Kapageridis was the only member of the 2025-26 Battalion to have been chosen in the U18 event. Acquired by North Bay in a trade Jan. 8, 2025, he was taken second overall by the Sarnia Sting from the Don Mills Flyers U18s in 2024.
The 20 clubs, connected to the OHL office in Toronto, made their selections via the Internet. Picks were made in inverse order of the overall standings from 2025-26, with the four non-playoff teams exercising their first choices in accordance with the weighted lottery that determined the selection order for the first four picks in the upcoming Priority Selection.
The Oshawa Generals had the No. 1 pick and selected centre Ethan Cava of the Seventh Fire Secondary School Eagles U18s from Thunder Bay, Ont.
Clubs were required to make picks through two rounds, with any team choosing a goaltender having the option to make a third selection, who had to be a skater. A total of 40 skaters and 12 goaltenders were selected.
All U18 players not on a Canadian Hockey League team’s protected list who were carded with an Ontario-based AAA hockey club or an accredited Hockey Canada sport school within the Ontario Hockey Federation, Hockey Northwestern Ontario or Hockey Eastern Ontario in 2025-26 were eligible for selection.
