Smith traded for picks
NORTH BAY, Ont. — The North Bay Battalion has traded left winger Reyth Smith to the Niagara IceDogs, the Ontario Hockey League club announced Friday.
North Bay received two OHL Priority Selection picks, a third-rounder in 2026 that originally belonged to the Guelph Storm and Niagara’s eighth-rounder in 2028.
The Battalion selected Smith, a Leamington, Ont., native who turns 18 on July 27, in the fifth round, 100th overall, in 2023 from the Windsor Jr. Spitfires U16s.
He played 49 games with the Troops last season, scoring five goals and adding four assists for nine points with 43 penalty minutes. He had one goal in three OHL games in 2023-24, when he amassed 27 goals and 26 assists for 53 points in 55 games with the junior A Powassan Voodoos of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Smith’s first Battalion game, on Dec. 13, 2023, saw him open the scoring to launch the Teddy Bears in an eventual 6-2 loss to the visiting Soo Greyhounds.
“John has been working extremely hard on several fronts, but getting our numbers down to provide a proper runway for our young prospects was a priority heading into this offseason,” Adam Dennis, director of hockey operations, noted of the efforts of general manager John Winstanley.
“Reyth was a great player and person during his time here, and we felt it was important to give him an opportunity for more minutes to take the next step in his career. We wish him the best of luck in Niagara.”
